Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[s_bushido]

https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/s...42854537134080

oh my god I am fucking dying. Who knew that old, conservatives white dudes could meme so well.

Yeah...but one of the first replies sums it up nicely:

"Let's not forget how we got here. All these people producing and releasing these effective commercials voted for Trump in 2016."

They may get some points for finally realizing the obvious...but not many.

[Breccia]

"Let's not forget how we got here. All these people producing and releasing these effective commercials voted for Trump in 2016."

They did. But at least they are willing to admit they made a mistake, and are trying to fix it.

It's the difference between manslaughter and assassination, now that 2016 is over and 2020 is upon us.

[Thekri]

Yeah...but one of the first replies sums it up nicely:

"Let's not forget how we got here. All these people producing and releasing these effective commercials voted for Trump in 2016."

They may get some points for finally realizing the obvious...but not many.

Who exactly are you referring to here? The two main characters are Rick Wilson and George Conway, who were rather noteworthy Never Trumpers, and neither has ever supported him. Of course Conway is married to Kellyanne...

Anyway, they are definitely lowlifes political operatives that feel jilted by Trump ripping their party away from them, but they aren't betraying Trump because they never supported him. They want their old style Republican corruption and abuse back. The stuff that wasn't quite as blatant and self-destructive.

[s_bushido]

They did. But at least they are willing to admit they made a mistake, and are trying to fix it.

Yeah. Like I said, it's something, but not much. "How could I have known that rolling my baby's stroller into traffic was a bad idea?!!"

I'd just caution people against rooting for this sort of thing too much, considering that regardless of the results of the election, they're going to right back to supporting the same regressive policies that Republicans have been espousing for decades.

[Paranoid Android]

NEW: Secret Service tells the press to leave White House grounds in a highly unusual move https://t.co/5C36uLywRI

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/stat...603359752?s=19

The authoritarian baby is having a fit. Well it could be anything so I guess let your mind run wild.

We will see if the President has the right to do this. Likely, but no other President would have done this.

[arandomuser]

Yeah...but one of the first replies sums it up nicely:

"Let's not forget how we got here. All these people producing and releasing these effective commercials voted for Trump in 2016."

They may get some points for finally realizing the obvious...but not many.

some liberals were actually offended at their ramp ad and in the comments were like "focus on PoLiCY" lol like trump voters care about policy, were too nice, were not scorched earth like republicans are, rick wilson and lincoln project shows us what its like to apply republican strategies to the other side

- - - Updated - - -

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/stat...603359752?s=19

The authoritarian baby is having a fit. Well it could be anything so I guess let your mind run wild.

We will see if the President has the right to do this. Likely, but no other President would have done this.

Well if you know thereason trump won its because the midwest was being choked by liberal snowflakism

/s

lets hope that covid keeps increasing in red states...gotta trigger the sjws you knkow, wouldnt want in none masculine leader like jacinda arden of new zealand

[Thekri]

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/stat...603359752?s=19

The authoritarian baby is having a fit. Well it could be anything so I guess let your mind run wild.

We will see if the President has the right to do this. Likely, but no other President would have done this.

Random speculation, but it very well could be a medical emergency, and they want the press out while they medically evacuate him. I am not sure what else it could be. We will find out soon enough, I am sure. If there is one thing consistent about this White House, it is that it can't keep a secret for shit.

[Breccia]

Random speculation, but it very well could be a medical emergency, and they want the press out while they medically evacuate him. I am not sure what else it could be.

He's throwing a hissy fit and/or about to order military violent force against unarmed civilians, and either way he doesn't want to be seen, heard, or smelled...it Depends on who you ask.

[Omega10]

A second shutdown is political suicide for any governor at this point. For one, it's a open admission that they fucked up by easing social distancing restrictions way too soon. Second, can you imagine the outcry from businesses that were suffering under the initial shutdown, had a little hope thrown their way only to be possibly snatched from their grasp for a second and undetermined length of time.

I'm not saying a second shutdown or roll back of a partial shutdown isn't necessary, only that maintaining the initial shutdown is far easier than shutting down, opening up, and then shutting down again.

The business community is still pushing hard at the "ignore the virus, it'll go away so it's safe to open up the economy" idea, and they are pushing this idea very hard. Governors are caught in the middle, with their owners insisting that they open up their states and kill off their supporters.

Most likely, what Abbot said is what will happen. The states will insist on opening up their economies until the virus is so damn bad that they have no choice but to start closing things down again. They won't redo lock downs until it is incredibly clear that there is no other option. This is precisely the least effective and most damaging way to deal with the situation.

A lot of Trump supporters are going to pay a huge price for this strategy.

[arandomuser]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...55772709031936
new low for president trump
most openly race baiting post ive seen him do

[Rasulis]

The business community is still pushing hard at the "ignore the virus, it'll go away so it's safe to open up the economy" idea, and they are pushing this idea very hard. Governors are caught in the middle, with their owners insisting that they open up their states and kill off their supporters.

Most likely, what Abbot said is what will happen. The states will insist on opening up their economies until the virus is so damn bad that they have no choice but to start closing things down again. They won't redo lock downs until it is incredibly clear that there is no other option. This is precisely the least effective and most damaging way to deal with the situation.

A lot of Trump supporters are going to pay a huge price for this strategy.

He will wait until he absolutely has no choice. Few people realize the true economic damage this pandemic did to Texas. The state was hit by a double whammy.

[Omega10]

He will wait until he absolutely has no choice. Few people realize the true economic damage this pandemic did to Texas. The state was hit by a double whammy.

And Texas (as well as other states) has a lot more economic pain to absorb.

The Yahoo articles trying to depict an oil industry on the rebound due to oil prices hitting $40 a barrel seem false. YAY WE ARE ONLY LOSING $10 A BARREL NOW!!! At least gasoline stations will start raising prices at the pumps. This is their good news? There are a few triumphantly predicting a rise to $70 a barrel - YAY a lot higher gasoline prices at the pump? - but I don't see that happening again.

The business community is in a state of desperation and denial. America is already paying a huge price for this, and their will be more pain coming forward.

I wish I could find something solid that is positive. But right now there is nothing.

[Masark]

Kudlow says there will be no second wave.

Says 37 states are fine and 13 have "hotspots".

By dubbing econ "dismal science" adherents exaggerate;
The "dismal"'s fine - it's "science" where they patently prevaricate.

[fwc577]

Going to be very interesting at work tomorrow with the news that came out regarding H-1B suspension. Pretty sure my company was in the process of hiring a senior programmer for a specific language and he would've started next month and I'm guessing that isn't happening now. I saw this quote in the article I was reading and it rings 100% true in my company's case:

Mitch Wexler, a managing partner at law firm Fragomen, said the order would hurt his social media and wireless communications clients and other tech companies.

Employers "wouldn't pay a lot of money to file these applications and hire lawyers like me if they could hire an American for these positions," he said.

I had overheard the lawyer and my boss discussing the salary because my boss was apparently deaf and had his phone volume up to 200% while I was in his office. And this is 100% true.

[bladeXcrasher]

12 states show record spikes in coronavirus cases

Florida, Texas, Arizona, Utah, South Carolina, Nevada, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, California, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.

My count might be off, but it looks like Florida broke at least five records in ten days.

But that's not all!

In the ongoing effort to stop illegal immigration, Trump signs an E.O. blocking work visas. No, really.



This is an expansion on his coronavirus-excused green card ban a couple months ago. Incidentally, there are exceptions for agricultural workers -- kind of strange, Team Trump has been saying they're the ones causing the spread.

"Wow. His allies must have loved that!"

Well, let's hear from Graham, who's had time to write out a full response since his wife was *cough* occupied all afternoon



And he put it in the place he knew Trump would see it -- he tweeted. Because of course he had to.

Besides what Graham said, this is a pretty clear sign Trump is losing his own base -- and I can think of almost 6,200 reasons why. Trump clearly knows he can't depend on House and Senate Republicans to follow his every whim anymore, and he's also racking up failure after failure. By sulking in the WH and signing E.O.'s, at least he knows they can't be stopped.

Until he's sued, and chalks up a loss. Again. Maybe it will be this lawsuit? It alleges that Trump's green card ban mentioned before is specifically unfair to people who turn 21 while they're waiting, and the rules change -- that they don't get preference because of their parents anymore, and Trump is therefore separating families. The 60-day ban was just extended, but before it was, this affected 50,000 legal immigration attempts (legal, green cards are legal immigration).

"Why didn't those parents file for special exceptions or expedited cases?"

They did. Trump fired a bunch of the court workers, remember? They were already clogged.

And I'm willing to bet there's a waiver for "special circumstances" also known as "hypocrisy".

Let's throw in a few other quick things.

1) McEnemy: Mr. Clayton now will in time get to that position

2) Schumer: The fuck he will.

3) Collins: While Judge Wilson is entitled to his personal views, his comments about the legality of the Affordable Care Act, including calling the law 'perverse' and 'illegitimate,' raise doubts about his ability to rule impartially on matters where he holds very strong personal views (yes, opposing a Trump judge pick)

4) Perhaps sensing that, well, maybe the coronavirus growing in Southern states isn't a good thing after all, Trump suggests another round of stimulus checks would be okay, and by "suggests" I mean "he said it would happen".



Good luck, Mitch "No to Everything" McConnell. Oh, I know he can legally hold the line, but he's got to be asking if it's worth it anymore.

5) And of course, no day filled with resoundingly bad news for Trump is complete without a visit to FOX News!



I am not making that front page up. That's their leading headline. If you hurry, it'll still be there.

- - - Updated - - -



I would love to see an honest poll on the subject, but you and I both know none such will ever exist. But if I had to guess, "I'm unemployed and have no money to make the trip" would be pretty high up there.

- - - Updated - - -

Texas Gov. Hey Abbott yells at his voters "Put your damn masks on or you'll make me close the state again!"

I'm not exaggerating by all that much.



Abbott is in a tough spot, with nobody to blame but himself. He followed Trump's incoherent demands about money being more important than safety or lives and pushed for a rapid reopening, while refusing to disagree when Trump says things like "people should wear a mask only if they feel like it, I'm not wearing one, I've heard they make it worse". And now Texas has ten times as many new cases per day as New York.

So he has three choices, y'all.

One, stand against Trump and other science deniers by pushing for mask wearing and other safety measures.

Two, undo the latest phase of re-opening businesses for the safety of the people who are complying with rules from the dangers of the people who are not.

Or three, do nothing, and watch his own population get sick, close their businesses, and/or die in a largely Trump-sided way, being voted out of office when the Republicans blame him for their own failures and watching the state flip blue.

I'm sure he's regretting overriding all our local jurisdictions now. Guess he shouldn't have shot down all those mandatory mask orders. He's not this time though.

[Breccia]

Nadler says he will subpoena Barr.

Pretty sure Berman is scheduled to testify as well. Simply put, Barr hasn't given an explanation that fits yet. Barr/Trump can't pick and choose a replacement unless Berman resigns, but he didn't. So the "smooth transition" is bullshit. You can't have a "smooth transition" when the person currently in the job doesn't want to leave.

I would hope to see Berman testify second, after Barr says something on the stand like "Berman agreed to step down". But it's unlikely Barr will testify. The person in charge of enforcing contempt of Congress charge is Barr, after all.

[Rasulis]

Going to be very interesting at work tomorrow with the news that came out regarding H-1B suspension. Pretty sure my company was in the process of hiring a senior programmer for a specific language and he would've started next month and I'm guessing that isn't happening now. I saw this quote in the article I was reading and it rings 100% true in my company's case:



I had overheard the lawyer and my boss discussing the salary because my boss was apparently deaf and had his phone volume up to 200% while I was in his office. And this is 100% true.

H-1B and greencard also. Goofy. Since the majority of the job losses is in the transportation, service, entertainment, food and hospitality industries which have absolutely nothing to do with H-1B and greencard holders.

[Breccia]

H-1B and greencard also. Goofy. Since the majority of the job losses is in the transportation, service, entertainment, food and hospitality industries which have absolutely nothing to do with H-1B and greencard holders.

The order affects H-1B visas, H-2B visas, H-4 visas, L-1 visas and certain J-1 visas. The exceptions mentioned are agricultural and education jobs, but I expect Trump's hotels are somehow exempt.

[Rasulis]

And Texas (as well as other states) has a lot more economic pain to absorb.

The Yahoo articles trying to depict an oil industry on the rebound due to oil prices hitting $40 a barrel seem false. YAY WE ARE ONLY LOSING $10 A BARREL NOW!!! At least gasoline stations will start raising prices at the pumps. This is their good news? There are a few triumphantly predicting a rise to $70 a barrel - YAY a lot higher gasoline prices at the pump? - but I don't see that happening again.

The business community is in a state of desperation and denial. America is already paying a huge price for this, and their will be more pain coming forward.

I wish I could find something solid that is positive. But right now there is nothing.

What Yahoo article? Even the oil majors are in trouble. Exxon is one nudge away from falling off a steep cliff. Occidental is shit deep in debts. BP is in survival mode. Chevrons is the only one with plenty of cash on hand, and they don't know what to do with that cash. No new offshore drilling. SA is spending their sovereign funds like mad to stay alive. Oil & gas R&D is dead in the water. China's oil industry is in big trouble - China’s Offshore Defaults Top $4 Billion as Oil Firm Joins List. Dallas and Houston commercial real estate market will be in depression mode for at least several years. Anything to do with oil & gas is in deep trouble right now.

[Gorsameth]

He will wait until he absolutely has no choice. Few people realize the true economic damage this pandemic did to Texas. The state was hit by a double whammy.

The problem with waiting until you absolutely have no choice is the lag time of ~2 weeks on cases, and ~a month on deaths. Based on what happened around the world.

It would be like waiting for the Gangreen to set in on a limb and then wait another 2 weeks before cutting it off. Your going to lose a lot more then that 1 limb.
That is why the sane part of the world closed down early. because if its going to have to happen anyway your better of doing it earlier rather then later.

The half arsed measures the US took were the worst possible option. Because you had the economic damage of a (partial) lockdown but not the effect of actually stomping down on the virus.
And consider how states like New York or New Jersey are going to have to deal with the situation going forward. There is a massive risk of a 2nd wave unless they shut the state from the rest of the US. They would risk importing a lot of virus back in.