Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Kaleredar]

That's what I mean. There's nearly half the population that are stupid enough to believe Trump, Giuliani, Powell, et al. If they're stupid enough for that, then they're stupid enough not to be swayed away from using those lawyers. That couple are already on their way to being GoP stars.

Be that as it may, my thinking is that... they can trick Trump's dumb rubes into thinking their competent lawyers. But lawyers don't come cheap, and outside of the occasional pillow entrepreneur I don't think most Trump supporters are possessed of the great means to hire or keep lawyers on retainer.

And even if they could, it's become hilariously clear that their dumbass faux-legal nonsense goes absolutely nowhere in the court of law. And law firms aren't going to want to bring them on as lawyers.

So is there really all that much long-term monetary gain to be had, here? Seems the best they could hope for is some cushy talking head job on Fox news or other right-wing mouthpiece where they can give their spin "professional opinion" on how Trump's forthcoming legal issues are actually good for him.

[Breccia]

And technically, he's not even saying he lost, just that he didn't win.

Yeah, he's really dancing around the semantics. No surprise from the king of What He Meant Was.

I'll consider it "breaking news" when he admits he lost honestly. This isn't that. This is just more spin. I have every belief that, if Trump really wants to admit he'll lost honestly, he'll do it the same way he admitted Obama is American. Host a press conference, turn it into an ad for his business, wave some flags, say "I lost honestly" and flee without taking questions.

[Kaleredar]

Yeah, he's really dancing around the semantics. No surprise from the king of What He Meant Was.

I'll consider it "breaking news" when he admits he lost honestly. This isn't that. This is just more spin. I have every belief that, if Trump really wants to admit he'll lost honestly, he'll do it the same way he admitted Obama is American. Host a press conference, turn it into an ad for his business, wave some flags, say "I lost honestly" and flee without taking questions.

I don’t think trump will ever admit he lost. There’s no money in it.

[Benggaul]

Alright, just got my first jab so let's knock this out before I find out whether or not I'll be one of the lucky ones or if I'll be knocked on my ass for a couple days.

Thursday's report:

11,230 new cases; about 5k fewer than last Friday--however 5 states (including Florida and Alabama) aren't reporting daily anymore (and worldometers didn't include any mysterious totals today), so tack on another couple k.

Top 5:

Fuck Florida. Always and forever.
Texas: 1,482 new cases; 35 deaths
California: 1,050 new cases; 32 deaths
Missouri: 724 new cases; no deaths reported
Colorado: 543 new cases; 7 deaths

It's not unexpected to see California back up above 1k as the week ends since numbers nationwide tend to be higher by Friday. They're still slightly lower than where they were on Thursday of last week. Missouri, by contrast, is going up as we've seen for the last little while thanks in part to the Delta variant. The majority of the nation is in the "Medium" risk category with several flicking back and forth into "High" and we'll probably see things stay that way until more of the country is vaccinated. Or until a major outbreak happens, which isn't out of the realm of possibility.

291 deaths is about 200 fewer than last Thursday and brings the total to 616,440. Add in the likely totals from Florida, Alabama et al and it's probably closer to 100 fewer, but I'm confident it's still down a decent amount. The 7-day average is declining to around 300.

Related news:

High Hopes for Johnson & Johnson’s Covid Vaccine Have Fizzled in the U.S.--The "one and done" vaccine has been a huge disappointment for various reasons and this has hindered the vaccination effort, particularly for those in harder-to-reach areas of the country.

Covid Counts Hit Zero in U.S. Hospitals Once Overrun by Victims--Encouraging, but this could turn around again if--you guessed it--Delta runs rampant.

Stay safe, folks.

[cubby]

Yeah, he's really dancing around the semantics. No surprise from the king of What He Meant Was.

I'll consider it "breaking news" when he admits he lost honestly. This isn't that. This is just more spin. I have every belief that, if Trump really wants to admit he'll lost honestly, he'll do it the same way he admitted Obama is American. Host a press conference, turn it into an ad for his business, wave some flags, say "I lost honestly" and flee without taking questions.

Which he'll never do. Saying he lost is just feeding the conspiracy fire that the election was "stolen" from him. Even after his death these notions will continue for decades.

- - - Updated - - -

Trump and his acolytes are continuing to rewash his Residency in a historical doubleplusgoodspeak version of his time in the Oval Office.

It's as if the fawning over Vladimir Putin never happened. Or Trump's assurance that Covid-19 would simply "go away" never passed his lips. Trump's acolytes have, meanwhile, rebranded the worst assault in American democracy in modern times into a January 6 tourist jaunt as they seek to cleanse the reputation of the former President who told rioters to "fight like Hell" and, months later, still holds enormous sway over the GOP.
Trump and conservative propaganda media are also assailing Dr. Anthony Fauci to expunge the ex-President's neglect of a pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans on his watch.

We are rushing head on into the Post-Fact Era.

[Bakis]

Had a big laugh from this The 30 most bizarre lines from Donald Trump's interview with Sean Hannity

[Breccia]

Alright, just got my first jab

Congrats, man. It's been too long.

- - - Updated - - -

Had a big laugh from this The 30 most bizarre lines from Donald Trump's interview with Sean Hannity

I guess I can take a quick loo-

Hydroxychloroquine

Ah fuck it.

- - - Updated - - -

So, we haven't heard much from Pence recently. Let's see what--

Former Vice President Mike Pence was heckled with calls of “traitor”

"Oh, those angry libruls! Why don't they leave him alone?"

at a conservative conference Friday

"Um...surely that was outside, right? By angry libruls on the way to the conference?"

“It is great to be back with so many patriots dedicated to faith and freedom and the road to the majority,” Pence said to applause at the Faith & Freedom Coalition summit before the heckling began.

“I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order,” Pence continued, as the hecklers in the audience began to grow louder, yelling “traitor.”

Some of the hecklers were reportedly removed from the event as Pence went on with his speech.

Yep. To be fair, I don't know if the hecklers in question were classic Republicans upset that Pence let Trump get away with, well, literal murder; members of the rabid fanbase still upset that Pence followed the law and his duty with regard to the election; or actual torch-carrying Nazis because this is Trump we're talking about and I can't rule those out.

Pence's political career is over. Everyone knows it, including Pence. The GOP gave up and became the Party of Trump (see also: 2020 RNC platform) and a Republican that Trump opposes can no longer carry the Party of Trump's vote. Pence will spend the rest of his life disliked by classic Republicans, hated and probably receiving death threats from Trump supporters, and everyone else wil sigh and shake their head at someone who went from Grand Old Passtimes like hating gay people and became a potted plant with a soiled MAGA hat in it.

I wonder if he thinks it was worth it? Were the judges alone, because that's all he got, worth what happened to his party and his legacy? Will the warmth of making abortion slightly harder for a few more years be worth wondering if today's the day he gets run over by a Nazi, beaten to death with a fire extinguisher (I can still use it for him) 2nd Amendment'd, lynched, or just shot on 5th Avenue?

I'd ask him if he thought it was worth it, but his wife would need to be in the room. Oh, and I guess I'd have to yell over the shouts of "traitor!"

[Ivanstone]

I wonder if he thinks it was worth it?

https://jezebel.com/mike-and-mother-...n-i-1847080514
“ After four years of collecting a paycheck for doing absolutely nothing at a job he coasted into, he is now enjoying a lavish retirement in a $1.9 million home in Indiana. According to the New York Post, Pence purchased the seven-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom property above the asking price in the affluent area of Carmel.”

[Breccia]

$1.9 million

How much would you need to be paid, to see your life's reputation tarnished forever, your best chance to make real change in your ideology vanish, and to worry about death threats indefinitely?

[Radux]

How much would you need to be paid, to see your life's reputation tarnished forever, your best chance to make real change in your ideology vanish, and to worry about death threats indefinitely?

It was bittersweet for Indiana (as a resident myself) when he was chosen for VP. Indiana hated him in the role of governor. So on one hand he wasn't our governor anymore (yay). The other he was VP (less-yay).

Now he's just back to living in a place that doesn't like him.

The suburb he moved to is just known for being snooty and stuck up. It's one of like... 2 suburbs where the incredibly wealthy of the state tend to live.

I'm guessing he and the mrs will just get really used to using grubhub or doordash.

[Breccia]

I'm guessing he and the mrs will just get really used to using grubhub or doordash.

On behalf of the 300 million who Trump didn't kill with COVID, I can say "join the club, jackoff"

[Edge-]

On behalf of the 300 million who Trump didn't kill with COVID, I can say "join the club, jackoff"

Whoa now, I've used doordash approximately one time since this shit started. It was also the first time I ever used it, but it was thanks to a work gift card. I will not be counted in that 300+ million!

[Benggaul]

Congrats, man. It's been too long.

Yeah, they've been really slow with the vaccination effort here, both from lack of organization and lack of supply. I'm not an old man yet (although I've felt like it ever since the accident), but I'm old enough that my age group should have been fully vaccinated by now. Got the first appointments (first and second shot) available when I called about it.

And nooooow I'm starting to feel it. hahaha Tomorrow's report may be delayed. :P

[Ivanstone]

How much would you need to be paid,
to see your life's reputation tarnished forever,
your best chance to make real change in your ideology vanish,
and to worry about death threats indefinitely?

Lots but….
Pence was doing the Lord’s work or so he thinks
A lot of judges were put on the bench
They’ll get distracted by something new to be outraged about

I’m sure he’ll be fine.

[swiftowner]

It was bittersweet for Indiana (as a resident myself) when he was chosen for VP. Indiana hated him in the role of governor. So on one hand he wasn't our governor anymore (yay). The other he was VP (less-yay).

Now he's just back to living in a place that doesn't like him.

The suburb he moved to is just known for being snooty and stuck up. It's one of like... 2 suburbs where the incredibly wealthy of the state tend to live.

I'm guessing he and the mrs will just get really used to using grubhub or doordash.

Fuck, I thought he went to Zionsville, I spend a lot of time in Carmel, so that’s a bummer. Carmel is forever tainted

[Edge-]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interes...n-hearing.html

And there's a sanctions hearing for the lawyers who pushed the Kraken nonsense in MI earlier this year. Good shit.

[Breccia]

Tomorrow's report may be delayed.

Take care of yourself, man. It's a weekend anyhow. Fuck Florida.

- - - Updated - - -

And there's a sanctions hearing for the lawyers who pushed the Kraken nonsense in MI earlier this year. Good shit.

Obviously @cubby will be asked to respond. By me. Please respond @cubby

Until that happens, I'll take a shot at this: Powell is so badly fucked, you'd think she was Florida.

This is a federal fucking lawsuit. She doesn't get to handwave it. The Michigan AG is going after Powell and some names I don't recognize but will assume are MAGAsshats by context and dragging them into a federal courthouse.

Where Powell will be forced to testify directly to the claims made such as "Michigan's election was damaged by fraud". For which she has no evidence -- at least, she's been given every last chance then six fucking more and hasn't done it.

Now Powell can take the Fifth and refuse to testify against anything that could lead to criminal charges, as is her right. Near as I can tell, and this is where @cubby will do a better job than me, these "sanctions" the Michigan AG is asking for aren't criminal penalties. Which means, no Fifth. She will have to say, under oath, that she brought these cases forward without any evidence of any kind. That she sued the state, multiple times I think?, with literally nothing to work with but hearsay, conspiracy theories, wishful thinking and failing a logic test set to "rodent".

So, what, she loses her license? Fined for some court fees?

Yes. At first.

Then Dominion steps in. "We have this on record," Dominion will say, "and that means we have direct evidence in our lawsuit against Powell. You owe us $1.3 billion dollars, or you contradict yourself and therefore commit perjury. Game over, bitch."

Then Dominion will pull out the head of Medusa, and Sidney Powell will turn to stone before crumbling into the ocean.

Powell has no reasonable method of escaping this. I mean, I guess she could die or flee to Russia. For a while, I thought "well she could just settle" but no, I think Michigan, who likely has been in a Discord server with Georgia and Arizona, is out for fucking blood. No settlement will be reached. Then I thought "well she could plead No Contest To All and avoid testifying that way". This is the safest route I could think of. She accepts the worst penalty Michigan can imagine¹ while not actually admitting she made shit up, therefore, not handing Dominion an instant win. That's...fine, I guess. She'll lose her license and probably a lot of money. But, she's not the only defendant. If she pleads No Contest, her co-conspirators are also fucked. Which means she'll be broke, effectively admitting she had nothing to work with, and also publicly seling out her friends. And Dominion will still drag her to court with a case that's strong, just not an instant one-shot.

Giuliani should be watching. Whatever happens to Powell will basically tell him what to expect next. I don't think NYState will be forgiving, either.

---

¹ Being a Vikings fan HEYOOOO

[Benggaul]

Going to keep this one a bit short. Everything hurts.

Friday's report:

13,389 new cases; about 3k fewer than last Friday.

Top 5:

Fuck Florida.
Texas: 1,235 new cases; 47 deaths
California: 1,111 new cases; 43 deaths
Missouri: 917 new cases; no deaths reported
New York: 612 new cases; 10 deaths

Missouri is creeping up on 1k cases and it is also the only state to jump back above the 5% positivity threshold, currently sitting at about 5.4%. That's not to say they are the only ones with rising case counts, though. While 22 states are seeing cases fall (most of New England, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, etc..), there are about 20 states in which the cases are rising (Florida, Alabama, Texas, Washington, the Carolinas, etc..), though for many of them the change is slight for now. The other half-dozen or so aren't seeing much change one way or the other (primarily the South), though as Delta becomes more prevalent that could change very quickly.

393 deaths is exactly the same as was reported last Friday and brings the total to 616,920. Missouri has reported no deaths for the entire month and I can't believe that to be accurate given their past numbers and the fact they've had rising cases for a while now, so there's something going on there. Florida, Texas and California round out the top three.

Related news:

DC to offer $51 gift cards to those getting first COVID-19 shot--I can't imagine why "51" was chosen. Nope. Not at all. In any case, carrots don't seem to have been working as well as hoped and DC already has a decent vaccination rate (59.5%, just below Maryland's 60.2%), so I'm not expecting this to move the needle much.

It's not just Delta -- other coronavirus variants worry scientists, also--Because you were getting sick of hearing me go on about the Delta variant. Be careful what you wish for.

As the pandemic in the US slows, the fight against post-Covid syndrome is on--As a reminder that we'll be dealing with COVID-19 in one form or another for a long, long time still. The post-COVID effects are still being studied and will be for ages as many suffer "long COVID" symptoms that doctors are struggling to diagnose or treat.

Stay safe, folks.

[beanman12345]

Alright, just got my first jab .

shoulda checked the thread yesterday but reading this, You just made my day my friend!

[gondrin]

Then Dominion will pull out the head of Medusa, and Sidney Powell will turn to stone before crumbling into the ocean.

Wouldn't it be easier to just pull up a mirror? Pretty much do the same thing. I mean she was going to release the Kraken. She might actually be Medusa if we are going to go with mythological creatures.