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The reason trump happened is because the GOP moved away from actually bothering to have any policies beyond "democrats bad!".
And then GOP voters voted for him.
The GOP is responsible for trump, 100%.
Trump is a sign that our system needs to progress. It's been the same old faces pulling the same old crap for decades, with little movement forward due to one party or another not playing ball. Trump came out of left field with the vocabulary and behavior that was completely different than any other option, and his even his slogan "Make America Great Again". He tried to hearken back to the good old days where our government wasn't as dysfunctional as it was,and spat venom at everyone, which also set him apart. Its honestly no wonder her won, but its also a message. A warning that our system is broken, and we as the American people need to get our government working for us again, and move forward with dignity and respect, regardless of party.
Good one man, the good old days of old racist white men in charge, the 19th century.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/05/03 20:30:22
Sorry for my spelling. I'm not a native speaker and a dyslexic.
1750 pts Blood Specters
2000 pts Imperial Fists
6000 pts Disciples of Fate
3500 pts Peridia Prime
2500 pts Prophets of Fate
Lizardmen 3000 points Tlaxcoatl Temple-City
Tomb Kings 1500 points Sekhra (RIP)
whembly wrote: And weirdly, this intense focus on shaming Trump's voters instead of figuring out why the GOP party was so ripe for takeover is frankly, bizarre. Seems like the parties, media and the old guard is doomed to repeat this madness.
There has been lots of debate. My takeaway from all of that debate is that Trump is the end result of the part 20-ish years of the GOP eschewing workable policy in favour of lies, whataboutism and victimhood.
...says...the Canadian.
Does my Canadian-ness mean I cannot read and interpret American debates?
We were once so close to heaven, St. Peter came out and gave us medals; declaring us "The nicest of the damned".
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
I partly blame democrats for nominating Clinton. I'm fully convinced anyone else, yes even Bernie Sanders (especially Biden), would've done better than Clinton.
Sanders, the guy who couldn't even beat Clinton and whose voters would be invisible once it snowed? The same type of voters that overwhelmingly picked Trump?
Sorry for my spelling. I'm not a native speaker and a dyslexic.
1750 pts Blood Specters
2000 pts Imperial Fists
6000 pts Disciples of Fate
3500 pts Peridia Prime
2500 pts Prophets of Fate
Lizardmen 3000 points Tlaxcoatl Temple-City
Tomb Kings 1500 points Sekhra (RIP)
whembly wrote: And weirdly, this intense focus on shaming Trump's voters instead of figuring out why the GOP party was so ripe for takeover is frankly, bizarre. Seems like the parties, media and the old guard is doomed to repeat this madness.
There has been lots of debate. My takeaway from all of that debate is that Trump is the end result of the part 20-ish years of the GOP eschewing workable policy in favour of lies, whataboutism and victimhood.
...says...the Canadian.
When the trend is apparent to foreigners it's a pretty dam obvious trend.
(Though I would ask...why does the secular branches of congresss have a Chaplain on staff in the first place, but thats another conversation )
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/05/03 20:59:37
IRON WITHIN, IRON WITHOUT.
New Heavy Gear Log! Also...Grey Knights! The correct pronunciation is Imperial Guard and Stormtroopers, "Astra Militarum" and "Tempestus Scions" are something you'll find at Hogwarts.
whembly wrote: And weirdly, this intense focus on shaming Trump's voters instead of figuring out why the GOP party was so ripe for takeover is frankly, bizarre. Seems like the parties, media and the old guard is doomed to repeat this madness.
There has been lots of debate. My takeaway from all of that debate is that Trump is the end result of the part 20-ish years of the GOP eschewing workable policy in favour of lies, whataboutism and victimhood.
...says...the Canadian.
Does my Canadian-ness mean I cannot read and interpret American debates?
it means your viewpoint us spoiled by your socialist maple tree hugging ways.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
whembly wrote: And weirdly, this intense focus on shaming Trump's voters instead of figuring out why the GOP party was so ripe for takeover is frankly, bizarre. Seems like the parties, media and the old guard is doomed to repeat this madness.
There has been lots of debate. My takeaway from all of that debate is that Trump is the end result of the part 20-ish years of the GOP eschewing workable policy in favour of lies, whataboutism and victimhood.
...says...the Canadian.
Does my Canadian-ness mean I cannot read and interpret American debates?
it means your viewpoint us spoiled by your socialist maple tree hugging ways.
First of all, we tap maple trees, not hug them.
Second,democratic socialist or not, I can recognize lies and whataboutism and crying victimhood when I see it.
Third,
We were once so close to heaven, St. Peter came out and gave us medals; declaring us "The nicest of the damned".
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
See, down here we give it a hug, and make dinner and a movie, before we tap it.
Message...We Care!
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Regarding the statements made by Rudy Giuliani and tweets by President Trump;
Are we supposed to believe that the shameless self-proclaimed tough-guy with a notorious hard-on for litigation, got buffaloed into paying off a porn star for silence on an affair that didn't actually happen?
Yeah......right.
-------------------------------------------------------
"He died because he had no honor. He had no honor and the Emperor was watching."
The GOP really needs to have some introspection and take some personal responsibility. While democrats did underestimate the mass hatred of Hillary Clinton, GOP chose Trump. They then voted for him. And we all have to live with this.
So please, stop blaming Hillary or the democrats for the GOP's actions. The GOP promoted the Bush Tax cuts while we were in Iraq and Afghanistan. The GOP chose to be obstructionist during Obama presidency. The GOP chose to block the nomination of Obama's Supreme Court justice. And they fell in line behind Trump and got the tax cuts and SCOTUS they wanted.
Trump is a direct result of the GOP'S playbook of feelings are more important than facts. They need to own it.
Steelmage99 wrote: Regarding the statements made by Rudy Giuliani and tweets by President Trump;
Are we supposed to believe that the shameless self-proclaimed tough-guy with a notorious hard-on for litigation, got buffaloed into paying off a porn star for silence on an affair that didn't actually happen?
Yeah......right.
From the guy who "never settles" no less, and of course, it was all personal/private, not related in any way to Trump's ongoing political campaign.
That is in fact the line they are attempting to roll with.
IRON WITHIN, IRON WITHOUT.
New Heavy Gear Log! Also...Grey Knights! The correct pronunciation is Imperial Guard and Stormtroopers, "Astra Militarum" and "Tempestus Scions" are something you'll find at Hogwarts.
AdeptSister wrote: The GOP really needs to have some introspection and take some personal responsibility. While democrats did underestimate the mass hatred of Hillary Clinton, GOP chose Trump. They then voted for him. And we all have to live with this.
So please, stop blaming Hillary or the democrats for the GOP's actions. The GOP promoted the Bush Tax cuts while we were in Iraq and Afghanistan. The GOP chose to be obstructionist during Obama presidency. The GOP chose to block the nomination of Obama's Supreme Court justice. And they fell in line behind Trump and got the tax cuts and SCOTUS they wanted.
Trump is a direct result of the GOP'S playbook of feelings are more important than facts. They need to own it.
If Democrats really didn’t want Trump to win they should have shown up and voted for Clinton. If Democrats has turned out for Hillary the way they turned out for Obama in 2012 Trump wouldn’t be POTUS. With Obama’s legacy on the line and Trump as the opposing candidate Democrats chose not to vote for Hillary and lost states like Wisconsin and Ohio. Trump’ vote total was in line with McCain’s and Romney’s, the GOPs “maverick” and the governor of Massachusetts and proponent of Romneycare. That’s pretty clear evidence that Republican voters care a lot more about the (R) next to a candidates name than any degree of ideological purity or party platform adherence.
Inquisitor Lord Bane wrote: Trump is a sign that our system needs to progress. It's been the same old faces pulling the same old crap for decades, with little movement forward due to one party or another not playing ball. Trump came out of left field with the vocabulary and behavior that was completely different than any other option, and his even his slogan "Make America Great Again". He tried to hearken back to the good old days where our government wasn't as dysfunctional as it was, and spat venom at everyone, which also set him apart. Its honestly no wonder her won, but its also a message. A warning that our system is broken, and we as the American people need to get our government working for us again, and move forward with dignity and respect, regardless of party.
I think, without any hyperbole, that the 2020 election (assuming Trump is still president at that point) will be one of the most interesting and important points in American history, and maybe tell us a lot about the state of democracy as a concept. I hope that in the long-term this will be a wake-up call and a good thing, but it's entirely possible that the voters will just go deeper into the rabbit hole, and re-elect Trump because of willful blindness, media bubbles and partisan politics that are so ingrained that they'd vote for a Megatron / Cobra Commander running pair.
Whenever they come along, I wouldn't be surprised if the next president's first public statement is "Okay....let's just pretend all that never happened,okay?" and everyone just nods.
"The 75mm gun is firing. The 37mm gun is firing, but is traversed round the wrong way. The Browning is jammed. I am saying "Driver, advance." and the driver, who can't hear me, is reversing. And as I look over the top of the turret and see twelve enemy tanks fifty yards away, someone hands me a cheese sandwich."
Oooo-kay, I have an extremely hesitant question, and to preface this I AM a trump voter. Granted not at first, but I was when it was versus Clinton, or the other democrats even.
All I hear about on the news these days, more than any other story, is the latest allegation and investigation against Trump. But frankly, I'm at the point of hearing this that I'm wondering: What should we be so afraid of? And that's a serious question, honestly. I want to know out of curiosity what his opposition knows that I don't; Suppose we drop the allegations and abandon the investigations, what will he do that I should be worried about?
Republican leader Paul Ryan has reversed his decision to have an official chaplain resign amid a bipartisan uproar.
Shortly after House of Representatives chaplain Patrick Conroy rescinded his resignation, defying Mr Ryan and suggesting his ouster was politically motivated, Mr Ryan relented.
“I have accepted Father Conroy’s letter and deed that he will remain in his position as Chaplain of the House”, Mr Ryan said in a statement, adding that his initial move to have Mr Conroy resign was made “to ensure that the House has the kind of pastoral services the it deserves”.
In a two-page letter to Mr Ryan released earlier in the day, Mr Conroy said he had not heard from the Republican leader until Mr Ryan’s chief of staff approached him last month and asked him to resign. Mr Conroy said he had not committed any offences that could merit his being pushed out.
“I have never been disciplined, nor reprimanded, nor have I ever heard a complaint about my ministry during my time as House chaplain”, Mr Conroy wrote. Instead, Mr Conroy suggested, the decision may have been related to “my November prayer” - an apparent reference to a speech in which he issued a plea for fairness as Congress was debating a major tax overhaul. The measure was a priority for Mr Ryan, who has advocated tax cuts throughout his political career
“May [legislators’] efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans”, he said in the November 2017 speech.
Mr Ryan’s decision to ask for Mr Conroy’s resignation stoked controversy, with legislators from both parties questioning the move and signing onto a letter demanding more information. A letter from more than 100 members of the House warned of the “politicisation of the process for hiring and dismissing a House chaplain” and said pointed to “questions of religious bias”.
In a prior interview with the Independent, Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly said some members suspected Mr Conroy was being punished for his political beliefs
“There is a view that Mr Ryan did not want a chaplain who talked about social justice, and he found a way to rid him of ‘this troublesome priest’”, Mr Connolly said.
Mr Ryan denied at an event in Milwaukee last week that his decision to ask for Mr Conroy's resignation was “about politics or prayers”.
“A number of our members felt like the pastoral services were not being adequately served, or offered”, Mr Ryan said
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Lazzamore wrote: Oooo-kay, I have an extremely hesitant question, and to preface this I AM a trump voter. Granted not at first, but I was when it was versus Clinton, or the other democrats even.
All I hear about on the news these days, more than any other story, is the latest allegation and investigation against Trump. But frankly, I'm at the point of hearing this that I'm wondering: What should we be so afraid of? And that's a serious question, honestly. I want to know out of curiosity what his opposition knows that I don't; Suppose we drop the allegations and abandon the investigations, what will he do that I should be worried about?
The fact that a sitting president has massive debts owed to Russian political figures that he did not disclose? Honestly it is all pretty simple stuff that has been laid out since the start
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/05/03 23:07:04
Screw over the EPA, mess up net neutrality, screw over US trade because he doesn't understand the basics of how trade works (making everyday stuff more expensive for you), digging a deeper hole for dead industries that aren't coming back, for a start.
Kudos for asking in good faith though, that's a good place to start from.
For thirteen years I had a dog with fur the darkest black. For thirteen years he was my friend, oh how I want him back.
Lazzamore wrote: Oooo-kay, I have an extremely hesitant question, and to preface this I AM a trump voter. Granted not at first, but I was when it was versus Clinton, or the other democrats even.
All I hear about on the news these days, more than any other story, is the latest allegation and investigation against Trump. But frankly, I'm at the point of hearing this that I'm wondering: What should we be so afraid of? And that's a serious question, honestly. I want to know out of curiosity what his opposition knows that I don't; Suppose we drop the allegations and abandon the investigations, what will he do that I should be worried about?
Mostly the fact that a morally reprehensible idiot representing the "values voters" and a crew of people that have no idea what they are doing are appearing to look to intentionally run half the federal government into the ground (State dept, Consumer protection bureau, EPA, education, etc) seemingly "just to watch it burn", while other nations around the world talk of the USA's retreat from global leadership, abandoning carefully crafted agreements that allies and partners are not going to be interested in renegotiating, and a domestic economic policy that looks set to rediscover 2008 in the worst way, just to name a few, in top of Trump looking to be the choice of Russia.
When you are name people like Perry to head departments they wanted to get rid of and couldnt even name when asked, youre not out for good government. When the head of the CFPB is actively trying to kill it and is talking to bankers about how to sidestep consumer protections, yourr not serving the public good.
TL;DR, incompetent, inept and corrupt people are being out into positions of power for purely ideological or personal reasons, and they are either completely ineffective in their roles, or are actively looking to harm those roles. The number of people who have lost their jobs so far in this administration speaks volumes.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/05/03 23:21:30
IRON WITHIN, IRON WITHOUT.
New Heavy Gear Log! Also...Grey Knights! The correct pronunciation is Imperial Guard and Stormtroopers, "Astra Militarum" and "Tempestus Scions" are something you'll find at Hogwarts.
AdeptSister wrote: The GOP really needs to have some introspection and take some personal responsibility. While democrats did underestimate the mass hatred of Hillary Clinton, GOP chose Trump. They then voted for him. And we all have to live with this.
So please, stop blaming Hillary or the democrats for the GOP's actions. The GOP promoted the Bush Tax cuts while we were in Iraq and Afghanistan. The GOP chose to be obstructionist during Obama presidency. The GOP chose to block the nomination of Obama's Supreme Court justice. And they fell in line behind Trump and got the tax cuts and SCOTUS they wanted.
Trump is a direct result of the GOP'S playbook of feelings are more important than facts. They need to own it.
If Democrats really didn’t want Trump to win they should have shown up and voted for Clinton. If Democrats has turned out for Hillary the way they turned out for Obama in 2012 Trump wouldn’t be POTUS. With Obama’s legacy on the line and Trump as the opposing candidate Democrats chose not to vote for Hillary and lost states like Wisconsin and Ohio. Trump’ vote total was in line with McCain’s and Romney’s, the GOPs “maverick” and the governor of Massachusetts and proponent of Romneycare. That’s pretty clear evidence that Republican voters care a lot more about the (R) next to a candidates name than any degree of ideological purity or party platform adherence.
You are right. The Democrats did not show up. And we will see in the Mid-Terms if that will change. But I fear that Democratic voters will now learn the lesson that (D) next to the candidate's will matter more than anything else... We are reaching the point that being moderate will be conflated with being a collaborator.
Lazzamore wrote: Oooo-kay, I have an extremely hesitant question, and to preface this I AM a trump voter. Granted not at first, but I was when it was versus Clinton, or the other democrats even.
All I hear about on the news these days, more than any other story, is the latest allegation and investigation against Trump. But frankly, I'm at the point of hearing this that I'm wondering: What should we be so afraid of? And that's a serious question, honestly. I want to know out of curiosity what his opposition knows that I don't; Suppose we drop the allegations and abandon the investigations, what will he do that I should be worried about?
Wait, why are we giving him a free pass on his campaign potentially colluding with a foreign government to interfere in our elections, campaign finance violations, obstruction of justice and so on? Why is handwaving over all that the starting point for this debate? Because before we have that conversation, I want to know why you arbitrarily decided to start with ignoring all of the things that got us here.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/05/04 01:12:39
lord_blackfang wrote: Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.
Flinty wrote: The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
Lazzamore wrote: , what will he do that I should be worried about?
What *will* he do? God only knows, and that's the problem.
I don't intend this as an insult, but Trump is an insecure narcissist who lashes out violently and unpredictably at anything he perceives as a threat to him, personally. I've met him. This is not a stereotype of him, it's actually true. The potential for disaster with him is staggering, if he takes something the wrong way.
Imagine the short tempered incompetent boss who's always yelling at the secretary, berating the chauffeur, and who had no actual interest in the job in the first place, but ran because the Republican party snubbed him in as previous election.
Now imagine him running the most powerful nation in the free world.
Now tell me why we should worry.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/05/04 01:11:32
Fate is in heaven, armor is on the chest, accomplishment is in the feet. - Nagao Kagetora
Prestor Jon wrote: Interesting theory and while having the means available to commit suicide or murder has to factor in somehow the actual scenario you describe really doesn’t fit the majority of mass shootings. It works with Sandy Hook but doesn’t align with what happened at Columbine, Va Tech, Fort Hood, San Bernardino, Orlando or Parkland. I don’t recall enough info about the Vegas shooter’s background to know if he fits that profile. The majority of shooters didn’t grow up in a gun owning household in the US. They decided to commit mass murder and then proceeded to acquire guns since it was the easiest path to achieving their goal. Other attacks that occurred in locales where acquiring guns would have taken more time or been more difficult led to the use of explosives instead at the Boston Marathon and the Times Square car bomb attempt. If someone’s mental health deteriorates to the point that they are determined to kill a bunch of people they’ll be able to find a way to do it because free societies will always be bulnerable to bad actors within its members.
Spree killing isn't a decision that's made one day, after which there's a methodical, planned series of steps all moving towards a final goal. The fantasy develops, and small steps are taken to maintain the fantasy, and those steps make further steps more likely, but not certain. A significant roadblock doesn't stop anyone moving past that step, but it does increase the chance of each person stopping their descent.
Think of it like this - in the US a guy going through that descent will be able to access a decent sized collection of guns without serious difficulty. In contrast, in Australia he'll have to fill out a ton of forms explaining why he wants the guns, which will be reviewed by authorities and possibly draw police attention to him. As a result the American is a lot more likely to take that step, and so end up surrounded by guns, and now have a financial commitment to the fantasy and have the guns there around him, acting as a trigger.
Guns have always been readily accessible to people in the US and life has always had stressors and difficulties but mass shootings haven’t always been prevalent so clearly some aspects of our current society are contributing to people choosing to be mass murderers. Some kind of massive restriction of guns would have an impact on the ability to commit spree killings but it would do nothing to address the root cause of why people are choosing to be spree killers.
All true, and honestly I don't think gun laws should be driven by spree killings anyway, as they are a very small portion of gun deaths. I just want people to recognise that gun proliferation is directly connected to shootings and from there to the murder rate. What happens from there is complicated.
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Inquisitor Lord Bane wrote: I just read an article that a kid in Texas (I think) just stabbed his friend in middle of an argument over whether or not PUBG was better than Fortnite. At this point I'm willing to say Americans are simply more violent by nature. We already have a higher rate of kids and young adults taking prescription meds that affect brain chemistry, and a higher rate of those people taking either the wrong dosage, or mixing meds that shouldn't be mixed. I had a whole lecture I compiled on it, with sources and everything, I'll try to find it when I get home.
The US has a lower rate of assault than many other developed countries. The US is lower than France, Australia, Germany, Belgium and many others. England & Wales has almost three times the rate of assault as the US.
So Americans aren't more violent by nature, they're actually a little less violent than average. It's just that when assaults do happen it's more likely that there's a gun involved, which makes the event a lot more likely to end in a death.
No, all they have to do is file an amended FEC form and pay a fine.
Real embarrassing though...
Where do you get this stuff?
The structure described by Giuliani is the exact same structure used by Dennis Hastert. Hastert didn't just amend a form and pay a fine, he went to fething prison.
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Vaktathi wrote: Oh absolutely there are a wide array of factors as opposed to any single thing, but we broadly seem to be missing that in the larger sociopolitical conversation, or, when they are addressed, it seems to be as a deflection rather than an attempt to drill down to any real fundamental issues. Fundamentally, the US has always had a wealth of weapons available, but mass attacks, regardless of what kind of weapon being used, be it gun or bomb or truck, appears to be on the rise, while overall violence levels drop and fewer and fewer people die from all sources of violence, including guns. We see fringe elements in society becoming increasingly accepting of violence at a time when more common criminal and interpersonal violence is much lower than in previous decades, the US isnt alone there (even if it is the most affected), and nobody seems to have a great answer on that.
The rate of shooting hasn't dropped that much, its modest long term decline is pretty much in-line with the overall drop in crime. The more significant drop in deaths is mostly due to hospital systems being much better at saving people.
What we're seeing, basically, is two elements. One is an overall improvement in society, as education, wealth, improved policing and a whole bunch of other factors slowly decrease anti-social behaviour of all types. This is a trend we're seeing across the developed world. The second element is the US having a uniquely high rate of murder, due to gun proliferation. The existence of one of those factors shouldn't be used to deny the existence of the other.
It's almost a carbon copy of the John Edward affair... where the DOJ *did* take him to court and lost their asses off...
Wha? They got mistrial results, as they were unable to get all 12 jurors to convict. They opted not to prosecute again, probably because Edwards career was now in the trash.
Cosby got a mistrial the first time around as well. If that meant the state 'lost their assess off', then how did they get the convictions the second time?
Also... Hastert. fething prison.
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Vaktathi wrote: [But speaking of weirder, wronger, and more entertaining, now it is being reported that calls between Cohen and the WH were intercepted as part of taps put in Cohen's phone, and that Trump still personally called Cohen even after the raid before Giuliani told him that was really dumb.
I believe it isn't a tap, but a warrant securing all calls to and from Cohen. So they can't hear what's been said, but can see who was talking to whom, when and for how long.
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“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
It's also worth nothing that the method Trump used to pay Cohen while obscuring the payments is potentially a criminal banking violation in and of itself - structuring. Oops, got beaten to this.
I don't understand how Trump manages to continually find and harness people who are so relentlessly clownshoes, like Giuliani. I mean statistically you'd except to see a few more competent people, you know? Luck of the draw?
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/05/04 02:42:32
lord_blackfang wrote: Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.
Flinty wrote: The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
whembly wrote: And weirdly, this intense focus on shaming Trump's voters instead of figuring out why the GOP party was so ripe for takeover is frankly, bizarre. Seems like the parties, media and the old guard is doomed to repeat this madness.
The GOP was 'ripe for takeover' because of the voters. It happened when a guy stood on a national stage, bragged about his genitals, abused a prisoner of war, mocked a disabled reporter etc, and Republican voters decided that's who they wanted. And that propelled him to the presidency when the vast majority of Republicans decided that despite that man being not just the worst presidential candidate in living memory, but also one of the worst people in the country, they just couldn't possibly imagine not voting Republican.
The GOP was ripe for takeover because its base of voters have frankly horrible political values and no policy knowledge at all. And this matters because the only way the Republican party is going to get better is if something happens to start making the voters find just a basic level of political decency.
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d-usa wrote: If “the news are mean to the GOP” is the reason for Trump, then how does that square with the increased negative coverage of Hillary (and of Obama before her)?
Yep, repeated studies have found Clinton's coverage had a much bigger share of negative coverage than any other candidate. But what do facts matter?
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BaronIveagh wrote: See, down here we give it a hug, and make dinner and a movie, before we tap it.
And afterwards you give it $130,000 to never talk about what happened.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2018/05/04 03:09:43
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
Ouze wrote: I don't understand how Trump manages to continually find and harness people who are so relentlessly clownshoes, like Giuliani. I mean statistically you'd except to see a few more competent people, you know? Luck of the draw?
Competent people give competent advice, which Trump frequently does not want to year. Resignation or firing ensues. Also, what kind of non-delusional manager or adviser wants a position in the White House right now? It has a pretty good track record of ruining people for no benefit at this point.
Does everyone remember that stupid, stupid 'Jade Helm' nonsense? It was a military exercise across several states that conspiracy theorists believed was secretly some kind of plan to start nabbing political opponents, or something. It was dumb, but it got enough interest from the crazies that Texan Governor Greg Abbott threw threw them a bone and ended up ordering the the National Guard to monitor the parts of the operation that took place in Texas. Michael Hayden, former CIA director, says that idiocy wasn't just a product of far right conspiracy nutters, a large part of the conspiracy was driven by Russian bots, and getting that response out of Abbott convinced the Russians their operations could impact American politics.
Prestor Jon wrote: If Democrats really didn’t want Trump to win they should have shown up and voted for Clinton. If Democrats has turned out for Hillary the way they turned out for Obama in 2012 Trump wouldn’t be POTUS. With Obama’s legacy on the line and Trump as the opposing candidate Democrats chose not to vote for Hillary and lost states like Wisconsin and Ohio. Trump’ vote total was in line with McCain’s and Romney’s, the GOPs “maverick” and the governor of Massachusetts and proponent of Romneycare. That’s pretty clear evidence that Republican voters care a lot more about the (R) next to a candidates name than any degree of ideological purity or party platform adherence.
That's a hell of a lot of talk to try and avoid the reality that 62,984,828 people voted for Trump. Those 62,984,828 are responsible for Trump being president. Them. No-one else.
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Lazzamore wrote: Oooo-kay, I have an extremely hesitant question, and to preface this I AM a trump voter. Granted not at first, but I was when it was versus Clinton, or the other democrats even.
All I hear about on the news these days, more than any other story, is the latest allegation and investigation against Trump. But frankly, I'm at the point of hearing this that I'm wondering: What should we be so afraid of? And that's a serious question, honestly. I want to know out of curiosity what his opposition knows that I don't; Suppose we drop the allegations and abandon the investigations, what will he do that I should be worried about?
You're question has everything all mixed up. Trump isn't being investigated because of what he might do as president. He's being investigated because there is a high probability that Trump and his associates broke the law.
The purpose of investigation and prosecution is the enforcement of the law.
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Ouze wrote: It's also worth nothing that the method Trump used to pay Cohen while obscuring the payments is potentially a criminal banking violation in and of itself - structuring. Oops, got beaten to this.
And that part is interesting because the initial payment to Daniels was made out of San Francisco. Which gives California jurisdiction to prosecute the money structuring component. Which means it is a state prosecution, and one that avoids the New York problem where state crimes can be pardoned by substitution.
All of which adds to the pressure on Cohen that he will face a prosecution that Trump can't save him from. Which significantly increases the chances that he'll flip.
I don't understand how Trump manages to continually find and harness people who are so relentlessly clownshoes, like Giuliani. I mean statistically you'd except to see a few more competent people, you know? Luck of the draw?
What's weird to me is Giuliani wasn't always an idiot. He was always a scumbag, but mostly a competent one. But a lot of his media work for Trump, even before now, has been a confused mess of random accusations and name calling. Now he comes out with this hot mess. It wasn't just the admission that Trump repaid Cohen, Giuliani also said Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't confirm Trump wasn't under suspicion. So he sunk Trump, twice.
Do people get dumber just for being around Trump?
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2018/05/04 03:48:53
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
Ouze wrote: I don't understand how Trump manages to continually find and harness people who are so relentlessly clownshoes, like Giuliani. I mean statistically you'd except to see a few more competent people, you know? Luck of the draw?
Trump thinks he's much smarter than he is (true of most people ofc) but also has a strong need to always be right, so anyone he recruits has to be a yes-man or at least very very diplomatic in how he presents something Trump doesn't want to be true. Just a guess, but maybe many of the competent people shy away because they'd like to actually show their competence instead of saying what the boss wants to hear?
Ouze wrote: It's also worth nothing that the method Trump used to pay Cohen while obscuring the payments is potentially a criminal banking violation in and of itself - structuring. Oops, got beaten to this.
I don't understand how Trump manages to continually find and harness people who are so relentlessly clownshoes, like Giuliani. I mean statistically you'd except to see a few more competent people, you know? Luck of the draw?
You hire like minded people. Criminals don't hire the guy with morals or a decent sense of right and wrong, they hire a guy willing to sell their soul for a buck or two regardless of what happens.
DQ:90S++G++M----B--I+Pw40k07+D+++A+++/areWD-R+DM+
bittersashes wrote:One guy down at my gaming club swore he saw an objective flag take out a full unit of Bane Thralls.
This is the state of things in the White House right now, this really just happened in Thursday's press conference;
Sanders: “Comey was fired for being a liar and a leaker.”
Reporter: “Ok then...what did Comey lie about or leak before being fired?”
Sanders: “Ummm...the President doesn’t have to give a reason for firing the FBI Director. Next question.”
It's basically pantomime at this point.
Spetulhu wrote: Trump thinks he's much smarter than he is (true of most people ofc) but also has a strong need to always be right, so anyone he recruits has to be a yes-man or at least very very diplomatic in how he presents something Trump doesn't want to be true. Just a guess, but maybe many of the competent people shy away because they'd like to actually show their competence instead of saying what the boss wants to hear?
Sort of. Trump has worked with and employed plenty of skilled people in the past. His original project management team were excellent. Then Trump saw an opportunity to build his name by fixing Wollman Rink, a project that had languished under government management for a long time. Trump not only saw an opportunity to take over a simple project that had been incredibly mismanaged but was now moving towards completion, he also saw a way to deliver the whole thing at a bargain basement price - he told his project management team and all the contractors to charge at below cost, because the free press from being the team to fix Wollman would be worth far more. Trump did bring the project in under budget, in time for Thanksgiving, but he took all the free press for himself. The people who actually did the work and took the financial hit didn't even get invited to the opening, they got burned and didn't work with Trump again.
Trump has burned a lot of skilled people that way. After decades of business like that, anyone with real talent learns to stay away, so it just leaves the grifters looking for a pay cheque.
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
1750 pts Blood Specters
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2500 pts Prophets of Fate
Lizardmen 3000 points Tlaxcoatl Temple-City
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18.000 
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