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Thread: Trump: Illusion, Mist and Bought?

  1. #991
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    Getting more tippy...

    In Oklahoma:

    A whopping 395,038 Democrats turned out for the gubernatorial primary, electing Drew Edmondson, a Vietnam vet and former AG. To compare, approx. 170,000 Dems voted in the 2014 primary; this year they more than doubled that!

    The GOP saw an increase as well, with 452,194 votes, up 67%.

    That 'tax cut' isn't doing so well...

    The latest snafu boomeranging on Republicans, however, is really going to hurt them. See, they...introduced a new tax on churches, who will now have to pay a "21 percent tax on some types of fringe benefits they provide their employees."

    “There’s going to be huge headaches,” Galen Carey, vice president of government relations at the National Association of Evangelicals, told Politico. “The cost of compliance, especially for churches that have small staffs or maybe volunteer accountants and bookkeepers—we don’t need this kind of hassle.”

    Unsurprisingly, this provision was added to the law without non-profit consultation, from the churches or anyone else.

    In addition to the evangelicals, a whole mess of organizations including the National Council of Nonprofits are asking the administration to delay the tax, since Treasury still hasn't worked out the regulations detailing exactly how this is supposed to work. This is despite the fact that it took effect January 1 and it was supposed to be paid quarterly starting then.
    The IRS will penalize your ass if you're late, they don't give a crap what excuse you have. Or who you are. They want the money, honey.


    People should be really careful not to shoot themselves in the foot when cleaning their gun...

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  3. #992
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    Some actual examples of collusion:


    Donald Trump Jr in Trump Tower.

    George Papadopoulos in London.

    Roger Stone dealing with WikiLeaks.

    Erik Prince and a brace of Republican money men visiting with oligarchs in the Seychelles.

    There are others, and there are the almost limitless instances of members of his staff “forgetting” about some key meeting or exchange with Russian operatives.

    At least thirteen people on Trump’s team had contact with Russian agents, oligarchs, and representatives during the course of the campaign. And those same people lied about either the nature or the extent of those meetings. That includes Papadopoulos and Carter Page and Paul Manafort and Rick Gates and Michael Flynn and Jefferson Sessions and Jared Kushner and that’s just for starters.

    There are at least three separate occasions on which Trump campaign staffers and advisers have admitted being offered information by Russia.

    ...not including the $30 million forwarded to Donald Trump by the NRA, of which the majority, if not all, may have been funding directly provided by Russia.

    What’s most striking about the known instances in which Trump’s team had contact with the Russians is the utter joy with which they greeted the opportunity. The excitement they showed about the possibility of getting some inside dirt from a foreign power. The eagerness with which they entered into this conspiracy again and again. The only documented case of Trump’s team turning down anything came, improbably enough, from Roger Stone, who simply thought a Russian operative was asking too much — especially when they already had other pipelines operating for free.



    The thing is, almost any other team would have stepped back from involvement with the Russians because of all the potential ensuing problems.

    This team didn't.

    Call it hubris, call it foolhardy, call it an apple.

    They still effed up royally.

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  5. #993
    Administrator Aragorn's Avatar
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    I feel a song coming up...


    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

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    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
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    Well,

    the much ballyhooed demise of the west is underway. The beacon of freedom since the Greek times was the West (not that I'm a big fan, you understand). The west is headed back to the middle ages and they'll be in good company. As the East takes over they will be the bastion of modern freedom, of which, of course, is on a par with the West in the middle ages. I won't be here for it but within a century, we will be back where it all began five centuries ago.

    If i come back I would dearly love to remember it all...
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

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    Hmmm.

    Our allies are being dissed, potentially weakening Western Alliances.

    Our tariffs are causing businesses to close and people to lose jobs (in America). This weakens the Middle Class which is a bastion of Western Culture.

    Our leader is being friendly to authoritarian leaders, which weakens the Western way of life.

    Our opiate addictions are causing the nation to be addled, weakening us even further.

    Americans (too many) seem to think their worst enemies are some of their fellow Americans. This will bring us to our knees.



    Putin loves it all. He has a nation that has been around for a thousand years.

    What does the West have? A few young Democracies which in his eyes are failing.

    He's a happy dude, no doubt.

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    This is part of what I've been talking about. The establishment is being challenged big-time. The people still matter, despite the rampant pessimism.

    "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's victory is an 9.0 earthquake for the Democratic establishment."

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  13. #997
    Administrator Aragorn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Dreamtimer View Post
    Our leader is being friendly to authoritarian leaders, which weakens the Western way of life.
    Nothing new under the sun then. The US government has been systematically supporting fascist dictators all over the world since the 1930s, starting with Adolf Hitler.

    Quote Originally posted by Dreamtimer View Post
    Putin loves it all. He has a nation that has been around for a thousand years.

    What does the West have? A few young Democracies which in his eyes are failing.
    Um, ever heard of that landmass east of the Atlantic ocean called Europe? Not quite so young, and in spite of its gigantic and expensive bureaucracy, still fairly — emphasis on "fairly" — democratic, and closer to the center of the traditional political horizon than the USA has ever been.

    As for "failing", well, that depends on how you define failure. I don't think Europe as a whole has much to worry about in that regard.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

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    I don't think they're failing. I sure hope not.

    I got the distinct impression from the interviews which were posted here that Putin has very deep love and regard for his nation and does not see Europe or America as comparing. I don't agree, but I think that's how he sees it.

    In America, black people say that white people are crazy. I really don't want it to be true but there sure are a whole lot of people regularly demonstrating the reality of it.

    It's certainly crazy to be courting authoritarians while dissing/screwing over allies.

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    Rhode Island is working on changing its laws:


    Rhode Island’s state Senate passed a bill this week that would keep candidates off the presidential ballot in their state if they don’t release five years' worth of tax returns
    There are about a dozen now that have voted to turn all their electoral votes over to the candidate who wins the popular vote, thus diluting the rigging effect of the electoral college.


    Cause a lot of stuff can happen by the wills of the States, especially when they Unite.

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    Well, it’s official now. Trump and Putin will meet next month here in my hometown. It’s going to be one hell of a media circus.

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    Quote Originally posted by Aragorn View Post
    Nothing new under the sun then. The US government has been systematically supporting fascist dictators all over the world since the 1930s, starting with Adolf Hitler.



    Um, ever heard of that landmass east of the Atlantic ocean called Europe? Not quite so young, and in spite of its gigantic and expensive bureaucracy, still fairly — emphasis on "fairly" — democratic, and closer to the center of the traditional political horizon than the USA has ever been.

    As for "failing", well, that depends on how you define failure. I don't think Europe as a whole has much to worry about in that regard.
    so you are an optimist?

    agreed that it is our quarter of the half that is in deep trouble...

    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    Well, it’s official now. Trump and Putin will meet next month here in my hometown. It’s going to be one hell of a media circus.
    you have my deepest sympathies!
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

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    Senior Member Aianawa's Avatar
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    Wow you gat a front row seat, maybe start a new thread, Trumpy is coming to town lol



    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    Well, it’s official now. Trump and Putin will meet next month here in my hometown. It’s going to be one hell of a media circus.

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    Looks like I may need to amend my opinion of Trey Gowdy.

    He ran the Benghazi investigation for two and a half years and then quietly closed it after Trump was elected. No convictions or even indictments.

    Two and a half years.

    Now after one year he's bitching and moaning that Mueller's taking too long when we have multiple indictments and guilty pleas.

    Is he a buffoon? Is he mad because his own investigation failed? He sure was playing some mighty politics using our tax dollars on the floor of the House.


    White water lasted 3000 days, Watergate was 2500.

    I'm losing respect for him. He can do better than that.

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    I didn't make this:



    I would have rewritten pled.

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    Regarding yesterday's hearing on the Hill:

    Then came the moment where Rosenstein was asked about Trump’s recent claim that he’s been vindicated on Russian collusion.

    Rod Rosenstein simply replied “There is an ongoing investigation.” Upon further questioning, he pointed to the charges that have already been filed against various Trump people, and then he confirmed again that the investigation has not concluded. These few words tell us a lot. First, it tells us that Trump is indeed being investigated for collusion, as part of a criminal investigation. If that weren’t the case, or if Trump had been exonerated on collusion, Rosenstein would have said so. In other words, the investigation is ramping up and heading in Trump’s direction – and that’s what Trump fears the most.

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