U.S. Politics: Moscow on the Potomac

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

9 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Dang dude, I was going cartoonish rodeo clown and you went college professor.

Just call me the Short Bus, Ty, cause I'm taking you to school. 

[Fragile Bird]

Hahahahahahaha, Trump had 3 reporters for dinner and he showed off the walls he had painted gold (just like Trump Tower!) and the chandelier he donated (just like Trump Tower) and at the four course dinner, dessert was ice cream.

Trump got 2 scoops, everyone else got 1.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

10 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

Hahahahahahaha, Trump had 3 reporters for dinner and he showed off the walls he had painted gold (just like Trump Tower!) and the chandelier he donated (just like Trump Tower) and at the four course dinner, dessert was ice cream.

Trump got 2 scoops, everyone else got 1.

And he got extra sauce for his McNuggets too.

[Trebla]

Priorities.

 

 

[Fragile Bird]

On a more serious note, how stupid can you be to let in the Russian media only to the Oval office to witness Trump and his Russian buddies grinning all over each other like cheshire cats, and then be all shocked and surprised to see photos published by Russian media? How can you say "they tricked us"? 

How can you be so stupid and admit you were tricked?

How can you be so stupid to hold that meeting the day after you fire Comey? Was it because you thought you'd better fire him on Tuesday because you already announced the Wednesday meetings and thought it would look worse if you fired him the day after the meeting?

Hey, that must be why Comey was fired on Tuesday!

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

And while we're all consumed by the Comey firing, the real danger begins:

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/332905-trump-expected-to-sign-order-launching-commission-on-election-integrity

Don't say @Kalbear and I didn't warn ya'll repeatedly. 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

3 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

How can you be so stupid to hold that meeting the day after you fire Comey? Was it because you thought you'd better fire him on Tuesday because you already announced the Wednesday meetings and thought it would look worse if you fired him the day after the meeting?

Hey, that must be why Comey was fired on Tuesday!

The balls on that guy to hold the meeting at all. HUGE BRASS BALLS. 

[IheartIheartTesla]

I dont know if people here remember Obama, but what I recall from all that time ago is that his Presidency was remarkably scandal free. Now it seems like there is a new scandal popping up every week for this Administration. At some point the general public has to get administration fatigue (even its defenders), and the steady drip-drip should corrode Trump's numbers further.

So far though, his numbers seem pretty steady around 41/53. Not sure whats going on.

[maarsen]

3 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Uh, I could have sworn he was still a Republican. That said, there's a better retired wrestler to take Trump down:

 

Our President is a clown......

(and evil for wasting beer)

I would not bet on any ex-wrestler being President.  Where I work we have a few developmentally delayed people working here and apart from 13 year old boys, they are the only wrestling fans around if you are counting on their votes. 

[Gertrude]

30 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

And while we're all consumed by the Comey firing, the real danger begins:

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/332905-trump-expected-to-sign-order-launching-commission-on-election-integrity

Don't say @Kalbear and I didn't warn ya'll repeatedly. 

I saw that. There's nothing wrong with looking for vulnerabilities in the system. I recall both parties worrying about it last election, even if it was expressed in different ways. (in person voter fraud v system fraud). I realize the EO says looking at specific cases, but unless the commission completely skews the facts, are you afraid of the info they will come up with? Yes, there will be instances of fraud, but the percentage will be insignificant.

So no, the mere existence of this is not a cause for alarm for me. The reasoning behind it is petulant, of course. If you're afraid it will give the Rs ammunition for more voter suppression, they don't need it, it's already happening. If this is a commission that goes in with an agenda, that's also cause for alarm, but that's also pretty much standard government operating procedure.

Tell me what I am missing and I will listen.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

21 minutes ago, maarsen said:

I would not bet on any ex-wrestler being President.  Where I work we have a few developmentally delayed people working here and apart from 13 year old boys, they are the only wrestling fans around if you are counting on their votes. 

Oh I'm not being serious. It's just an excuse to play the clip of Trump getting a Stone Cold Stunner. 

[maarsen]

3 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Oh I'm not being serious. It's just an excuse to play the clip of Trump getting a Stone Cold Stunner. 

And I was? I should have put in the aside about Orange boy's natural constituency. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

9 minutes ago, Gertrude said:

I saw that. There's nothing wrong with looking for vulnerabilities in the system. I recall both parties worrying about it last election, even if it was expressed in different ways. (in person voter fraud v system fraud). I realize the EO says looking at specific cases, but unless the commission completely skews the facts, are you afraid of the info they will come up with? Yes, there will be instances of fraud, but the percentage will be insignificant.

So no, the mere existence of this is not a cause for alarm for me. The reasoning behind it is petulant, of course. If you're afraid it will give the Rs ammunition for more voter suppression, they don't need it, it's already happening. If this is a commission that goes in with an agenda, that's also cause for alarm, but that's also pretty much standard government operating procedure.

Tell me what I am missing and I will listen.

Look at this person who is running it. He's most commonly associated with making up claims of voter fraud, and I fully expect him to continue doing so here. 

And beyond that, look at the bigger picture. Kal and I have been arguing that we're going to start seeing nation wide voter suppression attempts. This is the first, but most likely not the last, in that happening. 

[The Wedge]

31 minutes ago, maarsen said:

I would not bet on any ex-wrestler being President.  Where I work we have a few developmentally delayed people working here and apart from 13 year old boys, they are the only wrestling fans around if you are counting on their votes. 

Well, Jesse Ventura was a governor.  He's a bit 'round the bend these days, but he did show a 'rassler could make waves on a fairly big political stage.  Recall, he was in Predator during Arnold's 80's hey-day.

And Linda McMahon is somewhere in Trump's list of appointees, right?

Dwayne Johnson is a hell of a lot more popular than either of those two. And he's a hugely successful actor.  I wouldn't underestimate him if he wanted to make a run for an office at any level.

[Leofric]

10 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Look at this person who is running it. He's most commonly associated with making up claims of voter fraud, and I fully expect him to continue doing so here. 

And beyond that, look at the bigger picture. Kal and I have been arguing that we're going to start seeing nation wide voter suppression attempts. This is the first, but most likely not the last, in that happening. 

At least Trump is consistent, picking the absolute worst person to fill a position;  Perry for DoE, DeVos for education, Pruitt for EPA, and now Kris Kobach for election integrity commission.  Trump is so cartoonishly evil.

[Gertrude]

8 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Look at this person who is running it. He's most commonly associated with making up claims of voter fraud, and I fully expect him to continue doing so here.

My bad, I had heard of this from a different source and didn't pay attention to the names here. I have a question - what do you think they will find assuming they don't make up whole sale lies? I am afraid they would skew the facts, but I believe the actual facts will debunk any claims of dangerous levels of in-person voter fraud, which is what I assume they will want to look at the closest.

I don't deny that this is stupid, dangerous and politically motivated, I'm just not going into alarm mode until we see results. If I did that, I would be in a constant state of worry and fear and I'm not willing to do that. I know that optics can be as or even more damaging than actual facts (Benghazi), but this is more of the same. This is going to be signed and not up for a vote, so what can we do but wring our hands at this point? I will fight the results and any actions resulting from this I don't like, but other than that it seems wasted energy by me right now.

It's not that I don't appreciate you bringing it to our attention, it's just that it was phrased in such an alarmist way when this is nothing new or surprising and we can take no action presently. What reaction do you want me to have?

[Swordfish]

1 hour ago, Fragile Bird said:

On a more serious note, how stupid can you be to let in the Russian media only to the Oval office to witness Trump and his Russian buddies grinning all over each other like cheshire cats, and then be all shocked and surprised to see photos published by Russian media? How can you say "they tricked us"? 

How can you be so stupid and admit you were tricked?

How can you be so stupid to hold that meeting the day after you fire Comey? Was it because you thought you'd better fire him on Tuesday because you already announced the Wednesday meetings and thought it would look worse if you fired him the day after the meeting?

Hey, that must be why Comey was fired on Tuesday!

 

 

What did they think the Russian MEDIA was going to DO with those pictures?  keep them for their personal scrap books?

 

15 minutes ago, Gertrude said:

My bad, I had heard of this from a different source and didn't pay attention to the names here. I have a question - what do you think they will find assuming they don't make up whole sale lies?

The fear is that that is exactly what they will do.

[Gertrude]

6 minutes ago, Swordfish said:

The fear is that that is exactly what they will do.

And I get that. Maybe I am way too optimistic, but i don't feel that lies can be sustained. Yes, yes, I know that the narrative is the most important thing and they will try to control it, but they always do. I mean, I know I am being optimistic and naive to a degree, but I have still not lost all hope that there is a small bit of integrity left to our lawmakers and that flat out lying is something that cannot be maintained. I trust that actual facts will win out in the end, or at least not hoodwink as many people as they want it to. It's headed by Rs, but it will be a bi-partisan commission, right? The Ds will have their say and access to the data as well. When that battle comes, I will fight it and be properly outraged. I'm just not feeling it right now.

[Swordfish]

7 minutes ago, Gertrude said:

And I get that. Maybe I am way too optimistic, but i don't feel that lies can be sustained. Yes, yes, I know that the narrative is the most important thing and they will try to control it, but they always do. I mean, I know I am being optimistic and naive to a degree, but I have still not lost all hope that there is a small bit of integrity left to our lawmakers and that flat out lying is something that cannot be maintained. I trust that actual facts will win out in the end, or at least not hoodwink as many people as they want it to. It's headed by Rs, but it will be a bi-partisan commission, right? The Ds will have their say and access to the data as well. When that battle comes, I will fight it and be properly outraged. I'm just not feeling it right now.

I think we can all be reasonably concerned about these kinds of activities, which are based on no evidence whatsoever, and the motives behind them, before the results are in, particularly when they are being initiated and run by people who have been lying about this stuff for a long time.

 

[Gertrude]

I'm trying to express that yes, I am concerned, but no, not alarmed ... yet. I can't do anything about it right now, so it doesn't warrant an alarm from me. That's basically all I am trying to say. I'm tired of letting all the ways I think government is out to fuck people get to me - it would take up more time and energy than I have. I'm not saying I'm complacent, I'd just rather pick and chose my focus. Maybe this will become a focus for me in the future, but right now it's just melding into all the other background concerns I have. Sadly, it's business as usual for our government.