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US Politics: Free Trade, Freer Trade, and Nuclear War


Fragile Bird

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51 minutes ago, larrytheimp said:

For the love of everything remotely humorous, please do not do this.

 

Not picking on you FB but can we just drop the Stormy or Russia based thread title puns altogether?  We've had like 3 different From Russia with Love titled ones.  

If you want to title a thread think on it for like 15 minutes first and ask yourself 'is this something that like 80%of the board would come up with if attempting the same exercise?' 

If so don't do it. At least wait a bit so we have two or three to pick from to minimize the chance of another lame almost-repeat thread title.   

 

I like that title. :D

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1 hour ago, lokisnow said:

was the Syrian chemical weapon viagra? Because it seems like it has given every right winger in America a permanent erection that will not go away. sad!

Oh, there are always folk who say ‘no, this time the rally round thing won’t work!’ It will.

It wouldn’t work if it was just like ‘yeah, we’re going to war for kicks, deal with it.’ But of course it will be an entire production, will all kinds of imminent perils and cameos from victims of oppression at the hands of ______ and something about Americans being treated badly and if they get really lucky most of the rest of the world will strongly oppose it, which always seem to make Americans think they must be onto a winner, and bob’s your uncle, high approval and lots of heroes and some athlete or other giving up the game to fight on Uncle Sam’s team, and eventually war porn night shots and news anchors joining the loooong cue observing how it looks ironically beautiful, like fireworks, and lots of enemies surrendering, etc. Opponents will be shamed into silence or have to start qualifying their objections with so many clarifications about who they’re not criticizing and what they do honestly still love and so forth they’ll mostly stop bothering. 

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54 minutes ago, larrytheimp said:

For the love of everything remotely humorous, please do not do this.

 

Not picking on you FB but can we just drop the Stormy or Russia based thread title puns altogether?  We've had like 3 different From Russia with Love titled ones.  

If you want to title a thread think on it for like 15 minutes first and ask yourself 'is this something that like 80%of the board would come up with if attempting the same exercise?' 

If so don't do it. At least wait a bit so we have two or three to pick from to minimize the chance of another lame almost-repeat thread title.   

 

Try 'Syria-sly we need to talk' 

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19 minutes ago, lokisnow said:

per recent polling, old white folks have swung twelve points in their support, away from republicans, toward democrats. Many cite the tax scam and healthcare as to why. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-healthcare-poll/exclusive-as-elections-near-many-older-educated-white-voters-shift-away-from-trumps-party-idUSKBN1HG1I6

near the end of the article is a mention that democrats are rolling out national campaigns to alert people to the republicans attempts to use the tax scam's trillion dollar deficits as a mandate to cut social security and medicare.

I'm a bit confused by this article because it is only talking about older White voters WITH college degrees, and does not mention what the polling is on older White voters WITHOUT college degrees. 

I know that college educated folk are more consistent voters and so more likely to turn out for midterms. However, it would also be true that the % of White voters who are college educated would actually be much less among those over 60 years of age than it would be for those between the ages of 25 and 60. So for this to be really good news for the Democrats it would have to be combined with the non-college educated older voters definitely NOT showing a big swing in the opposite direction. 

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1 hour ago, larrytheimp said:

For the love of everything remotely humorous, please do not do this.

 

Not picking on you FB but can we just drop the Stormy or Russia based thread title puns altogether?  We've had like 3 different From Russia with Love titled ones.  

If you want to title a thread think on it for like 15 minutes first and ask yourself 'is this something that like 80%of the board would come up with if attempting the same exercise?' 

If so don't do it. At least wait a bit so we have two or three to pick from to minimize the chance of another lame almost-repeat thread title.   

 

Hey hey hey, just commenting on the Cohen raid!

 

19 minutes ago, maarsen said:

Try 'Syria-sly we need to talk' 

Ha! Like that!

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Trump calls the Cohen raid a disgrace and an attack on the country. He also said:

Quote

“We'll see what happens. … Many people have said ‘you should fire him,’ ” Trump said when asked if he will ax Mueller. “Again, they found nothing and in finding nothing, that's a big statement.” 

Meanwhile, this old tweet has been making the rounds again. 

 

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5 hours ago, Werthead said:

Trump is almost certainly going to launch a military strike on Syria in the next day or two, which will risk a direct military confrontation with Russia (who said last time they would not tolerate a repeat of what happened last year). It feels like this should be more of A Thing, unless people are just assuming that Russia is going to back down and not retaliate (although their failure to respond to Israel's bombing of Syrian targets suggests maybe they are bit more noise than substance).

I forget, where did that last chemical attack take place? Tonkin something... nah, that's not it.:ph34r:

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2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Isn’t it a crime, as a lawyer, to cover up the illegal activities of your client? If so, Cohen is totally screwed and my best guess is that he’d flip. Few people know how willing Trump is to stab someone in the back better than Cohen, so I see no reason why he’d fall on his sword for the man. Wasn’t it reported that he was complaining that Trump never paid him back for the Stormy deal?  

 

I don't think Cohen will flip, especially since Trump can easily pardon him if he's ever charged with anything.  Trump has also made Cohen a rich man.  Trump has made sure to pay his personal lawyer/fixer well.

What crimes has Cohen committed exactly that would result in serious jail time?  People are assuming that Trump is guilty of all sorts of crimes, and if that is true, the Mueller investigation should lay that bare.  But I'm not convinced yet that Mueller will find enough evidence to convict Trump of any crimes.  If Trump and his stooges are as corrupt and stupid as everyone here says, there should be mountains of evidence for Mueller to uncover.  

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/warning-of-repercussions-trump-company-lawyers-seek-panama-presidents-help/2018/04/09/9e3fbb8e-3c2f-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html?

Quote

 

The law firm, Panama-based Britton and Iglesias, wrote in Spanish to President Juan Carlos Varela on March 22 to “urgently request your influence in relation to a commercial dispute regarding the Trump hotel.”

At the time, the majority owner of the Trump hotel — Cypriot-born investor Orestes Fintiklis — had kicked out the Trump Organization as the hotel’s manager, after a ruling from a low-level Panamanian judge. The president’s company was seeking to retake control.

The request was extraordinary: The U.S. president’s company was asking the leader of a U.S. ally to intercede on its behalf, disregarding Panama’s separation of powers.

It is the first known instance of the Trump Organization asking directly for a foreign leader’s help with a business dispute since Trump was elected. . . .

. . . . 

A spokesman for Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Post that “this is about differences between businesses, a case already attended by the court. This is not a bilateral matter between governments and not even a political issue.”

On Monday, Panama’s foreign secretary, Isabel de Saint Malo, told the Associated Press that her office had also received a copy.

“It is a letter that urges Panama’s executive branch to interfere in an issue clearly of the judicial branch,” de Saint Malo said. “I don’t believe the executive branch has a position to take while the issue is in the judicial process.”

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Mudguard said:

I don't think Cohen will flip, especially since Trump can easily pardon him if he's ever charged with anything.  Trump has also made Cohen a rich man.  Trump has made sure to pay his personal lawyer/fixer well.

What crimes has Cohen committed exactly that would result in serious jail time?  People are assuming that Trump is guilty of all sorts of crimes, and if that is true, the Mueller investigation should lay that bare.  But I'm not convinced yet that Mueller will find enough evidence to convict Trump of any crimes.  If Trump and his stooges are as corrupt and stupid as everyone here says, there should be mountains of evidence for Mueller to uncover.  

If Trump made Cohen such a rich man, why did Cohen have to put a mortgage on his house to pay the $130k to Stormy? Something funny there.

The amazing thing about Trump is, he pardons people before they even get sentenced, while other presidents pardoned people after, at the very least, trial, conviction and sentencing, and usually after spending years in jail.

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5 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

If Trump made Cohen such a rich man, why did Cohen have to put a mortgage on his house to pay the $130k to Stormy? Something funny there.

The amazing thing about Trump is, he pardons people before they even get sentenced, while other presidents pardoned people after, at the very least, trial, conviction and sentencing, and usually after spending years in jail.

He might not have that much cash on hand if he's invested his wealth in real estate, stocks, mutual funds, etc.  Anyone who can afford to pay $130K to cover up one of his boss's affairs is rich.  That's a lot of money to most people.  It's also another reasons why I think Cohen won't flip.  You have to be a really loyal and trusted employee to do something like that.

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17 hours ago, straits said:

I recommend you read "In the Name of Democracy: U.S. Policy Toward Latin America in the Reagan Years" by Thomas Carothers for more information on the subject

If we're recommending books, please pick up A. Hunter Solomon's 666 page treatise on the subject called the Benefits of Socialism: A Portrait of Progress. It's with diagrams so should help you. Also pick up Thomas Sowell's classic, Basic Economics. Probably a few here that would enjoy both these.

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50 minutes ago, Mudguard said:

I don't think Cohen will flip, especially since Trump can easily pardon him if he's ever charged with anything.  Trump has also made Cohen a rich man.  Trump has made sure to pay his personal lawyer/fixer well.

What crimes has Cohen committed exactly that would result in serious jail time?  People are assuming that Trump is guilty of all sorts of crimes, and if that is true, the Mueller investigation should lay that bare.  But I'm not convinced yet that Mueller will find enough evidence to convict Trump of any crimes.  If Trump and his stooges are as corrupt and stupid as everyone here says, there should be mountains of evidence for Mueller to uncover.  

You must be unfamiliar with the American justice system, mountains of evidence have no bearing on the outcome of a case and never have, the only thing that matters is how much money you're willing to commit to your case, the amount of money committed is the only determinate in the outcome of a verdict, everyone knows this.

Rich people are innocent which is proven by their being rich, which is a sign of virtue and innocence and the personally conferred blessings of the God of Israel and Baby Jesus.

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4 minutes ago, lokisnow said:

You must be unfamiliar with the American justice system, mountains of evidence have no bearing on the outcome of a case and never have, the only thing that matters is how much money you're willing to commit to your case, the amount of money committed is the only determinate in the outcome of a verdict, everyone knows this.

Rich people are innocent which is proven by their being rich, which is a sign of virtue and innocence and the personally conferred blessings of the God of Israel and Baby Jesus.

Raj Rajaratnam and the judge and jury that convicted the billionaire hedge fund manager for conspiracy and securities fraud and sentenced him to 11 years in prison must also not been aware of how the system works.  The injustice!

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20 hours ago, Mudguard said:

I don't think Cohen will flip, especially since Trump can easily pardon him if he's ever charged with anything.  Trump has also made Cohen a rich man.  Trump has made sure to pay his personal lawyer/fixer well.

What crimes has Cohen committed exactly that would result in serious jail time?  People are assuming that Trump is guilty of all sorts of crimes, and if that is true, the Mueller investigation should lay that bare.  But I'm not convinced yet that Mueller will find enough evidence to convict Trump of any crimes.  If Trump and his stooges are as corrupt and stupid as everyone here says, there should be mountains of evidence for Mueller to uncover.  

Maybe.  If Trump pardons Cohen then Cohen can be called to testify as a prosecution witness in a criminal case against Trump or anyone else related to the charges for which he was pardoned.  If Cohen then refuses to testify he can be jailed by the judge for contempt of court until such time as he agrees to testify. 

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4 hours ago, lokisnow said:

was the Syrian chemical weapon viagra? Because it seems like it has given every right winger in America a permanent erection that will not go away. sad!

John Bolton, what a fantastic first day on the job he's had!  I bet his warmongering stiffy is still saluting his big chance to impress the boss.

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1 hour ago, Squab said:

 Also pick up Thomas Sowell's classic, Basic Economics. Probably a few here that would enjoy both these.

Yeah, I don't think I'll be takin' any economics lessons from that clown Thomas Sowell. You know the guy that did some real shoddy empirical analysis about the Reagan tax cuts.

In fact, I wrote about way back when. Here:

And why do libertarians always presume to lecture others about economics? Hmm. You mean the same people that were ranted about the gold standard a few years back? Or the ones that were inflationista fear mongering a few years back? And how about Hayek's disastrous deflationary advice back in the 1930s?

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28 minutes ago, Mudguard said:

Raj Rajaratnam and the judge and jury that convicted the billionaire hedge fund manager for conspiracy and securities fraud and sentenced him to 11 years in prison must also not been aware of how the system works.  The injustice!

You mean Martin Shkreli?  Naw, he's wasn't rich enough plus his arrogance around buying the drug patents then jacking up the price while smirking about it turned the public against him.   He got what he deserved. 

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12 minutes ago, LongRider said:

John Bolton, what a fantastic first day on the job he's had!  I bet his warmongering stiffy is still saluting his big chance to impress the boss.

Great, now I am picturing the moustache waggling suggestively. Thanks for that picture.

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