US Politics, February 2018: Our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots

The common denominator to the denial right and left is humiliation. On the one hand it's obv humiliating to supporters and enablers of Trump who find themselves taken out in the riptide, on the other it's humiliating to a historically astute left conditioned to punching up. When you've honed your chops outflanking them on details, closing their loopholes, smuggling in nuance, etc., getting punked by a giant stupid baby is not a good feeling.

^says "berniebro"

reggie otm

Shady business deals? Sure. That's his stock in trade. High-level political conspiracy? Reply hazy.

― Jock Totty's Monocle (Old Lunch), Thursday, February 22, 2018 3:48 PM (twenty-eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

pretty sure his up to his eyeballs in laundering dirty russian money and hes terrified at the prospect that mueller's mandate will lead him there. he's said as much in public.

Donald Trump has warned his special counsel from looking into his family's finances beyond the scope of his investigation into Russian interference in last year's election.

In an interview with The New York Times, the US President was asked if Robert Mueller would be crossing a red line by investigating his family finances.

"I would say yes," Mr Trump replied.

However, the President would not be drawn on what he would do about it. “I think that’s a violation. Look, this is about Russia," he said.

yup i.e. tax returns

"This investigation is about whether I hacked people to death and froze their body parts. There is no reason investigators should violate my privacy by looking in my freezer."

Also if the Russia probe unearths bad acts stemming from shady finances its a double strike at the core of his being - questioning the legitimacy of his 'victory' and his personal wealth at the same time.

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-pro-rata-59cc22d6-c7ec-4450-bfaa-19dcbf033a13.html

What has the new tax bill done so far? Well, between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20, 113 companies announced stock buybacks totaling $173 billion, the highest level ever at this point in the year, according to Birinyi Associates' Jeffrey Rubin, reports Axios's Zach Basu.

43 companies announced buybacks of more than $500 million, including Cisco, Wells Fargo, PepsiCo, Amgen, AbbVie, and Alphabet.
Meanwhile, in health care: Nine drug companies are spending a combined $50 billion on new share buyback programs, according to Axios's Bob Herman, who also notes that the "money is enriching hedge funds, other Wall Street investors and top drug company executives, but it isn't necessarily helping patients."

we need to tax the shit out of the rich in this country and redistribute wealth more equitably. everything else is just theater

Trump is someone who as a consequence of his inherited financial resources and business position has spent nearly his entire life being able to do much of what he wants and seeking to leverage his power to get the rest. He regards the law among other systems as mere obstacles to be navigated or games to be played with the assistance of those more learned than he cares to be or is capable of being. His clear involvement in one or more conspiracies against the country and efforts to obstruct the investigation of same reflect his disregard for the law and belief that the power of the presidency can be leveraged to overcome its application.

his disregard reflects a general disdain among our ruling classes for "the system" which is designed to keep the peasants down and them in power, prestige, and luxury. trump is just more blatant about it than most of his class is

huh?

huh what?

The gall of that NRA monster to appear on the townhall last night and then turn into a werewolf in public at CPAC. These campaign ads write themselves. At this point it's basically "The GOP: Wrong On Everything."

huh what?

― reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, February 22, 2018 5:10 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

For one thing, your post appears internally inconsistent. You assert first that the ruling classes disdain a system that you assert second is designed for their own benefit.

do johns respect prostitutes?

Qualmsley, ok that makes more sense. My initial reaction was the same as Moo's: why would you disdain a system set up for your benefit?

If you just mean "rich folks flout laws," well duh.

Trump is a dumb fuck whose level of personal involvement in Russian collusion is likely insubstantial and incidental.

Dumb fuck, yes. But it beggars belief that his campaign managers, immediate family members, or closest advisors, did not keep him moderately informed about their activities and never sought his specific permission to continue down that path. In his capacity as the highest officer of both his campaign and now of his administration, his awareness of the connection between foreign agents and the people who reported directly to him would constitute important and substantial complicity in such connections.

You have to assume such awareness and complicity, even if he took a casual view of it, like the dumb fuck he is.

Is there a better explanation for the decision not to impose the sanctions congress voted for than the Russian government possibly has something on him? Also Jared’s attempt to set up the secret back channel.

do johns respect prostitutes?

― reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, February 22, 2018 5:17 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Your analogy is inapposite. Assuming arguendo that prostitution is a system designed for the benefit of "johns," it's the prostitutes, not the system, that the "johns" disdain.

Jesus fuck.

Just in from @rdevro: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will remove "nation of immigrants" from mission statement https://t.co/cfWjahgYOe

— Roger D. Hodge (@RogerDHodge) February 22, 2018

Ein Volk, ein reich, ein Trump

So Trump really said that if the schools were armed/more safer, the kids wouldn't go into school shooting, and "I think that would solve your problem".. No words.

they'll just go somewhere else to murder a bunch of people?

Trump is now endorsing bonuses for teachers who get gun training.

I have never wished a grievous prolapse on anyone before but I guess there's a first time for everything.

would love to see a poll on how teachers feel about that

"Gun laws don't work because criminals can easily find ways around them".

I'm not even a """"criminal""" but after 10 seconds thought: pull fire alarm, find spot where I can unleash sniper fire on a gaggle of students/armed faculty. Military units have trouble neutralizing that sort of threat, you think some teachers with pistols are going to take out such a shooter before he can kill dozens or more?

JUST IN: Trump suggests bonuses for teachers who carry guns https://t.co/G38GBJOBow pic.twitter.com/hWfzACtdlY

— The Hill (@thehill) February 22, 2018

What a difference millions of donated dollars make. pic.twitter.com/lfPTYKCHHd

— Apodyopsis (@Moyamal) February 22, 2018

it's not the money

that guardian piece upthread was predictably maddening, some guy quotes as saying 'no school shooter is gonna pull anything when they know they're gonna get their head blown off' like that doesn't happen 99 percent of the time these things unfold

Facebook is setting up a booth in the CPAC exhibit hall.

Two attendees just told me they saw proof on Facebook this morning that the Parkland students are crisis actors. Facebook reps here told me they’re not going to talk about that. pic.twitter.com/vJCYLGfkBA

— Kira Lerner (@kira_lerner) February 22, 2018

.@facebook just emailed me a statement on their CPAC presence.

"Facebook routinely participates in events hosted by organizations across the political spectrum." pic.twitter.com/b1NYAOci8k

— Kira Lerner (@kira_lerner) February 22, 2018

Just in from @rdevro: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will remove "nation of immigrants" from mission statement https://t.co/cfWjahgYOe

— Roger D. Hodge (@RogerDHodge) February 22, 2018

This probably goes back to the descriptive/prescriptive split, but, uh, how much do settler colonialists count as “immigrants”?

Ted Cruz dispenses with the empathy and calls last night's emotional outpouring during CNN forum "tiresome." #CPAC2018

— Jeremy W. Peters (@jwpetersNYT) February 22, 2018

lol like he had any to dispense with in the first place

Mr. LaPierre evidently noticed, prompting him to comment on the stillness in the hall, which he wrote off as fear over the government oppression he warned was coming. “I hear a lot of quiet in this room,” he said. “I sense your anxiety. And you should be anxious. You should be frightened.”

He repeatedly returned to his attacks against gun control advocates as socialists lying in wait.

“And oh how socialists love to make lists,” he said, “especially lists that can be used to deny citizens their basic freedoms.”

graft at the chief executive level

Payday lenders got regulators to rethink rules on how closely to vet borrowers. E-cigarette makers got a delay in federal oversight of many vaping products. Candy makers praised a decision to hold off on more stringent labeling standards. And title insurers declared “victory” for getting changes that benefited them in the tax overhaul. What do all these American special-interest groups have in common? They were among those that booked meetings, retreats and conferences at hotels and golf resorts owned by President Donald Trump.

While it’s impossible to draw a direct link between where groups seeking to influence the Trump administration hold their events and what they received, one thing is certain: Never before in American history have such groups had the opportunity to hold an event at a property owned by the president, paying for event space, rooms and food with money that ultimately heads into the president’s pockets.

An Associated Press analysis of the special interests that visited Trump properties in the first year of his presidency found several instances that at least created the appearance of “pay for play.” And lobbying experts say as long as the president fails to divest from his businesses and can still profit from such bookings, special interests will take full advantage....

https://apnews.com/d0bdf331b7bb48d9ac1386825daea3c2/Book-Trump?-Interest-groups-press-case-at-his-properties

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/02/22/trump-blames-video-games-movies-violence.cnn

On a certain level, I actually do appreciate the lengths GOP-ers have gone to over the past couple of years to be more honest and up front about their soullessness. I almost wouldn't be that surprised if one of their ran on the slogan '_____ '18: I Don't Care About Any of You'.

I'm not even a """"criminal""" but after 10 seconds thought: pull fire alarm, find spot where I can unleash sniper fire on a gaggle of students/armed faculty. Military units have trouble neutralizing that sort of threat, you think some teachers with pistols are going to take out such a shooter before he can kill dozens or more?

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, February 22, 2018 7:28 PM (twenty-eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's literally what the kid did in florida:

Around 2:30 pm on Wednesday, just before class dismissal, the fire alarm went off, and shooting began. A law enforcement official told told CBS News it was believed the suspect pulled the fire alarm before the shooting rampage.

xp

remember in Vegas when that dude was shooting literally hundreds of people from a distant perch and that self-proclaimed "good guy with a gun"/gambling shithead/social media tough guy ran away and then came back bleating for a pistol because he said he could take him down or whatever. yeah nothing could have taken him down except himself.

a disgruntled student with an arsenal is not going to say "whoa better not do it" because one or two guys with a handgun are stalking the hallways checking their watches.

guys, if you are arguing these points you have already lost the argument

rhetorically

so if you don't argue them, you win. got it.

No, the only argument is that it is obviously fucking insane to even entertain the idea of teachers having guns--only a crazy person (one must hold) would even have this idea cross their mind, and only an evil person would voice it. That is the kind of drum beat that works, not "oh teachers are terrible shots" or "oh teachers don't get paid enough to add gun-toting to their responsibilities" or similarly letting-them-define-the-terms dumbshittedness

Right cause it really works on this idiots to point out such a thing

I'm sure once we just call them all crazy for just having that notion, they'd realize how crazy it was. Yes, definitely.

guys, if you are arguing these points you have already lost the argument

― Dan I., Thursday, February 22, 2018 8:07 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You're sitting here, like, arguing with Alex Jones that lizard people are impossible because rubber skin technology isn't yet advanced enough to cover up their scales. why

No, the only argument is that it is obviously fucking insane to even entertain the idea of teachers having guns--only a crazy person (one must hold) would even have this idea cross their mind, and only an evil person would voice it. That is the kind of drum beat that works, not "oh teachers are terrible shots" or "oh teachers don't get paid enough to add gun-toting to their responsibilities" or similarly letting-them-define-the-terms dumbshittedness

shhhh! you're gonna lose the argument if you keep this up!