Lets see if we can keep this thread a little more civil.

I found this interview very interesting.  A lot of soft balls thrown at Trump, he explained his back pedalling on his more extreme issues as a lot of his claims as opening bids for negotiation purposes.  Which .. whatever .. I still think that those are insincere claims he used to get elected.

He does now come across way more presidential then he did prior to the election.  A lot of his noise, yelling, and rhetoric has been scaled back.

Do respect this one though:

Quote

 

Lesley Stahl: Are you gonna take the salary, the president’s salary?

Donald Trump: Well, I’ve never commented on this, but the answer is no. I think I have to by law take $1, so I’ll take $1 a year. But it’s a -- I don’t even know what it is.

Donald Trump: Do you know what the salary is?

Lesley Stahl: $400,000 you’re giving up.

Donald Trump: No, I’m not gonna take the salary. I’m not taking it.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-donald-trump-family-melania-ivanka-lesley-stahl/

So... why do I even try to have a sterling credit rating? 

 

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-deutsche-bank-donald-trump?utm_content=buffer25ab1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=buffer

 

Quote

(Deutsche Bank) bank loaned a cumulative total of around $2.5 billion to Trump projects over the past two decades, and the bank continued writing him nine-figure checks even after he defaulted on a $640 million obligation and sued the bank, blaming it for his failure to pay back the debt.

Never even considered the "**** off, I ain't paying for **** and it's your fault for this, so I'll see you court." Strategy. 

Edited May 26, 20196 yr by wanna-b-fanboy

5 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

So... why do I even try to have a sterling credit rating? 

 

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-deutsche-bank-donald-trump?utm_content=buffer25ab1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=buffer

 

 

They make lots via his money laundering. Defaulting on a $640M loan is no biggie. 

edit.

 

Edited May 26, 20196 yr by Mark F

About that swamp draining......

Kushner Cos. Gets $800 Million Federally Backed Apartment Loan

Kushner Cos., the real estate firm owned by the family of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has received about $800 million in federally backed debt to buy apartments in Maryland and Virginia -- the company’s biggest purchase in a decade.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-23/kushner-cos-gets-800-million-federally-backed-apartment-loan?fbclid=IwAR0X3fRP4ubm1IQ5ZokoI6cIyhoZ4lUOMSDW2vLkCBVYSq8w0cLl2r6kXXI

 

8 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

About that swamp draining......

amazing in your face corruption. This will only get worse, when there's no appetite to stop it. 

Best article I have read about what is going on in the US right now, constitutional law professor, easy to understand.

Quote

The Trump administration aspires to be the first of the post-legal era. It lives by a principle enunciated 2,000 years ago by the Roman jurist Ulpian and relied upon by tyrants ever since: Quod principi placuit, legis habet vigorem. What pleases the prince has the force of law. No president I know of has asserted a blanket power to reject any request that doesn’t suit him—until Donald Trump. No president I know of has rejected requests on the grounds that the committee requesting is controlled by Democrats—until Donald Trump. The ongoing battle between this administration and the House committees is not, at heart, a legal dispute at all; it is an assertion by a president that the law and the Constitution are simply irrelevant when they conflict with his will.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/trump-doesnt-care-about-constitution/589654/

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Mark F

1 hour ago, Mark F said:

amazing in your face corruption. This will only get worse, when there's no appetite to stop it. 

Best article I have read about what is going on in the US right now, constitutional law professor, easy to understand.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/trump-doesnt-care-about-constitution/589654/

Excellent article- thanks for sharing.

1 hour ago, Wideleft said:

About that swamp draining......

Kushner Cos. Gets $800 Million Federally Backed Apartment Loan

Kushner Cos., the real estate firm owned by the family of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has received about $800 million in federally backed debt to buy apartments in Maryland and Virginia -- the company’s biggest purchase in a decade.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-23/kushner-cos-gets-800-million-federally-backed-apartment-loan?fbclid=IwAR0X3fRP4ubm1IQ5ZokoI6cIyhoZ4lUOMSDW2vLkCBVYSq8w0cLl2r6kXXI

 

I read this same article earlier- it is SWAMPY... 

Quote

Federally guaranteed obligations are debt securities issued by the United States government and considered risk-free because they receive the full faith and credit of the federal government. The selling of these securities helps to finance the federal debt.

 

That is unreal.

On 2019-05-25 at 11:29 AM, Zontar said:

Wrong.

He was the progressives great white hope to take down Trump for months. Interviewed on CNN over 100 times, called him "presidential timber". Ditto MSNBC. 

Aggressive anti trump rhetoric and the porn star lawsuit's potential to humiliate Trump was like catnip for that crowd. Couldn't resist. Zero scrutiny.

After all that free advertising the same people are playing the victim.  Shameless.

As usual, flat out misinformation with no context.  

If you can name a single democrat who actually endorsed him, please name them.  You know who did endorse him?  Steven Bannon.  

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michael-avenatti-hails-2020-endorsement-from-steve-bannon

"Liberal" commentators I follow unanimously saw his presidential aspirations as self-serving and an attention grab and were able to separate that story from the real story,  but they also had to recognize that a guy who could garner so much attention wasn't any less credible a candidate than a morally and financially bankrupt former reality-tv star who was now president.

The Stormy Daniels story was not only significant given the attention historically given to Presidential sex scandals (see Bill Clinton), but it was also true.  It also involved the breaking of campaign finance law and was a steaming pile of lies intertwined with lies on the part of Trump and Cohen. Any president before Trump would have resigned over this, so the media attention was not inappropriate.

As for the shoulda-woulda scrutiny you claim should have been applied, please point to any interview with any lawyer representing a client that scrutinizes the lawyer rather than discussing the case?  It just doesn't happen.  When you only book a guest for 3-5 minutes, you only have time to talk about the relevant story.  

I don't see any reputable news source claiming they're victims over this.  They cover the stories as they unfold.  Note that CNN and MSNBC were quicker to break the stories over Avanatti's arrests and lawsuits than anyone else.

You wouldn't see Faux News cover a similar story on Jeanine Pirro if and when that time comes.

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Wideleft

23 hours ago, Zontar said:

They want to lead and inspire a nation on, as of today,  Trump is bad, late term abortions are fine, various and sundry identity politics , open borders, job killing globalism, higher taxes.

Let the good times roll.

• Trump is bad
• Define late term abortions because you keep using that phrase and I'm not sure you know what it means
• that phrase is filler
• The Democratic Party is not advocating for open borders
• Global free trade is a neo-liberal philosophy which finds favour in Conservative and Liberal parties and therefore the Republican and Democratic parties.
• When tax rates are cut to unsustainably low rates, a government will find that it cannot provide services (see Kansas and Oklahoma) and therefore raising taxes is the prudent thing to do.  But hey, if giving tax breaks to the 1% to generate the deepest debt in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD is your kind of good times.....

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Wideleft

Over the years, I have never seen any legislator, Democrat or otherwise....publicly call for an open border.     
Trump always claiming that Democrats are for open borders  - which is really... just another right wing talking point, and of course....another yet lie from Trump

10 minutes ago, do or die said:

Over the years, I have never seen any legislator, Democrat or otherwise....publicly call for an open border.     
Trump always claiming that Democrats are for open borders  - which is really... just another right wing talking point, and of course....another yet lie from Trump

Republicans somehow equate criticisms of ICE and child detention camps as a recommendation to tear down borders.  It's almost like they don't understand the issue.

6 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

Republicans somehow equate criticisms of ICE and child detention camps as a recommendation to tear down borders.  It's almost like they don't understand the issue.

Usually it's those at the top that make these spurious claims, knowingly they are blatantly false, let the echo chamber take hold and those down the line parroting the misinformation because they don't understand the issue. That has been my observation.

I thought the same thing when I saw this article:

 

 

3 hours ago, Wideleft said:

Republicans somehow equate criticisms of ICE and child detention camps as a recommendation to tear down borders.  It's almost like they don't understand the issue.

Of course they never say open borders.  They simply want to abolish, curtail or weaken every measure that controls borders and immigration. 

Can't convince voters and stay in power? No worries, just import new voters and if anyone complains condemn them as racist.

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Zontar

19 minutes ago, Zontar said:

Of course they never say open borders.  They simply want to abolish, curtail or weaken every measure that controls borders and immigration. 

Can't convince voters and stay in power? No worries, just import new voters and if anyone complains condemn them as racist.

As opposed to the Republican  way of suppressing voters who don't like them and gerrymandering districts to favour right wing voters? 

One of these things is real, the other a fantasy. Which do you think is which?

7 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

As opposed to the Republican  way of suppressing voters who don't like them and gerrymandering districts to favour right wing voters? 

One of these things is real, the other a fantasy. Which do you think is which?

To counter districts that have been purposely flooded with illegal immigrants and allowing them to vote despite lack of citizenship? Seems fair.

16 minutes ago, Zontar said:

To counter districts that have been purposely flooded with illegal immigrants and allowing them to vote despite lack of citizenship? Seems fair.

Interesting Take on this issue... 

Can you provide any facts to back up this talk of flooding districts with illegal immigrants, please? Because that sounds like a serious issue that should be addressed.

 

I remember Lou Dobbs claiming that "many" Illegal immigrants voted in 2018... but there is no evidence at all... and since the absence of proof, we need to go on the credibility of Lou Dobbs... who has a very spotty past with the truth. Here is quick article on that issue.

https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2018/nov/16/lou-dobbs/no-evidence-many-illegal-immigrants-voted-midterm-/

 

Quote

"There’s zero evidence of even dozens, let alone millions, of non citizens voting in this or any other election," said according to David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a non-profit focused on election integrity.

 

But gerrymandering... that is a real thing, not made up **** like thousands of illegals voting.

 

besides... why shouldn't illegal immigrants vote? Are they not part of the political discussion? 

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by wanna-b-fanboy

1 hour ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

Interesting Take on this issue... 

Can you provide any facts to back up this talk of flooding districts with illegal immigrants, please? Because that sounds like a serious issue that should be addressed.

Yes, the current administration investigated this "phenomenon" and determined it was a hoax. Even though they really tried to make it true. Trump had to disband the commission. 

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by JCon
typo

Like I said, fantasy vs. Reality. Republicans are becoming less and less popular all the time and can only cling to power by undermining democracy. 

Looks like on this Memorial day Trump got a few more medals from all the wars he fought in

26 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

Can you provide any facts to back up this talk of flooding districts with illegal immigrants

Spreading malicious falsehoods about "floods of illegal immigrant voters" as this guy just did, this is plain old fashioned malignant bigotry.

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Mark F

1 hour ago, Zontar said:

Of course they never say open borders.  They simply want to abolish, curtail or weaken every measure that controls borders and immigration. 

Can't convince voters and stay in power? No worries, just import new voters and if anyone complains condemn them as racist.

This makes no sense.  You say the Democrats never say they want open borders, but then you say they want to abolish every measure.  If you abolish every measure, there would be no point in curtailing or weakening them.  And how do you know they want to do this if they never say it?   It's just a whole bunch of words strung together that somehow find a way to contradict themselves.

The false claim that illegal immigrants are voting is overtly racist, so that shoe fits.

Edited May 27, 20196 yr by Wideleft

When it comes to immigration.....some American politicians have certainly forgotten how the GI Bill and immigration, helped America become a super power.   But then again, some people always get it backwards.

More frightening stuff

Quote

Welcome, folks, to the first Stalinist show trials in the history of our country.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/you-think-its-bad-now-wait-for-next-years-show-trials

38 minutes ago, Mark F said:

More frightening stuff

https://www.thedailybeast.com/you-think-its-bad-now-wait-for-next-years-show-trials

HOLY ****. 

That is crazy frightening. No just of qhatvqas laid out in that article, but that it is totally plausible...