US Politics Thread 2016-2020

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Catfish

, i just wonder how long he will last.

Until jan. 20, 2021 or jan. 20, 2025 if re-elected.

Democrats do not really want to push him out, since that would mean President Mike Pence would be running for re-election in 2020.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

Until jan. 20, 2021 or jan. 20, 2025 if re-elected.

Democrats do not really want to push him out, since that would mean President Mike Pence would be running for re-election in 2020.

It appears there may be more and more Republicans warming up to the idea of a President Pence...




<O>

[Rockstar]

There also appears to be aliens circling the White House, for real they're there you just can't see them. I feel like real Americans have a right to know. The media should report! ask the question birds or aliens? Get the people to wonder and argue and boil along party lines like lemmings. This in turn rallies the politicians to investigate and spend heaps of tax payer money for no reason other than a chance for some good ol'fashioned political grandstanding, err I mean investigation. Now the media has more to report on watch their ratings soar!

btw way anyone listen to the inquiry? I did, what a farce, what a waste of my time and energy tuning in a needless expenditure of my taxes. Makes me wanna holler!

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by vienna

It appears there may be more and more Republicans warming up to the idea of a President Pence...




<O>

well Pence is a real conservative. Trump is a moderate who pretends to be a conservative.

Whether Trump stays or Democrats put President Pence in office, it is a win-win for conservatives.

[Bilge_Rat]

so I have trouble following the reporting in the NY Times...

First, they report that the Obama admin is wiretapping the Trump campaign..

Then when Trump tweets about their reporting, they disavow their own articles and say there is no evidence of wiretapping...

Now, they unveil their source and double down on the claim of wiretapping:

What to Ask About Russian Hacking
By LOUISE MENSCH
MARCH 17, 2017

(...)

When I was a member of Parliament in Britain, I took part in a select committee investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News Corporation. Today, as a New York-based journalist (who, in fact, now works at News Corp.), I have followed the Russian hacking story closely. In November, I broke the story that a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court had issued a warrant that enabled the F.B.I. to examine communications between “U.S. persons” in the Trump campaign relating to Russia-linked banks.

(...)

On Nov. 7, I reported that sources had told me of the existence of a FISA warrant targeting two Russia-linked banks. That warrant gave permission for the communications of American citizens that were incidentally collected as part of that investigation to be examined.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/o...king.html?_r=0

I wish the "mainstream" media would make up their mind...

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

well Pence is a real conservative. Trump is a moderate who pretends to be a conservative.

Whether Trump stays or Democrats put President Pence in office, it is a win-win for conservatives.

Trump is a clown and an albatross around the neck of the GOP. I rather suspect the GOP, feeling the possibility of losing big in the mid-terms, will be the ones to cut their losses and find a way to dump Trump; it would be a win-win for them: they get rid of what they didn't want or need in the first place and they can present themselves as being the ones who corrected the particular liability that is Trump rather than prolonging their agony for partisan reasons. Remember, the majority of the US voters did not vote for Trump (and, by extension, the GOP) in 2016 and, so far, the mood of the voting public has not moved in Trumps favor (and, by extension, neither towards the GOP) and the mid-term elections will have no 'winner-take-all' ploys to manipulate; its just a straight up or down vote, no gimmicks. If they should for some insane reason decide to cling to Trump for too long, well, we all saw how well that tack worked out for the GOP with Nixon...



<O>

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

so I have trouble following the reporting in the NY Times...

First, they report that the Obama admin is wiretapping the Trump campaign..

Then when Trump tweets about their reporting, they disavow their own articles and say there is no evidence of wiretapping...

Now, they unveil their source and double down on the claim of wiretapping:



https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/o...king.html?_r=0

I wish the "mainstream" media would make up their mind...

There remains a couple of big problems with those claims: (1) There has been no documented proof, or sworn testimony, from either the Justice Dept. (FBI) nor the NSA that any such warrants were ever sought or, more importantly, issued under FISA; (2) The whole matter of their existence or non-existence could be very, very simply cleared up by Trump making a phone call or issuing an order declassifying the data and compelling Justice and the NSA to make public any materials related to the ISA allegations. But he hasn't: Why not? You would think he would jump at the chance to rub the noses of those who oppose him in the proof he was right. But he hasn't: Why Not? He could extend his base and solidify his base constituency just by ordering the declassification and release of his proof. But he hasn't: Why not?...

So what do we have? No verifiable, evidentiary or sworn proof of any of Trump's or his supporter's claims and the inexplicable refusal of Trump to even lift a finger to solve the whole problem, once and for all and to his advantage and the advantage of his party. Curious indeed...

The source of the claim that GCHQ was involved in espionage against Trump during the election on behalf of the Obama administration has been revealed and, like so much of the source material of Trump and his advocates, it has been found very highly suspect and very seriously wanting:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7636996.html



<O>

[Drakomis]

When it comes to politics, this election has taught me one thing: Liberals are the scorn of the earth. It's been stated time and again through-out US history, and only now do I understand what those great leaders spoke about.

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by vienna

Trump is a clown and an albatross around the neck of the GOP. I rather suspect the GOP, feeling the possibility of losing big in the mid-terms, will be the ones to cut their losses and find a way to dump Trump; it would be a win-win for them: they get rid of what they didn't want or need in the first place and they can present themselves as being the ones who corrected the particular liability that is Trump rather than prolonging their agony for partisan reasons. Remember, the majority of the US voters did not vote for Trump (and, by extension, the GOP) in 2016 and, so far, the mood of the voting public has not moved in Trumps favor (and, by extension, neither towards the GOP) and the mid-term elections will have no 'winner-take-all' ploys to manipulate; its just a straight up or down vote, no gimmicks. If they should for some insane reason decide to cling to Trump for too long, well, we all saw how well that tack worked out for the GOP with Nixon...



<O>

You are making the same mistake as all democratic pols, namely underestimating Trump. Liberals are talking to themselves and convincing themselves that Trump does not know what he is doing, but all they are doing is garanteeing his re-election in 2020.

Trump is actually a very good politician, he beat all of his opponent, including the Clintons.

You misunderstand the mood of the GOP. What you saw yesterday at the hearings is all GOP congressmen and Senators tying themselves 100% to Trump since in many cases, he helped get them elected.

According to all the polls, GOP support for Trump is still 90% plus. No GOP pol is going to bail on him since they are worried about a primary challenger next year, that will only come from a more conservative challenger.

IF there is a massacre in november 2018 and Dems regain the Senate and/or the House, that may change, but that is still far away.

Trump will get a free ride from the GOP until fall 2018.

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by vienna

There remains a couple of big problems with those claims: (1) There has been no documented proof, or sworn testimony, from either the Justice Dept. (FBI) nor the NSA that any such warrants were ever sought or, more importantly, issued under FISA; (2) The whole matter of their existence or non-existence could be very, very simply cleared up by Trump making a phone call or issuing an order declassifying the data and compelling Justice and the NSA to make public any materials related to the ISA allegations. But he hasn't: Why not? You would think he would jump at the chance to rub the noses of those who oppose him in the proof he was right. But he hasn't: Why Not? He could extend his base and solidify his base constituency just by ordering the declassification and release of his proof. But he hasn't: Why not?...

So what do we have? No verifiable, evidentiary or sworn proof of any of Trump's or his supporter's claims and the inexplicable refusal of Trump to even lift a finger to solve the whole problem, once and for all and to his advantage and the advantage of his party. Curious indeed...

The source of the claim that GCHQ was involved in espionage against Trump during the election on behalf of the Obama administration has been revealed and, like so much of the source material of Trump and his advocates, it has been found very highly suspect and very seriously wanting:

You misunderstand that the purpose of the claim was never to prove it is true, but merely to create a counter point to throw at Democrats when they keep harping on the Trump-Russia fable.

You listen to CNN or MSNBC and liberals are going crazy discussing that one tweet. On FOX, it is barely even mentioned.

The GOP base does not care what liberals think.

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

Trump is actually a very good politician.

Yeah. Right.
I guess now we heard it all.

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

Yeah. Right.
I guess now we heard it all.

I was going to say Brilliant, but I will wait a few more weeks for that.

Meanwhile, the only poll that really counts at this point...



http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...ublican-voters

[ikalugin]

How did the intelligence community know that the Russians hacked the Democratic National Committee? CrowdStrike told them so.

http://russialist.org/how-did-the-in...ittee-hearing/

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

Trump is actually a very good politician

That's a lousy thing to say about anyone.

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Well Trump's all over the news here once more.

Fake news promulgated by a big government that doesn't want to share power with the states or be weakened(reduced). No one ever expected anyone in the federal government to be friendly to Trump, but this level of resistance might be too much. If Trump held a rally and called on his supporters to act in some manner it might really get interesting.

Nobody that voted Trump is going to bail on him since it became evident that the other side would have actually elected Bernie Sanders were it not for their own corruption.