US Politics Thread 2021-24

[Jimbuna]

Trump wracked with 'frustration and concern' as time to pay bond ticks down

Former President Donald Trump feels the heat as the deadline to pay the bond in his $464 million civil fraud case ticks nearer.

In that case, Judge Arthur Engoron found the former president, his two adult sons, and his former chief accountant Allen Weisselberg liable for systematically lying about property valuations to manipulate tax liabilities and interest rates on loans.

According to NBC News, "Trump, the billionaire developer who is seeking a return to the White House, finds himself in the unenviable position of hitting up high-dollar donors not just for campaign cash — for which he has an urgent political need — but also to see whether they might guarantee his bond, according to a Trump ally who received such a call from a member of the presumptive GOP nominee's team."

Trump is already facing long odds in getting anyone to pay, because apart from the sheer size of the monetary ask, he has a long track record of stiffing people in business relationships.

The bottom line, NBC's Garrett Haake wrote, is that "[At] Mar-a-Lago, there’s frustration and concern over Monday’s bond deadline — but not panic — as Trump faces a cash crunch."

"A source close to the Trump family said Trump’s defense team is gaming out its options, including ways Trump could appeal Engoron's ruling without having to put the bond up and what would happen if they can’t secure the required sum. There’s also the belief that seizing Trump’s assets or liquidating them at 'fire sale' prices, as Trump has warned, could prove to be rocket fuel for his campaign," said the report. "'They’re looking to appeal the actual requirements to have to put up this amount of money to appeal and then, obviously, the appeal itself on grounds it’s a violation of the Eighth Amendment,' the source said. 'They have to figure all those machinations out.'"

Some other sources have suggested Trump is resigned to the probability New York Attorney General Letitia James will start seizing his property — but that he could try enlist the Supreme Court to claw it back for him.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...a9fb81c6&ei=11

[mapuc]

What could prevent him from running for office ?

As I see it, Mr Trump is favorite to take seat in the Oval office once again next year.

However he has some trials ahead of him and can one of these stop him from becoming the next President.

Markus

[August]

Originally Posted by mapuc

What could prevent him from running for office ?

As I see it, Mr Trump is favorite to take seat in the Oval office once again next year.

However he has some trials ahead of him and can one of these stop him from becoming the next President.

Markus

So far the only way I know that he can be stopped from becoming president is for him to loose the election. This is all about degrading his ability to afford a presidential campaign and perhaps influencing his voter appeal.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by August

So far the only way I know that he can be stopped from becoming president is for him to loose the election. This is all about degrading his ability to afford a presidential campaign and perhaps influencing his voter appeal.

Thank you Dave

It is some of my FB-friends who claim he can't become President due to these trials who awaits him.

So now I can say to these:
These trials are not going to prevent him from running for office-Heck American law even allow inmates to run for office and voters can put their vote on them.

Markus

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by August

So far the only way I know that he can be stopped from becoming president is for him to loose the election. This is all about degrading his ability to afford a presidential campaign and perhaps influencing his voter appeal.

It's all about his misdeeds catching up to him and being held accountable for the first time in his life.

"The judge presiding over Trump’s $465 million CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT, just gave the Court-appointed monitor over all of Trump and his Company’s assets enhanced super powers starting today, to stop fraudulent transfer of assets; and report on ALL representations made by Trump to bonding companies he claims won’t bond him, among other draconian remedies to stop Trump from committing FRAUD again."

[August]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

It's all about his misdeeds catching up to him and being held accountable for the first time in his life.

"The judge presiding over Trump’s $465 million CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT, just gave the Court-appointed monitor over all of Trump and his Company’s assets enhanced super powers starting today, to stop fraudulent transfer of assets; and report on ALL representations made by Trump to bonding companies he claims won’t bond him, among other draconian remedies to stop Trump from committing FRAUD again."

Bogus politically motivated charges brought by a corrupt state AG to a biased court for the express purpose of interfering with a presidential election. Nobody has ever been convicted of fraud for overvaluing his property on loan paperwork.

[Jimbuna]

Congress unveils $1.2 trillion funding package

Lawmakers have unveiled a $1.2 trillion package to keep the government funded just days before a shutdown deadline at the end of the week. The sprawling plan of more than 1,000 pages includes provisions to bolster up border security, increase the military budget and ban cash for the main aid agency for Palestinians.
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Six of the 12 annual government spending bills have been bundled together and Republicans have celebrated cuts in areas like diversity and foreign aid. It now faces a sprint to get passed in the House and Senate before the Saturday deadline, when funding for government agencies will lapse.
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The package ramps up investment at the border amid the historic migrant crisis and includes a list of conservative cultural victories. There is a provision stating only American flags can be flown above embassies - in a victory Speaker Mike Johnson touted would ban Pride flags from being flown at U.S. embassies around the world. It also prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves.

For the border, there is $19.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection, a $3.2 billion increase above fiscal year 2023. There is also $495 million for additional Border Patrol agents, which the Biden administration has called for, but no funds for the wall. The money will be used to pay 22,000 border agents. Immigrant detention beds would be boosted from 34,000 to 42,000 at migrant facilities across the country and funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be cut by 20 percent.

Foreign aid generally will be cut by six percent. For the military, there is a 5.2 percent pay increase for service members. Funding for most defense agencies would remain at current spending levels. Cash to a United Nations agency that gives relief to Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, has been cut. It also slashes funding to a UN agency that investigates Israel's alleged war crimes.

Israel accused 12 of UNRWA's 30,000 employees of taking part in the October 7 attack. They accused another 190 employees of being Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives. Some $20 billion will be cut from the IRS and another $6 billion in funds for Covid relief will be clawed back. In the defense appropriations portion of the bill there is $500 million for Israel's defense programs, funding the Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow.

The defense bill also bans any funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology and EcoHealth Alliance, believed to be Covid-19's place of origin. Another $3.3 billion will go to Israel under the State-Foreign Operations section of the bill, with new conditions on any assistance to Gaza and stipulations to prevent the money from being used to move the Israeli embassy out of Jerusalem or to implement an Iran nuclear deal.

Democrats have celebrated a list of investments in the package including a $1 billion jump in childcare, boosts for cancer and Alzheimer's research and the addition of 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban during the U.S. withdrawal. They can also tout a one-year extension of international HIV /AIDS prevention efforts under a program known as PEPFAR.

Johnson has called the new legislation a 'serious commitment' to 'strengthening our national defense' and moving the military to its 'core mission'. 'This FY24 appropriations legislation is a serious commitment to strengthening our national defense by moving the Pentagon toward a focus on its core mission while expanding support for our brave men and women who serve in uniform,' he said. 'Importantly, it halts funding for the United Nations agency which employed terrorists who participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel,' Johnson added.

Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, touted the bill as a win and urged colleagues to vote for it. 'This bill funds our highest national security priorities - it invests in a more modern, innovative, and ready fighting force, continues our strong support for our great ally Israel, and provides key border enforcement resources. At the same time, we made cuts to programs that have nothing to do with our national security and pulled back billions from the Administration.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...&ei=16#image=1

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by August

Bogus politically motivated charges brought by a corrupt state AG to a biased court for the express purpose of interfering with a presidential election. Nobody has ever been convicted of fraud for overvaluing his property on loan paperwork.

Just as those states who tried to interfere with the election process removing a candidate from the ballot. This will never stick on appeal either, but the damage is done. By damage I mean what Democrats have done to themselves by doing this. Foreign and domestic business, and our own people are watching and don’t like it.

No political ideas or platform to run on, they don’t need one. They’ll seize your property and throw you jail if you disagree.

[August]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Just as those states who tried to interfere with the election process removing a candidate from the ballot. This will never stick on appeal either, but the damage is done. By damage I mean what Democrats have done to themselves by doing this. Foreign and domestic business, and our own people are watching and don’t like it.

No political ideas or platform to run on, they don’t need one. They’ll seize your property and throw you jail if you disagree.

I believe the Democrats evil plan is to seize all of Trumps New York assets like Trump Tower and such and then sell them for pennies on the dollar to some deep pocketed supporters so that when Trump does win on appeal all he can get back is whatever they paid for the properties, not their actual value or the properties themselves.

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by August

I believe the Democrats evil plan is to seize all of Trumps New York assets like Trump Tower and such and then sell them for pennies on the dollar to some deep pocketed supporters so that when Trump does win on appeal all he can get back is whatever they paid for the properties, not their actual value or the properties themselves.

That, or turn them into sanctuary city migrant shelters.

[Rockstar]

The four steps of the Cloward-Piven Strategy:
1. Overload and Break the Welfare System
2. Have Chaos Ensue
3. Take Control in the Chaos
4. Implement Socialism through Government Force

The Cloward-Piven Strategy: A Blueprint for Chaos and Transformation
January 14, 2024 lanetodd


https://clowardandpiven.com/index.ph...ransformation/

In a 1966 essay published in The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/ar...y-end-poverty/, sociologists Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven introduced the Cloward-Piven strategy, a political approach aimed at creating chaos to prompt a political crisis that could lead to legislation for a guaranteed annual income and an end to poverty. Fast forward to the present day, and some argue that the events of the past year, including the COVID-19 pandemic and allegations of a rigged election, echo the principles of Cloward-Piven, resulting in a significant shift in American leadership and direction.

The objective of Cloward-Piven is clear: induce chaos and turmoil with the ultimate goal of recruiting the poor onto the welfare rolls. According to the sociologists, a federal program of income redistribution becomes necessary to lift the poor en masse from poverty once chaos is established. This perspective sheds light on recent developments, particularly the response to the pandemic and the measures taken by the government.

The author of the article “President Cloward, Vice President Piven” suggests that the handling of the COVID-19 crisis aligns with the Cloward-Piven strategy. Lockdowns, closed businesses, schools, and churches are framed as part of a larger plan, with the ruling class spending trillions of dollars to rectify the damage. The term “stimulus” is criticized as a guise for massive income redistribution, where funds move from producers to nonproducers, a process that may further entrench dependency on federal government support.

In Cloward-Piven terms, a crisis is defined as a publicly visible disruption in some institutional sphere. The essay argues that the orchestrated response to the pandemic serves as a crisis, disrupting institutions and creating the conditions for income redistribution. The author contends that the crisis can occur spontaneously, such as riots, or intentionally through tactics of demonstration and protest, generating institutional disruption or bringing unrecognized disruption to public attention.

The consequences of this strategy, as outlined by the essay, are profound. The shift from a government by, of, and for the people to a perceived tyrannical autocracy controlled by a small group of elites is depicted as a manifestation of the Cloward-Piven approach. The essay provocatively introduces the idea of “President Cloward and Vice President Piven,” metaphorical figures representing the alleged transformation of American governance.

Amid these claims, there is also a reference to the debate over the actual power dynamics within the current administration. The suggestion that the vice president might be the one in charge, rather than the president, adds an intriguing layer to the narrative. The term “cognitively impaired president in name only” is used to describe the perceived state of leadership.

In conclusion, the essay argues that recent events in the United States align with the Cloward-Piven strategy, suggesting a deliberate effort to create chaos and drive the nation towards a political crisis. The consequences, as outlined by the authors of the strategy, include income redistribution and a redefined relationship between the government and its citizens. The provocative notion of “President Cloward and Vice President Piven” encapsulates the alleged transformation of America’s political landscape, raising questions about the motivations behind recent policies and their long-term impact.

[August]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

That, or turn them into sanctuary city migrant shelters.

Or both:

A rich dem donor buys it from the state for pennies on the dollar, then turns around and sells it to the City of New York for big money.

[ronswanson]

[em2nought]

I think it's time for me to join Truth Social, and help President Trump get his $3 billion windfall when it goes public.

[Buddahaid]

It's your money. Put your life savings into it!

This was embarrassing.