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Donald Trump presidency discussion thread V

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    #4202
    prawnsambo
    Registered Users Posts: 13,153 ✭✭✭✭prawnsambo


    ECO_Mental wrote: »
    https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/is-robert-mueller-almost-done-with-his-investigation-1444763715951

    Word on the street that the Mueller report will come either this week or next week either way very soon. But don't expect a big massive report to be put up on the auld Interweb. Apparently this will be going to the AG first for him to review it redact sections etc and see what he will do with it. Then probably to a very select bunch of people. Ive heard this mentioned by two sources now so hopefully we are nearing the end game (or the start of the end game) Then will come all the indictments the impeachment so this could be the start of it becoming more open and more interesting. Looking to see what the GOP are going to say when they see that they have been supporting a traitor for the last 3 years practically. Will they step up and impeach him???
    There's a strong chance the GOP could be in there too. There was a considerable amount of money funneled through the NRA and into the GOP coffers. And it was a lot more than the NRA would normally have access to.


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    #4203
    TomOnBoard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭TomOnBoard


    circadian wrote: »
    Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Bernie but it's already a crowded space. The only positive I can think of is that he'll force more of the nominees to the left to try and keep up. He already has to play catch up to Warren in relation to policy but he does have a solid foundation after his last run.

    Sanders still has a big machine (comprising loads of ordinary ppl) behind him. That machine is still hurting from the DNC holding its thumb on the Democratic Nomination scales in 2015/6. He is still very much a force to be reckoned with, and all the more left- leaning elements within the Democratic party will gravitate towards him.. Think AOC et al...

    His age is relevant but will not be a massive burden. Don't forget, he'll be running against a 74-year old incumbent. And, if Biden enters the fray, a 78 y.o. If anything, the rest of the Democratic field will have to fight against their relative youth. Remember 73 y.o. Reagan's memorable line in the Presidential debate with Walter Mondale: "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

    As to the rest of the Democratic field.... They will have to fight it out to become 1 -3 who will take on Bernie in the Primaries. That fight within the rest of the field is going to be interesting, but will only serve as the Amuse Bouche before the main course of Bernie vs A.N. Other main course..


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    #4204
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,551 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    circadian wrote: »
    https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/multiple-whistleblowers-raise-grave-concerns-with-white-house-efforts-to

    I don't even know where to start with this one. Only a week ago Trump met with nuclear power developers in the Whitehouse to suggest providing technology to Saudi Arabia.

    Kushner will be there next week and this is all in contravention of Atomic Power Act. It highlights the chaos and mayhem in the Whitehouse and how senior positions routinely ignore direction from their legal counsel.

    Hmm, are the U.S, the Israelis and the Saudis preparing a unified front against Iran in respect of what Don (and maybe his NSA} see as a future threat from Iran? I couldn't see Israel being happy with any such proposal otherwise. Benyamin and the Knesset would have to agree with the idea even if it came via Don's son-in-law. I'll wait and see how the anti-war-hawks in the U.S react to this balloon.


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    #4205
    TomOnBoard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭TomOnBoard


    Pa8301 wrote: »
    To be fair I don't think that tweet would survive objective scrutiny at any time.

    That tweet was based on a point of view from a private citizen with little or no knowledge of the subject other than what any 'normal' parent would have. He was a private citizen businessman, probably largely ignorant of best scientific evidence (not that he would necessarily have heeded that anyway) and the tweet ought not be presented here as some kind of evidence of Trump's Presidential unsuitability.

    If you accept that kind of lazy association, then how do you explain the findings that "Despite high support for vaccines, nearly half of Australian parents have some concerns and a quarter lack vaccine decision‐making confidence regarding childhood vaccines", presented by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health in November 2017? See: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jpc.13790


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    #4206
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,551 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    TomOnBoard wrote: »
    Sanders still has a big machine (comprising loads of ordinary ppl) behind him. That machine is still hurting from the DNC holding its thumb on the Democratic Nomination scales in 2015/6. He is still very much a force to be reckoned with, and all the more left- leaning elements within the Democratic party will gravitate towards him.. Think AOC et al...

    His age is relevant but will not be a massive burden. Don't forget, he'll be running against a 74-year old incumbent. And, if Biden enters the fray, a 78 y.o. If anything, the rest of the Democratic field will have to fight against their relative youth. Remember 73 y.o. Reagan's memorable line in the Presidential debate with Walter Mondale: "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

    As to the rest of the Democratic field.... They will have to fight it out to become 1 -3 who will take on Bernie in the Primaries. That fight within the rest of the field is going to be interesting, but will only serve as the Amuse Bouche before the main course of Bernie vs A.N. Other main course..

    I'm not being snide here, just blunt, but I hope the DNC and it's candidates, and it's internal voting system have upped their game where it comes to hacking otherwise other parties will be in like a shot trying to muck things up again once a sign of internal party wrangling shows over who's going to run for both P and V/P office. It would obviously give the GOP and Don both plenty of tweet material and pleasure to keep misleading the U.S on their activities.


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    #4207
    Manic Moran
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,240 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    MadYaker wrote: »
    You need to read Manic Moran’s posts. He has a law degree and is a member of the US military, and also a republican I believe

    I am not. Though since I don't automatically agree with the pro-Democrat group-think on this thread, I am frequently labelled as one, or a Trump Supporter.


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    #4208
    TomOnBoard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭TomOnBoard


    aloyisious wrote: »
    I'm not being snide here, just blunt, but I hope the DNC and it's candidates, and it's internal voting system have upped their game where it comes to hacking otherwise other parties will be in like a shot trying to muck things up again once a sign of internal party wrangling shows over who's going to run for both P and V/P office. It would obviously give the GOP and Don both plenty of tweet material and pleasure to keep misleading the U.S on their activities.

    I see nothing snide in that post; rather, it re-enforces the obligation on the DNC (primarily), Law Enforcement (secondarily), and DHS/National Security Services (finally) to ensure that the Democratic processes that underpin all aspects of the 2020 elections are protected from all forms of illegitimate and undermining influence. So, absolutely, the DNC itself and the Law Enforcement and Security agencies outside it need to ensue that external hacking is prevented.

    However, what, if anything, can Law Enforcement do to prevent internal DNC manipulation(s) of the process? That is surely a question that the Sanders camp will need to have answered.


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    #4209
    Manic Moran
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,240 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    Another example of bloody mindedness:

    Gavin Newsom, governor of California has announced the cancellation of the planned high speed rail link between San Francisco and L.A. This is a move I fully agree with, it was a total boondoggle, and a pet project of his predecessor, and stupidly chosen to make the first phase in the middle of nowhere instead of somewhere useful like the SF peninsula. Trump has, predictably enough, used it as an excuse to take a swing at a Democrat government, and has said that the Feds will ask for the $3.5bn that they put into the now-defunct project back.

    Newsom has replied, 'no, it's our money, it was given to us by Congress, and we're going to use it.' Here's the daft bit. The grant from the Feds was pursuant to the construction of a certain mileage of track by end 2022. The grant says absolutely nothing about building or running any trains, just the track. So, they are building the high speed track from Merced to an almond grove about 20 miles from Bakersfield. In Irish terms, think of it as a high-speed rail link between Mullingar and Limerick Junction. Nobody has a clue what we're going to use it for, and he seems to be claiming that it is his intent to actually operate a high-speed rail link between the two ends of the 170 miles of track, hopefully by 2027. Not a single economist believes it will turn a profit.

    But better spend the other $30bn or so on that than give the $3.5bn back to the Feds, I guess.


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    #4210
    TomOnBoard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,109 ✭✭✭TomOnBoard


    Manic Moran wrote: »
    Another example of bloody mindedness:

    Gavin Newsom, governor of California has announced the cancellation of the planned high speed rail link between San Francisco and L.A. This is a move I fully agree with, it was a total boondoggle, and a pet project of his predecessor, and stupidly chosen to make the first phase in the middle of nowhere instead of somewhere useful like the SF peninsula. Trump has, predictably enough, used it as an excuse to take a swing at a Democrat government, and has said that the Feds will ask for the $3.5bn that they put into the now-defunct project back.

    Newsom has replied, 'no, it's our money, it was given to us by Congress, and we're going to use it.' Here's the daft bit. The grant from the Feds was pursuant to the construction of a certain mileage of track by end 2022. The grant says absolutely nothing about building or running any trains, just the track. So, they are building the high speed track from Merced to an almond grove about 20 miles from Bakersfield. In Irish terms, think of it as a high-speed rail link between Mullingar and Limerick Junction. Nobody has a clue what we're going to use it for, and he seems to be claiming that it is his intent to actually operate a high-speed rail link between the two ends of the 170 miles of track, hopefully by 2027. Not a single economist believes it will turn a profit.

    But better spend the other $30bn or so on that than give the $3.5bn back to the Feds, I guess.

    Was this not originally planned as a link from Sacramento to San Diego?

    If so, the change of scope from SF to LA (although possibly pragmatic) had already undermined the strategic underpinning..

    However, this latest plan (simply to ensure that the Federal grant is used up and doesn't have to be paid back) is simply ridiculous... Surely Merced to Bakersfield (currently about 2-2.6 hrs by car) is one of the least of California's traffic problems.. I mean, try and get from LAX to Santa Barbara on a morning in less that 2 hours... So why would that route, most legs of which would involve many more users than the Merced- Bakersfield I-journey not be more appropriate for Federal grant funding, given that one would need to drive to either Bakersfield or Merced in order to avail of the proposed hi-speed rail (or else use the existing slo-rail service to/from either point...)


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    #4211
    Christy42
    Registered Users Posts: 7,868 ✭✭✭Christy42


    And further evidence of what Trump's rhetoric brings out of the woodwork. Trump has pushed and encouraged this sort of rhetoric. He has been focused on Democrats and the media being the enemy of the united states and stuff like the below was the inevitable consequence.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/19/media/alabama-newspaper-klan-trnd/index.html

    I guess it shows up some people for who they really are.

    Weirdly his calling for the Klan to ride again seems to be focused on lynching anyone the editor considers left wing. And I don't use lynching lightly ("sometimes they had to kill one or two of them but so what").


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    #4212
    Ardillaun
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭Ardillaun


    I heard Neal Katyal describe Trump as ‘a grandmaster Pinocchio’ tonight.


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    #4213
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    TomOnBoard wrote: »
    That tweet was based on a point of view from a private citizen with little or no knowledge of the subject other than what any 'normal' parent would have. He was a private citizen businessman, probably largely ignorant of best scientific evidence (not that he would necessarily have heeded that anyway) and the tweet ought not be presented here as some kind of evidence of Trump's Presidential unsuitability

    A private citizen, as if he were Joe Bloggs at the end of the street. He was a self claimed Billionaire with a very large following.

    Little or no knowledge - well why the hell was he tweeting about it when there are such serious consequences. Its the same as the Central Park Five.

    A private businessman - he was hinting at running for office back then. He was an avid self promoter! John Barron etc

    https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-38677649/donald-trump-2014-interview-hinting-at-presidency-bid

    And the tweet in my view, in and of itself, doesn't mean that he isn't suited for office. But it is just another example of him having an opinion on everything and an answer to nothing. He's that loud drunken idiot at the end of the bar shouting at the TV screen.


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    #4214
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,551 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    Re the Alabama newspaper opinion-piece, are the democrats in the republican party people who want it returned to the pre-Trump era or is it a reference to socialist-leaning GOP members?

    Re the Dem Party, is there a HRC rump in it which could be a king-maker segment candidates would have to court?


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    #4215
    mcmoustache
    Registered Users Posts: 7,237 ✭✭✭mcmoustache


    ECO_Mental wrote: »
    https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/is-robert-mueller-almost-done-with-his-investigation-1444763715951

    Word on the street that the Mueller report will come either this week or next week either way very soon. But don't expect a big massive report to be put up on the auld Interweb. Apparently this will be going to the AG first for him to review it redact sections etc and see what he will do with it. Then probably to a very select bunch of people. Ive heard this mentioned by two sources now so hopefully we are nearing the end game (or the start of the end game) Then will come all the indictments the impeachment so this could be the start of it becoming more open and more interesting. Looking to see what the GOP are going to say when they see that they have been supporting a traitor for the last 3 years practically. Will they step up and impeach him???

    I've been hearing that a lot too but I'm really not so sure.

    The main reason that I'm not so sure is that his team is still involved in a lot of pending litigation, including for example the subpoena for Andrew Miller. Admittedly, there isn't anything preventing a report on a particular aspect of the investigation while other investigations remain in progress. There could be a report on Trump's obstruction, for example, while they still deal with the conspiracy with the Russians but I'm not even sure that a partial or interim report is a possibility.

    There will be a report to the AG at some point which he could bury, in theory, but I don't think that will happen until he is finished. Meanwhile, he can continue to tell the story of what happened though the indictments which tend to contain more information than necessary.


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    #4216
    ECO_Mental
    Registered Users Posts: 2,480 ✭✭✭ECO_Mental


    mcmoustache wrote: »
    I've been hearing that a lot too but I'm really not so sure.

    The main reason that I'm not so sure is that his team is still involved in a lot of pending litigation, including for example the subpoena for Andrew Miller. Admittedly, there isn't anything preventing a report on a particular aspect of the investigation while other investigations remain in progress. There could be a report on Trump's obstruction, for example, while they still deal with the conspiracy with the Russians but I'm not even sure that a partial or interim report is a possibility.

    There will be a report to the AG at some point which he could bury, in theory, but I don't think that will happen until he is finished. Meanwhile, he can continue to tell the story of what happened though the indictments which tend to contain more information than necessary.


    Who knows is right and its only guess work as Mueller runs his ship tighter than a submarine. But I think all these other investigations that have spun off the main goal of looking into Trump and Russian influence will be handled by other people (SDNY etc) I'd say he is very aware that he doesn't stray too much from his primary Terms of Reference and all the other indictments were a means to an end to get people to flip and get intel.


    He now has enough info and Intel to say yes Russia were actively helping and coordinating with Trump and his campaign etc. Here's the evidence and the facts now let other people prosecute


    His report will be a nuclear bomb in DC when its released, with multiple other investigations spun out (NRA, tax fraud, money laundering etc etc) These other prosecutions/investigations will be going on for years and years to come....this is only the start:cool:

    6.1kWp south facing, South of Cork City



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    #4217
    circadian
    Registered Users Posts: 6,906 ✭✭✭circadian


    TomOnBoard wrote: »
    That tweet was based on a point of view from a private citizen with little or no knowledge of the subject other than what any 'normal' parent would have. He was a private citizen businessman, probably largely ignorant of best scientific evidence (not that he would necessarily have heeded that anyway) and the tweet ought not be presented here as some kind of evidence of Trump's Presidential unsuitability.

    Honestly, I doubt Trump believes in the Anti-vax stuff, nor does he believe Obama isn't American. He has form in peddling lies and conspiracy theories and evidence is now showing links with Russia as far back as the 80's. The Russians spent most of the Cold War pushing misinformation into western countries to create division, mistrust and general chaos.

    It is not outside the realms of possibility that all the lies and conspiracies he peddled originated as part of the Russian "dezinformatsiya" agenda. It's not as if he became a Russian patsy overnight in the run up to the election, he's clearly been in contact with them for decades.


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    #4218
    Leroy42
    Registered Users Posts: 15,486 ✭✭✭✭Leroy42


    ECO_Mental wrote: »
    His report will be a nuclear bomb in DC when its released, with multiple other investigations spun out (NRA, tax fraud, money laundering etc etc) These other prosecutions/investigations will be going on for years and years to come....this is only the start:cool:

    I think you are going to be very disappointed. Not because of what the report will say (although it is clear that Trump and Barr will do everything they can to limit the availability of the report) but because of the lack of any feeling that the GOP or going to do anything about it.

    When you have a POTUS calling a constitutional undertaking a coup and unconstitutional and have no GOP come out and raise a red flag, I think it tells you all you need to know.

    Unless they have Trump actually in a meeting with Putin handing over brown envelopes, we already know what is going to happen. Trump will claim its all a witch-hunt, his supporters will claim that it isn't really that bad and sure HC would have literally sold Alaska to Putin and the GOP will pretend that they need time to reflect, no point in over-reacting, before quietly forgetting all about it.


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    #4219
    Quin_Dub
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 15,048 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quin_Dub


    In relation to the Mueller report.

    I know that the Attorney General gets the report 1st and then decides how much of the report is released.

    But - Do the Congressional committees have the ability to subpoena the report if Barr withholds it (or parts of it) from General release?


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    #4220
    Schnitzler Hiyori Geta
    Registered Users Posts: 219 ✭✭Schnitzler Hiyori Geta


    Quin_Dub wrote: »
    In relation to the Mueller report.

    I know that the Attorney General gets the report 1st and then decides how much of the report is released.

    But - Do the Congressional committees have the ability to subpoena the report if Barr withholds it (or parts of it) from General release?
    Yes they can, and in fact the House Judiciary Chair has already said that they intend to do so if Trump/Barr attempt to withhold it.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/16/politics/house-judiciary-subpoena-mueller-report-cnntv/index.html


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    #4221
    MadYaker
    Registered Users Posts: 12,158 ✭✭✭✭MadYaker


    They'd just get Mueller to testify anyway id imagine?


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    #4222
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1097924045482397702?s=19

    Nice piece by the "failing" New York Times.

    Quite incredible when all of the pieces of information are set out together.

    I forgot the amount of scandals, due to the magnitude of them.


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    #4223
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    Around the time of the Covington incident, there were posters here saying that they hoped the kid sued all and sundry over the coverage.

    He did, seeking $250,000,000.

    It was dismissed by the Court on an initial Motion to the Court by the Washington Post.


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    #4224
    mcmoustache
    Registered Users Posts: 7,237 ✭✭✭mcmoustache


    everlast75 wrote: »
    Around the time of the Covington incident, there were posters here saying that they hoped the kid sued all and sundry over the coverage.

    It was actually weird how many Trumpers came out of the woodwork for that one.

    It was as if they've been lurking for years and then suddenly found their calling.


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    #4225
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    mcmoustache wrote: »
    It was actually weird how many Trumpers came out of the woodwork for that one.

    It was as if they've been lurking for years and then suddenly found their calling.

    Some might call it faux outrage...


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    #4226
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/1098282772840529920?s=19

    Hopefully it's concluding and not being shut down prematurely....


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    #4227
    Celticfire
    Registered Users Posts: 1,701 ✭✭✭Celticfire


    everlast75 wrote: »
    Around the time of the Covington incident, there were posters here saying that they hoped the kid sued all and sundry over the coverage.

    He did, seeking $250,000,000.

    It was dismissed by the Court on an initial Motion to the Court by the Washington Post.

    Have you a link? Nowhere that I can see is reporting that this case has been dismissed.


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    #4228
    Schnitzler Hiyori Geta
    Registered Users Posts: 219 ✭✭Schnitzler Hiyori Geta


    everlast75 wrote: »
    https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/1098282772840529920?s=19

    Hopefully it's concluding and not being shut down prematurely....
    That report somewhat confusingly makes it sounds like the DoJ is ending the investigation. CNN reporting (nobody else seems to be reporting on this yet) slightly differently that sources in the DoJ are preparing for Mueller to complete the report and for an announcement to be made early next week (IMO opposite spin on the same story).

    I'd say that indicates Mueller has told Barr that he's finished and will deliver the report end of the week.


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    #4229
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    Celticfire wrote: »
    Have you a link? Nowhere that I can see is reporting that this case has been dismissed.

    https://twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/1098220434485583872?s=19

    He is a very solid source...


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    #4230
    everlast75
    Registered Users Posts: 19,023 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    McCabe's revelation that the FBI informed the Gang of Eight (which included Paul Ryan, Devon Nunes and Mitch McConnell) of their intention to investigate the President and none of them objected in any way shape or form, is quite incredible.


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    #4231
    spacecoyote
    Registered Users Posts: 8,443 ✭✭✭spacecoyote


    everlast75 wrote: »
    McCabe's revelation that the FBI informed the Gang of Eight (which included Paul Ryan, Devon Nunes and Mitch McConnell) of their intention to investigate the President and none of them objected in any way shape or form, is quite incredible.

    And what was it that KAC referred to it as on Cuomo... an attempted coup by McCabe?


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