The Trump Presidency 14

[Cabbage]

Norman Alexander is, as I understand it, Australian. That nation's human rights problems are entirely relavant.

Oh, so it was a tu quoque then, huh? It's hard to keep the fallacies straight when Trump supporters resort to them at every turn. LOL!

 

[Stacyhs]

Six more years of no war with North Korea, no war with Iran, sounds good to me.

We probably don't need six more years of trade war with China, but maybe we do, and anyway that's not the end of the world.

We could probably do with six more years of border enforcement, though I hope he starts cracking down on illegal employers as well as illegal immigrants.

And transgenders can probably get by for another six years without accommodations from the military. It's a voluntary service, after all, not a human right. Certainly the nation doesn't face an existential threat so grave that the lack of transgender soldiers is going to make us less safe.

Six more years of Trump Derangement Syndrome is gonna be a royal pain in the ass, but we survived eight years of ODS and eight years of BDS and eight years of CDS (plus an encore tour!). I have faith we'll survive TDS as well.

Environmental rollbacks are problematic, but most of these are reversing Obama-era executive policies, which can hardly have had enough time to move the needle. If I understand AOC correctly, we only have twelve years left anyway. And that even if China cuts its industrial output in half right now, and the rest of the developing world just stops developing.

Let's see... Am I missing anything?

I'm not often left speechless but you managed it. I tried to put into words just what is so wrong with all the above but finally gave up.

 

[Norman Alexander]

This all seems like deflection. Australia has some serious human rights problems that it's refusing to solve. Obsessing about economic choices happening on another continent, an ocean away, is not a good look.

Did you just...deflect the issue?? *Pelosi clap!*

I will note, for the record, that neither of us spoke about human rights abuses. So where did this come from?

And yes. We do have serious human rights abuse issues here. Your president is trying to emulate them, or something like it. But with vigilantes and a bunch of guns thrown in. So no doubt it will turn out MUCH better than the flaming ****-heap of a debacle we managed to produce.

"Another continent." Of course, Australia isn't actually a continent. It's a really big island, though. So you've got that going for you. Which is nice.

It IS nice here. We avoided the GFC because we had a socialist government that actively took measures to ensure the impact was lessened. So we didn't get shoved in a ditch like you did. Granted it's a socialist prison here. But we are allowed drive our imported Chinese cars and go to the beach, etc., on weekends. And we have to suffer the burdens of a minimum wage, universal health care and a social services system that sorta works mostly. Ask me about double-time on weekends.

 

[Cain]

I suspect some donors who are classical conservatives are revolted by the growing deficit and debt numbers. And so, will be loathe to contribute money to anyone so nonchalant about such core principles.

Which was known to undermine Reagan and Dubya. Bush Sr. went along with a tax increase, endearing him to fiscally conservative Republicans and helping him to secure a second term where 40 and 43 had failed.

 

[MRC_Hans]

Six more years of no war with North Korea, no war with Iran, sounds good to me.

We probably don't need six more years of trade war with China, but maybe we do, and anyway that's not the end of the world.

We could probably do with six more years of border enforcement, though I hope he starts cracking down on illegal employers as well as illegal immigrants.

And transgenders can probably get by for another six years without accommodations from the military. It's a voluntary service, after all, not a human right. Certainly the nation doesn't face an existential threat so grave that the lack of transgender soldiers is going to make us less safe.

Six more years of Trump Derangement Syndrome is gonna be a royal pain in the ass, but we survived eight years of ODS and eight years of BDS and eight years of CDS (plus an encore tour!). I have faith we'll survive TDS as well.

Environmental rollbacks are problematic, but most of these are reversing Obama-era executive policies, which can hardly have had enough time to move the needle. If I understand AOC correctly, we only have twelve years left anyway. And that even if China cuts its industrial output in half right now, and the rest of the developing world just stops developing.

Let's see... Am I missing anything?

Well, the point, I think.

Hans

 

[NWO Sentryman]

Bingo.

He's been taking cues from Duterte Harry.

Bolsinaro, shortly BoJo - seems like the ideal personality type to become a country's leader right now is "narcissistic *******".

Meanwhile the bland liberals in the vein of justin trudeau and Hillary Clinton are on the long retreat out. If anything progressive liberalism seems to be the exception rather than the rule, which is a far cry from the "end of history" that proclaimed liberalism eternally triumphant in 1991.

 

[a_unique_person]

Meanwhile the bland liberals in the vein of justin trudeau and Hillary Clinton are on the long retreat out. If anything progressive liberalism seems to be the exception rather than the rule, which is a far cry from the "end of history" that proclaimed liberalism eternally triumphant in 1991.

I heard this just the other day from a conservative commentator. Fukiyama was no liberal. He was one of the original neocons. Amazing how this crap spreads.

 

[NWO Sentryman]

I heard this just the other day from a conservative commentator. Fujiyama was no liberal. He was one of the original neocons. Amazing how this crap spreads.

Since 2014 left and liberal parties have made substantial losses in most elections, and ultranationalists have been ascendant. Since then many self described liberal parties have tried to chase the ultranationalist vote, which includes cracking down on immigrants and tightening the borders like in Denmark or in Sweden. And it's going to get a lot more ugly in the years to come.

 

[Aridas]

Six more years of no war with North Korea, no war with Iran, sounds good to me.

The main reason that either of those is or was even in question is Trump and his Administration's moves to stir up trouble with them.

We probably don't need six more years of trade war with China, but maybe we do, and anyway that's not the end of the world.

To what end, exactly? Trump's trying to use tariffs to demand that China... change its overall form of government, pretty much. If it was about limiting China's influence, that's pretty much what the TPP was intended for.

We could probably do with six more years of border enforcement,

Congratulations, you've earned a good, hard slap for that comment and the dishonesty and irresponsibility that pervades it.

though I hope he starts cracking down on illegal employers as well as illegal immigrants.

If only. Why would he be at all motivated to do that, though, when Trump's been employing lots of them? Similarly, Republicans employ a distinctly disproportionate number of the illegal immigrants, which has meant that it's Republican representatives that have likely done the most to sabotage enforcement in general, even while frequently employing rhetoric to cow the illegals and people who can be "mistaken" as illegals. Going further, Republicans use it as a major issue to rile up their base and don't want to lose the issue. I could likely go on, but... that's enough for now. In short, I really, really don't trust Republicans on that issue because of both their actual actions and the presence of a number of reasons to discourage actual action being taken to move things in a good direction.

And transgenders can probably get by for another six years without accommodations from the military. It's a voluntary service, after all, not a human right. Certainly the nation doesn't face an existential threat so grave that the lack of transgender soldiers is going to make us less safe.

Six more years of Trump Derangement Syndrome is gonna be a royal pain in the ass, but we survived eight years of ODS and eight years of BDS and eight years of CDS (plus an encore tour!). I have faith we'll survive TDS as well.

Perhaps. If only the concerns were limited to irrational or minor concerns, it would be wonderful. Sadly, that's not even remotely the case.

Environmental rollbacks are problematic, but most of these are reversing Obama-era executive policies, which can hardly have had enough time to move the needle. If I understand AOC correctly, we only have twelve years left anyway.

Which would be all the more reason to get them or better back into place and let them move the needle. The situation is... already quite bad because of all the procrastination, delays, and long-term deliberate misinformation and disinformation that's been spread by the industries that would directly suffer financially from action being taken to address the situation... misinformation and disinformation that's been embraced by GOP politicians and propagandists, unfortunately. The damage will only continue to rise ever more quickly the longer things get delayed.

Oh, right, and AOC was citing a UN report.

And that even if China cuts its industrial output in half right now, and the rest of the developing world just stops developing.

Care to back this up?

Let's see... Am I missing anything?

A lot, by the look of it?

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Bring it. Tell me more about the reality of no war with North Korea.

Before Trump: No war with North Korea - for many decades.

After Trump: No war with North Korea - for 2 years and counting.

I believe in giving credit where credit is due - even for Trump. But bragging about just extending the status quo of “no war with North Korea” is pretty weak sauce.

 

[a_unique_person]

The Cruel Paradox at the Heart of E. Jean Carroll’s Allegation Against Trump

It probably wouldn't have made a difference, but I wish she had told this story in 2016 or better yet, when it happened. Now, in an excerpt from a book she's selling, it feels too late to make a difference.

Do I believe it? I don't not believe it. But if it can't be verified, it doesn't really matter what I believe. It's just another in a stack of accusations, none of which can be proven conclusively it seems.

Telling people you were raped is not a matter that others can decide. It is up to the victim.

 

[alfaniner]

Telling people you were raped is not a matter that others can decide. It is up to the victim.

The sickest line about this incident comes from The PDJT himself:

"Number one, she's not my type."

Implying whereas if she was his type...

 

[timhau]

The Cruel Paradox at the Heart of E. Jean Carroll’s Allegation Against Trump

It probably wouldn't have made a difference, but I wish she had told this story in 2016 or better yet, when it happened. Now, in an excerpt from a book she's selling, it feels too late to make a difference.

She's like 25th woman in line with a similar story. If they (and the Hollywood Access tape, peeping at teenage beauty contestants, etc.) didn't make a difference, what makes you think this would have?

 

[The Don]

The sickest line about this incident comes from The PDJT himself:

"Number one, she's not my type."

Implying whereas if she was his type...

Presumably the ones who are his type are the ones who aren't going to make an accusation of rape or sexual assault against him

 

[Armitage72]

It's being reported that Trump has privately mused to his aides about ending the US-Japan defense treaty because it's too one-sided.

“Trump regards the accord as too one-sided because it promises U.S. aid if Japan is ever attacked, but doesn’t oblige Japan’s military to come to America’s defense,” multiple sources told Bloomberg.

There's no indication that anything has actually been done, but it's yet another indicator that he doesn't understand anything about international relations.

 

[BobTheCoward]

Telling people you were raped is not a matter that others can decide. It is up to the victim.

But if she has no convincing evidence, we should reject the claim that somebody is a victim.

 

[newyorkguy]

...AOC was citing a UN report...

This is what's a little scary. The UN report, released last Fall, said in part:

We have just 12 years to make massive and unprecedented changes to global energy infrastructure to limit global warming to moderate levels, the United Nation’s climate science body said in a monumental new report...From rising sea levels to more devastating droughts to more damaging storms, the report makes brutally clear that warming will make the world worse for us in the forms of famine, disease, economic tolls, and refugee crises. And there is a vast gulf between the devastation from 1.5°C, what’s considered the moderate level of average warming, and 2°C.

The Trump administration has no urgency about this, is probably making matters worse and, feels safe in doing this because their core supporters are still in denial about the entire issue. But a UN report such as was released last October is troubling. How to knock it down? Well, it is the UN. But maybe that's not enough, discredit the report by bashing the UN? Then Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks about it. The light bulb goes on! Turn it into an issue about AOC.

It works. The blind leading the blind.

 

[Tero]

The Trump administration is about Trump. As fat as he is, he does not generate enough CO2, even to fly to golf vacations, that it would make a difference. So it's basically only about Trump. And the powers that bring him buckets of chicken, Big Macs and diet cokes. Nothing else matters.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Retweeted

Vice President Mike Pence
Mexico is keeping its promise & now sending 15,000 troops to border to help with crisis. Meanwhile Dems won’t fund beds for migrant children. Mexico continues to do more than Congressional Dems to secure our border, and its time for them to STEP UP!

Looking forward to being in Miami today to kick off the @TeamTrump Latino Coalition! Under @realDonaldTrump more Hispanic Americans are working today than ever before in history & Hispanic Americans are starting new businesses at nearly 3 times the national average! #MAGA

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweeted (not re-tweeting or quoting)

Stock Market is heading for one of the best months (June) in the history of our Country. Thank you Mr. President!