House Impeachment Inquiry

[Craig4]

It amuses me to consider a scenario where Trump joins but never posts. That would still preclude any members from insulting him without violating the MA. I think lots of people would have a very difficult time with that.

It would be worth it to tell him that I think about sex acts I wish his parents had engaged in instead spawning him whenever I see him on TV. The world would be a better place if the creatures who spawned Trump had more expansive appetites.

 

[Cain]

Re: Trump joining this forum...


It's funny because for years I've witnessed a malignant narcissist eerily similar to Trump run wild on various Internet forums. His name is Harry Lorayne, and he appeared on Carson many times, wowing audiences with feats of memory. He wrote best-selling books (unlike Trump, he actually wrote them). A sharp-tongued magician once forgot an audience member's name in the course of routine. "I'm sorry. If I were Harry Lorayne, I wouldn't've forgotten your name. Then again, if I were Harry Lorayne, I wouldn't care about YOUR name."

Lorayne first got started as a card magician, publishing tricks that mostly consisted of other people's material (uncredited). The old saying was that if he named a move after himself (e.g., "The Lorayne Cut"), then it almost certainly didn't belong to him. So, just like Trump, he insisted on putting his name on almost everything.

How would Lorayne behave on the forums? Like an obnoxious ass. He'd constantly pick fights, and taking offense at the tiniest slight, real or imagined. If somebody created a thread asking for book recommendations, he'd get upset if his name hadn't been mentioned. His writing style somewhat resembled Trump's in that structure was simple and recycled the same favorite verbs. He'd also quote words that really did not belong in quotes (like the president's recent tweet: “Our great Farmers will recieve [sic] another major round of 'cash,' compliments of China Tariffs, prior to Thanksgiving.”) There was no shortage of self-love, and they're both wannabe tough-guy New Yorkers. Lorayne viewed his critics as "crazy, jealous, hateful, idiotic losers" (though these words would usually appear cap-locked).

Trump retweets random people praising him, and Lorayne would do the same thing, even if you were a nobody Internet poster. If you love Trump, Trump loves you. If you love Lorayne, you'd get complimented for your marvelous taste. Trump has nothing but compliments for the people who attend his rallies -- because he's just indirectly complimenting himself.

Penn Jillette has said Trump will bring up some obscure blogger who wrote something about the mogul only making one million dollars off some sale. Lorayne would use the forum's search function to find mentions of his name. He'd then resurrect long-dead threads if someone failed to properly praise him. It didn't matter if the user were no longer a member of the forum. He'd get upset over these things.

Lorayne was always hustling. It didn't matter what a thread was about, he'd use it as an excuse to plug something he was sellin'. I imagine Trump would do the same.

The absolute worst part of Lorayne's presence, and the reason Trump would never post here, involved the people who would excuse (and celebrate) his abusive behavior. Dealing with Lorayne was easy enough; he's a fool who did not know how to properly argue. Unfortunately, you'd have to deal with a legion of fanboys. Just as Trump breaks the rules on Twitter, Lorayne would get away with breaking rules on forums because he's a "living legend."

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-...-emails-show-alleged-bribery-plot-73662021640

Sorry folks, its a video. I haven't been able to find this in print media so far (perhaps others will have more luck)

Sounds hugely damning. These emails are by the people involved (Sondland, Mulvaney et al) so that shoots the Republicans' hearsay defence down in flames - and we haven't even heard from Vindman and the other first hand listeners on the July 25th call.

Well-worth the 14 minutes. More issues that just the emails.

 

[Craig4]

Everyone who reads fake news thinks Trump will be leaving office. I don't pay any attention to fake news, you know, being a fan of real news and all. Real news tells me this is just another left-wing conspiracy/hoax -- a nothingburger with extra cheese. It has the same roots as the Russia Hoax. Hope this helps.

I don't want the impeachment to force The Stupid Bitch in Chief from office. I want the voters to repudiate Trump and his Trumptrash infesting Washington. The US needs to redeem the sin of Trump's "election" and put his treasonous cult following in their place.

 

[Craig4]

http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-...-emails-show-alleged-bribery-plot-73662021640

Sorry folks, its a video. I haven't been able to find this in print media so far (perhaps others will have more luck)

Sounds hugely damning. These emails are by the people involved (Sondland, Mulvaney et al) so that shoots the Republicans' hearsay defence down in flames - and we haven't even heard from Vindman and the other first hand listeners on the July 25th call.

The Trumptrash will make up some new lie. You know what their kind are like. Trumptrash aren't real Americans and don't care about honesty like a patriot would.

 

[acbytesla]

I don't want the impeachment to force The Stupid Bitch in Chief from office. I want the voters to repudiate Trump and his Trumptrash infesting Washington. The US needs to redeem the sin of Trump's "election" and put his treasonous cult following in their place.

And I feel the opposite. I want to feel that elected officials would put the nation and the rule of law above party. That they take a stand for checks and balances. . I want to feel better about the other party despite our differences.

I want the power of the Presidency to be curbed. I want future Presidents to know that there are limits to its power and they are NOT above the law.

 

[Craig4]

And I feel the opposite. I want to feel that elected officials would put the nation and the rule of law above party. That they take a stand for checks and balances. . I want to feel better about the other party despite our differences.

I want the power of the Presidency to be curbed. I want future Presidents to know that there are limits to its power and they are NOT above the law.

I still have faith that the courts are doing that. Even this SCOTUS has prevented Trump's more extreme power grabs. Long term, the world needs to see that Americans aren't the scum who go to Trump rallies and that Trump is an accident of history not a pivot from our role in the world.

 

[TofuFighter]

I think TM has the right of it. Most of our members can manage to navigate the forum MA pretty well. Even with people they vehemently disagree with. They've had plenty of practice.

Trump, on the other hand, could never be made to understand that the same rules actually applied to him. Not to mention a total inability to concede fault of any sort, or respond to criticism in a reasoned manner.

....

That's because the do-nothing mods at the Failing ISF mods are Obama holdovers and Never Trumpers. Deep State in action, people, trying to silence the will of the people.

 

[Darat]

He'll never appear in person and if he submits anything in writing, each statement will begin with "I don't recall..."

Or each question will be answered by his lawyers with "no comment "....

 

[Darat]

Why can't they just have a standing committee investigating his review dodgy business career. Not to impeach him but just to tell people the truth about him. He must have thousands of victims willing to testify.

All that was known before he won the election. Not enough people cared.

 

[Stacyhs]

I still say there is something in his tax returns that he is desperate not to have revealed. He's fighting too damn hard for there not to be.

 

[smartcooky]

It has been fascinating watching over the last several hours, how the Republicans' ever changing defenses of Trump have been systematically and ruthlessly blown-up.....

"All this testimony has all been second hand, third hand, fourth hand hearsay"

(Oh dear, we now have multiple witnesses who have direct, first hand knowledge of the the call, and who have testified in depositions that indeed, what Bill Taylor, George Kent and Marie Yovanovich testified to is indeed the truth)

"President Trump was only interested in addressing corruption in Ukraine"

(Oh dear, we now have multiple first hand witnesses who have testified in depositions that this is simply not true, that Trump was in fact ONLY interested in investigating the Bidens, and couldn't care less about Ukraine or investigating corruption there)

"President Trump released the military aid after several meetings between US officials and Zelenskiy"

(Oh dear, those US officials are telling a different story, that they couldn't understand why the military aid package was not being released).

"President Zelinskiy has stated that he was not under any pressure from the Trump administration"

(Well, that is true, he did state that... but now, there is this

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/11/18/us/politics/ap-us-trump-impeachment-zelenskiy.html

WASHINGTON — U.S. State Department officials were informed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was feeling pressure from the Trump administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden even before the July phone call that has led to impeachment hearings in Washington, two people with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press.

In early May, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, including then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, were told Zelenskiy was seeking advice on how to navigate the difficult position he was in, the two people told the AP. He was concerned President Donald Trump and associates were pressing him to take action that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential race, the two individuals said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic and political sensitivity of the issue.
​

It must be frustrating for Republicans... every time they make up a new defence, it gets shot down, and worse yet, the more this happens, the more that people with knowledge become are emboldened to come forward and tell what they know.

All this is beyond Trump's ability to understand. He lives is a world so corrupt, where money is such a driving force, that he doesn't understand there are honest people out there, people like Bill Taylor, Marie Yovanovich & Alexander Vindman, whose loyalty is to the Constitution, and whose entire motivation is to serve the people of the US to the best of their ability.

 

[smartcooky]

That's because the do-nothing mods at the Failing ISF mods are Obama holdovers and Never Trumpers. Deep State in action, people, trying to silence the will of the people.

Nommed - for pith

 

[The Don]

All that was known before he won the election. Not enough people cared.

Heck, for many his dodgy business practices were a positive asset - he was canny and ruthless and that's the sort of man they wanted as President.

 

[TofuFighter]

Nommed - for pith

I'd thank you, but for the extra 'mods' i left in there.

But this is just trump's defense for everything. As you rightly pointed out in your own post, trump simply doesn't appear to understand the value of institutions, the decades or, in some cases, centuries of work and sacrifice that built those institutions, nor that other people do. He has nothing but contempt for noble ideals and cannot fathom the strength of belief that others have in those ideals. The only way for him to make sense of people testifying against him is that they must hate him, because it's always about him.

When Yovanovich testified about her faith in what the State Department does and what it stands for, and how it's being damaged, you can be sure that none of that registered as being important to trump.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I'd thank you, but for the extra 'mods' i left in there.

But this is just trump's defense for everything. As you rightly pointed out in your own post, trump simply doesn't appear to understand the value of institutions, the decades or, in some cases, centuries of work and sacrifice that built those institutions, nor that other people do. He has nothing but contempt for noble ideals and cannot fathom the strength of belief that others have in those ideals. The only way for him to make sense of people testifying against him is that they must hate him, because it's always about him.

When Yovanovich testified about her faith in what the State Department does and what it stands for, and how it's being damaged, you can be sure that none of that registered as being important to trump.

Trump has a dog's mind: everything that exists only gets evaluated on how well it treats the dog or what the dog gets from it. Anything that has no interaction with the dog does not exist.

 

[alfaniner]

As the proceedings begin today, I see the Rebuplicans have their foamboard posters already set up, at least two of which have Schiff's name on them. One says something like "99 DAYS SINCE SCHIFF LEARNED THE IDENTITY OF THE WHISTLEBLOWER". I facepalm when I think of how much important time is going to be spent on this, a totally unrelated issue.

Re: Harry Lorayne

I wasn't sure you were actually referring about the guy I remembered until you detailed his background. Wow, I thought he was kind of old when I bought The Memory Book in 1976 (I still use some of the techniques.) He must be ancient now. I don't believe I've ever heard anything about him since the book came out.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Trump has a dog's mind: everything that exists only gets evaluated on how well it treats the dog or what the dog gets from it. Anything that has no interaction with the dog does not exist.

Dogs are loyal to people who treat them well.

 

[Suddenly]

I still have faith that the courts are doing that. Even this SCOTUS has prevented Trump's more extreme power grabs. Long term, the world needs to see that Americans aren't the scum who go to Trump rallies and that Trump is an accident of history not a pivot from our role in the world.

Just give Trump another year and a half of appointing judges and see how that reliance on the judiciary gets you.

That's leaving alone that we claim to have this great system but it comes flying apart if a group of appointed aristocrats do not step in to stop elected officials with minority support from running amok.

Or that we want to use an election as a remedy to the current government.... illegally influencing elections.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

I facepalm when I think of how much important time is going to be spent on this, a totally unrelated issue.

If it wasn't that, it'd be something else. The biggest mistake people make in dealing with Trumpers is thinking that if they just humor them on this piece of childish horse crap, then they'll stop the tantrum and start being reasonable again on the next issue. Lo and behold, they do not, because anyone who has had small children knows that's a counterproductive approach. You have to let the meltdown burn itself out, then offer as a concession what you'd have given them if they'd have just asked nicely in the first place.

The fact that these are grown-ass men acting like god damned grumpy toddlers is why I absolutely cannot watch them live. I watch it indirectly through commentary livestreams. Less yelling at the television that way.