Politics Princess' Sweet Sixteen

[smjjames]

 

I would be hard pressed to come up with a more selfish or reprehensible individual in American politics today than her. You really want to know why we are stuck with the Donald Trump chaos show? Right here. Sneering condescension and extreme narcissism does not play well to an American public whose economic fortunes have been brought low. Even now she can't get over herself. Donald Trump is President today because enough people found him to be less repulsive than her. That saddest thing of all is there were other options. And before anyone trots out the whole "third party can't win" trope if enough people decided  both Clinton and Trump were equally bad and voted a third party they would have won. It would have been helpful had Johnson been invited to the debates . But the Committee for Presidential Debates is controlled by Democrat and Republican politicians. The only they they agree to work together on is to keep everyone else out of their clubhouse. But this notion of there only being two choices is only true because too many people think it is.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=3KKPpjN5PTc

 

She is without a doubt the most obviously selfish and reprehensible individual in American politics. Today for sure, and very arguably ever.

 

I agree wholeheartedly that Johnson should have been in the debates, but he was never a true alternative. Had he been in the debates, that would be more obvious.

 

He didn't lose because too many Americans think there are only two choices. He never got anywhere because he's a pretty ****ty candidate, with a mostly crappy message. He was pretty much a status quo guy for many of the issues that people want changed, no matter what direction they happen to lean in politically.

 

The fact is that guy had as much legitimate claim to his party's nomination as Hillary did to her's, as the Libertarian party nomination was about as crooked as the democratic party's nomination process the last go around. The cry of foul within the Libertarian party during primary time was not small (though it barely made any news).

 

The truth is that Libertarian party is as hijacked, bought and paid for as the Republican and Democrat apparatuses. I look forward to the day you realize that.

 

And all that said, the solutions to the nation's biggest problems will more than likely never be found via the 'right person' in the White House. It's long past that point, unfortunately.

 

 

Also, if the Green and Libertarian parties were allowed to the debates, they'd be forced to find quality candidates that can actually stand up to an actual debate.

 

Course, 'good at debates' doesn't neccesarily mean 'good candidate', Trump ripped every opponent a new one as they tried to beat him at his own game and Clinton has her skills.

[Bartimaeus]

 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378980-mueller-gives-trumps-legal-team-questions-for-potential-interview

 

Ah. Now we know why Trump and his lawyer (as Trump said the probe should've never been started today, so it's no longer just the words of his lawyer) are freaking out.

 

Showing them the questions he wants to ask doesn't seem like a good idea because then they'll try to coach Trump on the answers. Then again, they don't know what he does know, or doesn't know for that matter. They probably have a good idea, sure, but still.

 

 

IIRC, his lawyer previously implied that Trump would not submit to being deposed (...in the sense of coming in to answer questions - I still have hope that the other sense of the word is possible, ), so I think it's a sort of negotiation tactic to let him prepare his answers. The fact that he and his lawyer had a meltdown after seeing them probably suggests that their level of preparedness won't help him avoid incriminating himself in some manner - given the vast amounts of obstruction of justice that he's posted on Twitter for all to see (and now witness tampering), it wouldn't exactly be a surprise. I would assume the questions gave them an idea of where Mueller plans to go with the probe, whether it's collusion or simply the obstruction of justice-related charges.

[smjjames]

The NK-esque response and freakout is a negotiation tactic? That only makes sense for a toddler.

 

I suppose it might be a defensive reaction in the same sense that a frilled lizard popping it's frill and hissing is a defense tactic.

 

As for avoiding incriminating himself, if they can't avoid incriminating or perjury by just doing written answers, then they're beyond screwed.

Edited March 18, 2018 by smjjames

[Bartimaeus]

No, Mueller giving them the questions at all to begin with so that they could prepare without Trump resorting to dementia-induced word salad is the negotiation tactic. If he refuses to give a deposition, there's not much Mueller can do about it except report it to Congress...so it's part of the negotiation to try to get him to actually submit to one at all.

[Valsuelm]

 

 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378980-mueller-gives-trumps-legal-team-questions-for-potential-interview

 

Ah. Now we know why Trump and his lawyer (as Trump said the probe should've never been started today, so it's no longer just the words of his lawyer) are freaking out.

 

Showing them the questions he wants to ask doesn't seem like a good idea because then they'll try to coach Trump on the answers. Then again, they don't know what he does know, or doesn't know for that matter. They probably have a good idea, sure, but still.

 

 

IIRC, his lawyer previously implied that Trump would not submit to being deposed (...in the sense of coming in to answer questions - I still have hope that the other sense of the word is possible, ), so I think it's a sort of negotiation tactic to let him prepare his answers. The fact that he and his lawyer had a meltdown after seeing them probably suggests that their level of preparedness won't help him avoid incriminating himself in some manner - given the vast amounts of obstruction of justice that he's posted on Twitter for all to see (and now witness tampering), it wouldn't exactly be a surprise. I would assume the questions gave them an idea of where Mueller plans to go with the probe, whether it's collusion or simply the obstruction of justice-related charges.

 

 

Please provide some tweeted evidence of obstruction of justice. I'm curious.

 

 

In related news:

 

Drudge is running a poll on whether Trump should fire Mueller or not. As of this post, more than 75% of those voting say Mueller should be fired.

 

And a Republican congressman predicts (correctly I think) that when the Democrats gain the house (they are very likely to) they will vote to impeach the Trump.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Valsuelm

[smjjames]

A subopena is possible though, if legally complicated https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/16997474/mueller-subpoena-trump-organization-probe-russia

 

@Val: It's less actual tweets of obstruction of justice and more pattern of behavior. Also, Drudge's audience is obviously biased towards Republicans

Edited March 18, 2018 by smjjames

[Bartimaeus]

A subopena is possible though, if legally complicated https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/16997474/mueller-subpoena-trump-organization-probe-russia

 

Sure. The problem, as I understand it, is what do you do when the president utterly refuses to submit to or even acknowledge subpoena or any other court proceedings? Note that even your article mentions that other presidents voluntarily submitted in order to prevent a constitutional crisis - I seriously doubt that Trump will be concerned with such, given that he hasn't been concerned with...well, anything related to due process or any semblance of justice. Does the court have the power to physically compel the president to submit? I was under the impression that only Congress has the ability to do something like that...and given that our Republican Congress has refused to protect/appoint Mueller as their special prosecutor to make Trump unable to fire him, I'm not exactly too confident that they'll try to punish him for anything short of starting a nuclear holocaust.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Bartimaeus

[smjjames]

 

A subopena is possible though, if legally complicated https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/16997474/mueller-subpoena-trump-organization-probe-russia

 

Sure. The problem, as I understand it, is what do you do when the president utterly refuses to submit to or even acknowledge subpoena or any other court proceedings? Note that even your article mentions that other presidents voluntarily submitted in order to prevent a constitutional crisis - I seriously doubt that Trump will be concerned with such, given that he hasn't been concerned with...well, anything related to due process or any semblance of justice. Does the court have the power to physically compel the president to submit? I was under the impression that only Congress has the ability to do something like that...and given that our Republican Congress has refused to protect/appoint Mueller as their special prosecutor to make Trump unable to fire him, I'm not exactly too confident that they'll try to punish him for anything short of starting a nuclear holocaust.

 

 

It gets taken to the Supreme Court and if he still refuses? Constitutional crisis. Also, some Republicans really don't want him to fire Mueller because they know the catastrophic deadlock it'll create and they backed off of protecting Mueller last year because Trump seemed to back off on Mueller.

[Bartimaeus]

Constitutional crisis indeed. I don't want a constitutional crisis of this magnitude occurring under a seemingly complicit Republican Congress with a president that has gone on the record to say that we should try having a "president-for-life" like China. I don't think it'll go the way we'd like. Our institutions only hold up as much as the separate parts want them to hold up.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Bartimaeus

[Gfted1]

That NK marching video was awesome! I loves me some massive scale organized marching and the Bee Gee's.  

[Terminator]

 

 

Battlefield 4 you can play that if you want to experience war.

Ummm what?

I know. You have to play CoD to experience that

 

Well I have not played other CoD games but I tried newest CoD in BETA for free and it was not ok game for me. Lol that **** game even did not work well in BETA and crashed to Windows for me when no other game have done that to me. Gameplay BETA multiplayer I give 3/10 verdict.

 

 

Here is your COD game I and even laugh at it:

 

You know Battlefield 4 single player campaign is not so good I give you that. However multiplayer Battefield 4>>>>> CoD lol.

 

Battlefield 4 old game from 2013? You know what in graphics Battlefield 4 wins COD newest no doubt about that.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Terminator

[Malcador]

I need to use emoticons more often

[Valsuelm]

A subopena is possible though, if legally complicated https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/16997474/mueller-subpoena-trump-organization-probe-russia

 

@Val: It's less actual tweets of obstruction of justice and more pattern of behavior. Also, Drudge's audience is obviously biased towards Republicans

 

A pattern of behavior? What pattern of behavior that Trump has engaged in constitutes obstruction of justice?

[Elerond]

Threatening to fire or firing people who are tasked to investigate him

[Volourn]

The fact that the president can fire those who are supposed to investigate him in the first place is the real issue. It makes no logical sense. That is like me being investigated by a police officer and having the power to fire him at will. L0LZ

[Valsuelm]

The fact that the president can fire those who are supposed to investigate him in the first place is the real issue. It makes no logical sense. That is like me being investigated by a police officer and having the power to fire him at will. L0LZ

 

It makes no logical sense because constitutionally it's very arguable that Mueller has no business investigating the President at all. Constitutionally it's very arguable that the job Mueller even has shouldn't even exist. Those who founded this country didn't give us a FBI or anything like it. The idea of a Federal police force did not fly at all with the 'founders' or just about anyone else who ran the nation for it's first ~100 years, and with very good reason. The FBI is an epitome of Federal power gone awry. The organization has been corrupt as **** since day one, founded by J.P Morgan's lapdog Teddy R. as a political witch hunting machine. ~120 years later it's making headlines doing the very thing that it started out doing.

 

The entire FBI investigation is a circus and a charade. Threatening to fire the people perpetrating it is not obstruction of justice, nor is actually firing them. Too many people have been brainwashed to think the FBI has any authority at all over the President. It doesn't. The FBI answers to him. The only people the President constitutionally has to answer to are the voters, or the Senate/SCOTUS in the event that Congress (who is supposed to act on behalf of the voters - but just about never does) votes to impeach him.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Valsuelm

[Bartimaeus]

Trump doubles down, calling McCabe's contemporary memos that detailed his interactions with Trump "fake", along with Comey's: https://theweek.com/speedreads/761644/trump-accuses-mccabe-fabricating-memos-gave-mueller-call-fake-memos

[Zoraptor]

Vladimir Putin re-elected. About as inevitable as death, taxes and western media trying to say that it's all a fix and Alexei Navalny's 3% support should actually have won. Or the turn out in Chechnya being 118% with 120% voting for Putin.

 

Big electoral change though, for once Zyuganov- who should have been President in 1996, if the US hadn't blatantly interfered- didn't come second and Zhirinovsky 3rd, the commies put up a younger billionaire (?!) candidate this time.

 

(My favourite media complaint this cycle is that Russians are being encouraged to go and vote. Somehow coverage of Australian elections never slights them for people being legally obligated to vote and fined for not doing so, and we'd had heaps of encouragement to vote at our elections last year without it being an assault on democracy.)

[Raithe]

What I quite liked was that when Putin was asked about Russian involvement with the nerve agent assassination in Salisbury... His comment was not "As if Russia would do this" but rather, "As if Russia would do this before a Presidential election and the World Cup."

[Hurlshort]

The fix isn't so much the 97% vote margin, the fix is a system where one person can dominate the political scene again and again. Of course having two parties that just trade off power isn't much better, but there are some pretty dramatic swings between the executive cabinet every 4-8 years in the US.

[Zoraptor]

More worrying is that Putin has no obvious successor. If he drops dead tomorrow it will not be fun times at all, for anyone. Putin, despite the criticism*, is a competent leader so him staying in power is fine so far as it goes, it's mostly a problem when he does go or if he ends up incapacitated in some way.

 

*and in some ways the criticism reinforces his competence. Being in the G8 or whatever didn't help Yeltsin be taken seriously; and he got a minute proportion of the international criticism Putin does despite Yeltsin being objectively incompetent in every respect.

[Valsuelm]

The fix isn't so much the 97% vote margin, the fix is a system where one person can dominate the political scene again and again. Of course having two parties that just trade off power isn't much better, but there are some pretty dramatic swings between the executive cabinet every 4-8 years in the US.

 

Dramatic swings in rhetoric perhaps. No too much swing otherwise.

[smjjames]

More worrying is that Putin has no obvious successor. If he drops dead tomorrow it will not be fun times at all, for anyone. Putin, despite the criticism*, is a competent leader so him staying in power is fine so far as it goes, it's mostly a problem when he does go or if he ends up incapacitated in some way.

 

*and in some ways the criticism reinforces his competence. Being in the G8 or whatever didn't help Yeltsin be taken seriously; and he got a minute proportion of the international criticism Putin does despite Yeltsin being objectively incompetent in every respect.

 

Yeltsin being drunk probably didn't help with credibility.

[HoonDing]

"More worrying is that Putin has no obvious successor"

 

how about Natalia Poklonskaya

[smjjames]

Any specific reason she would be a successor? They already have a line of succession set up though, the successor for the President (they don't have VPs in Russia apparently) is the Prime Minister. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Russia