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Source: (consider it) Thread: Oops - your Trump presidency discussion thread
Gramps49
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NPR is reporting the investigators were planning on sharing their findings with Ivanka. Personally, I hope she does get involved.
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Ohher
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quote:
Originally posted by Gramps49:
NPR is reporting the investigators were planning on sharing their findings with Ivanka. Personally, I hope she does get involved.

Surely she's already "involved;" and surely she's already aware of what goes on in her own company.

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From the Land of the Native American Brave and the Home of the Buy-One-Get-One-Free

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simontoad
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Ivanka is about as reliable on progressive politics as her husband.

Trump is down on German cars because they are bringing too many models into the USA. Trump only likes European models if they agree to marry him. (as heard on HIGNFY)

[ 04. June 2017, 01:47: Message edited by: simontoad ]

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Human

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Ian Climacus

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We watch the same shows, simon... I did like that line.

And Trump retweets news on the London attacks from the Drudge Report before tweeting himself... Not sure what to think.

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Brenda Clough
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Ivanka is utterly unreliable, the true daughter of her toadlike sire. And, I do not doubt, about as naturally blonde.
I can't manipulate the cut-and-paste functions very well on this device, but this link should work: to a cartoon SFW.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154916944943558&id=677763557

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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page

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Eutychus
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quote:
Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
And Trump retweets news on the London attacks from the Drudge Report before tweeting himself... Not sure what to think.

As posted on another thread, think: cunning. He is mirroring what most of his base would do. It's a big mistake to think, as I have seen posited elsewhere, that it means he gets all his news from Fox or Drudge and not intelligence briefings.

Tweeting thus enables his base to see in him someone like themselves, rather than someone who is part of that nasty Washington elite spouting half-baked political talk.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the way I make sense of Trump is to see him as an extremely good con artist, and this fits right in with that.

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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy

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Crœsos
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Once again, the Happy Hour News Dump does not disappoint. (A lot of Trump-related bombshell stories seem to get broken between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm Eastern time, guaranteeing that they'll be discussed during the various U.S. news programs.) The Intercept apparently got hold of an NSA report stating that Russian military intelligence (GRU) conducted cyber-attacks against a voting software provider and several local election officials. That's a whole different level of interference than any of the hacking we've heard about so far.

quote:
Russian military intelligence executed a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election, according to a highly classified intelligence report obtained by The Intercept.

<snip>

The report indicates that Russian hacking may have penetrated further into U.S. voting systems than was previously understood. It states unequivocally in its summary statement that it was Russian military intelligence, specifically the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, that conducted the cyber attacks described in the document:

quote:
Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate actors … executed cyber espionage operations against a named U.S. company in August 2016, evidently to obtain information on elections-related software and hardware solutions. … The actors likely used data obtained from that operation to … launch a voter registration-themed spear-phishing campaign targeting U.S. local government organizations.

<snip>

The NSA analysis does not draw conclusions about whether the interference had any effect on the election’s outcome and concedes that much remains unknown about the extent of the hackers’ accomplishments. However, the report raises the possibility that Russian hacking may have breached at least some elements of the voting system, with disconcertingly uncertain results.

The NSA has confirmed the authenticity of the report, both directly to The Intercept and by having the leaker arrested.

One question that immediately leaps to mind is whether Donald Trump was briefed on this report, which is dated May 5, before he fired FBI director James Comey on May 9.

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

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Crœsos
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I don't like this political satire we're living in. It seems too over-the-top.

quote:
How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business

The real star of the day is Eric Trump, the president's second son and now the co-head of the Trump Organization, who has hosted this event for ten years on behalf of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. He's done a ton of good: To date, he's directed more than $11 million there, the vast majority of it via this annual golf event. He has also helped raise another $5 million through events with other organizations.

The best part about all this, according to Eric Trump, is the charity's efficiency: Because he can get his family's golf course for free and have most of the other costs donated, virtually all the money contributed will go toward helping kids with cancer. "We get to use our assets 100% free of charge," Trump tells Forbes.

That's not the case. In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free--that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.

Additionally, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has come under previous scrutiny for self-dealing and advancing the interests of its namesake rather than those of charity, apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization.

For those having trouble keeping track at home, Trump Foundation = ostensible charity; Trump Organization = Donald Trump's business.

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

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cliffdweller
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quote:
Originally posted by Crœsos:
I don't like this political satire we're living in. It seems too over-the-top.

quote:
How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business

The real star of the day is Eric Trump, the president's second son and now the co-head of the Trump Organization, who has hosted this event for ten years on behalf of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. He's done a ton of good: To date, he's directed more than $11 million there, the vast majority of it via this annual golf event. He has also helped raise another $5 million through events with other organizations.

The best part about all this, according to Eric Trump, is the charity's efficiency: Because he can get his family's golf course for free and have most of the other costs donated, virtually all the money contributed will go toward helping kids with cancer. "We get to use our assets 100% free of charge," Trump tells Forbes.

That's not the case. In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free--that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.

Additionally, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has come under previous scrutiny for self-dealing and advancing the interests of its namesake rather than those of charity, apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization.

For those having trouble keeping track at home, Trump Foundation = ostensible charity; Trump Organization = Donald Trump's business.
And then there's another questionable use of charitable funds.

Yeah, it's too bad there's no money to help out with cancer treatments or heart surgeries for the poor sick kids at St. Jude's. But I'm sure they'll be cheered knowing that a bunch of wealthy white guys gotta play a lot of golf and purchase a giant gold portrait of Donald.

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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner

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simontoad
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quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
quote:
Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
And Trump retweets news on the London attacks from the Drudge Report before tweeting himself... Not sure what to think.

As posted on another thread, think: cunning. He is mirroring what most of his base would do. It's a big mistake to think, as I have seen posited elsewhere, that it means he gets all his news from Fox or Drudge and not intelligence briefings.

Tweeting thus enables his base to see in him someone like themselves, rather than someone who is part of that nasty Washington elite spouting half-baked political talk.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the way I make sense of Trump is to see him as an extremely good con artist, and this fits right in with that.

Thanks for this. It's a timely reminder.

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Human

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Soror Magna
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<primal scream time>

The press keeps saying that there's no evidence that the Cozy and Fancy Bears interfered with vote tallies. SO FUCKING WHAT? THEY DON'T HAVE TO!!!! If they really wanted to tip the election, they only had to screw up a few hundred Democratic voters' registration in certain counties in the blue wall and bingo, the Cheeto wins the Electoral College.

Politicians in the USA have known for ages that there's no need to mess with vote counts when you can control who gets to vote. That's the real voter fraud scandal, not bullshit anecdata about voter impersonation and duplicate names and dead voters.

To quote a former presidential candidate featured in one of my all-time favourite movies, "Russians don't take a dump without a plan, son."

<end primal scream>

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"You come with me to room 1013 over at the hospital, I'll show you America. Terminal, crazy and mean." -- Tony Kushner, "Angels in America"

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no prophet's flag is set so...

Proceed to see sea
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Is trumpy the cause of the disease, or is he merely the tip of the whitehead which was created by growing income equality, the corrupt alliance between big business and government, the stain of torture, wars for profit, lack of health and hope?

But will you pop the trumpy pimple, squeezing out the puss from the face of America? Or will you let him and his movement of falsehoods and ridiculousness continue to grow until he explodes in mixture of blood and pain, leaving a permanent acne scar on your nation? It doesn't take very long to destroy a civil society.

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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/

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Gramps49
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Here you go again, Orange One, when the one country that allows you to have a major base on their territory gets bullied, but its neighbors and you (typically) side with the bullies, don't be surprised if that country tells you to close the base within 90 days.
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Crœsos
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For those who are interested, James Comey has released a "Statement for the Record" in advance of his Senate testimony tomorrow. It's very gripping reading, if you're the kind who's "gripped" by seven pages of dry, analytical descriptions of meetings and phone conversations.

It certainly reads like Trump was attempting to influence the course of an investigation into the actions of his associates.

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

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Golden Key
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I hope Comey has a good bodyguard, or three.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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Barnabas62
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quote:
Originally posted by Crœsos:
It certainly reads like Trump was attempting to influence the course of an investigation into the actions of his associates.

No doubt about it. Trump either doesn't understand or doesn't care about the implications of his attempts to influence. The contrast between Obama's behaviour and Trump's behaviour could not be more marked.

And of course every word of that summary can be checked against his memos written at the time. And a further thing. You only create that sort of memo if you have serious concerns about the integrity of the President.

It's a damning document. The questions he receives from Republicans will tell us a lot about the current levels of integrity within the GOP. The Democrats will have a field day.

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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

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Golden Key
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AIUI, Comey had a practice of writing memos about meetings. So did the previous FBI head. It's reportedly considered best practice.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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lilBuddha
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quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
AIUI, Comey had a practice of writing memos about meetings. So did the previous FBI head. It's reportedly considered best practice.

It is a best practice. Even if both parties have the best intentions, having a record of what happened can reduce confusion later.

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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou

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W Hyatt
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Note, however, that in his letter to Congress (linked to by Crœsos above a few hours ago) Comey explicitly states:

quote:
I felt compelled to document my first conversation with the President-Elect in a memo. To ensure accuracy, I began to type it on a laptop in an FBI vehicle outside Trump Tower the moment I walked out of the meeting. Creating written records immediately after one-on-one conversations with Mr. Trump was my practice from that point forward. This had not been my practice in the past


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A new church and a new earth, with Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life.

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Golden Key
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lB--

Sure. But these folks are spooks/spies, more or less, so they might find it wise *not* to write things down.

WH--

Hmmm. Haven't read that yet. IIRC, there was at least one specific news story, maybe a few weeks ago, that said what I just mentioned. So either they got it wrong, or I misunderstood.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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cliffdweller
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Me and my lefty friends have already begun referring to tomorrow as "James Comey Day" as if it were a national holiday. Cocktails will be involved

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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner

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Golden Key
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If anyone wants to pursue the memo habit further:

"Comey’s Memos Were a Product of a Culture of Note-Keeping" (NYTimes; no firewall notice).

Seems like it might be a both/and situation. Comey did make an extra effort on the notes of his meeting(s) with T. But note-taking is a normal thing in the FBI and CIA, and encouraged.

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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Eutychus
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quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
Me and my lefty friends have already begun referring to tomorrow as "James Comey Day" as if it were a national holiday. Cocktails will be involved

Don't get too excited.

Fox News:
quote:
Comey’s blockbuster hearing could bolster Trump’s critics – and allies
I know y'all prefer WaPo but bear in mind how many people rely on Fox and that it's not all lying propaganda...

Comey's testimony might be significant, but Trump isn't going anywhere fast. I've linked before to articles discussing the unlikelihood of impeachment scenarios.

Again my experience with con artists tells me Trump is teflon - just look at how far he's got. Again: don't mistake cunning for stupidity. I think actual health problems are far more likely to stop him than any of this leading to him being removed from office ahead of time.

Over the past months there have been countless moments when liberals have thought "this is it" only to be disappointed. The continuous not-quite-scandals are wearing down the opposition while Congress quietly gets on with, say gutting the Dodd-Frank agreement. How much media coverage has that had this week? And how much outrage has there been?

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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy

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Lamb Chopped
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I read this too, and wondered about it.

quote:
I felt compelled to document my first conversation with the President-Elect in a memo. To ensure accuracy, I began to type it on a laptop in an FBI vehicle outside Trump Tower the moment I walked out of the meeting. Creating written records immediately after one-on-one conversations with Mr. Trump was my practice from that point forward. This had not been my practice in the past
I'm wondering if he meant:
a. I used to create written records, but I never did it in the car seconds after the meeting; I usually did it when I got back to the office, maybe a few hours later;
b. I usually created written records, but not for conversations with a president;
c. I simply never created written records for conversations with anybody before (unlikely; as noted above there's a culture of that sort of thing).

I'm guessing it's a.

And really, wouldn't you do that too, if you'd just been handed an enormous hot potato? I'd be terrified of forgetting something during the drive home.

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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!

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Crœsos
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quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
The continuous not-quite-scandals are wearing down the opposition while Congress quietly gets on with, say gutting the Dodd-Frank agreement. How much media coverage has that had this week? And how much outrage has there been?

I think it's important to keep pointing out that this is not normal and that what you call "not-quite-scandals", like the possibility that the President* (or those on his staff) is acting on behalf of a sometimes-hostile foreign power and used the powers of his office to try to quash an investigation into that question, or the fact that the President* is accepting money from foreign governments in a very non-transparent manner, or any number of other things, are actually "scandals". A "not-quite-scandal" might be the fact that some are maintaining the pretense that this is normal presidential behavior that no one should be too worried about.

quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I'm wondering if he meant:
a. I used to create written records, but I never did it in the car seconds after the meeting; I usually did it when I got back to the office, maybe a few hours later;
b. I usually created written records, but not for conversations with a president;
c. I simply never created written records for conversations with anybody before (unlikely; as noted above there's a culture of that sort of thing).

I'm guessing it's a.

And really, wouldn't you do that too, if you'd just been handed an enormous hot potato? I'd be terrified of forgetting something during the drive home.

I suspect it's also a little bit of d. I routinely create written records of conversations materially relevant to an ongoing investigation, but no prior presidential conversation I've had has fallen into that category.

[ 08. June 2017, 13:25: Message edited by: Crœsos ]

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

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quetzalcoatl
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Are you guys watching the Comey testimony? Gulp. 'Trump lied'.

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I can't talk to you today; I talked to two people yesterday.

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stonespring
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quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:

Again my experience with con artists tells me Trump is teflon - just look at how far he's got. Again: don't mistake cunning for stupidity.

I think Trump has an unusual form of intelligence whereby he doesn't actively strategize but rather intuitively reacts to things in a way that is petty and childish but that has succeeded in both business and politics to get results that he wants (not all the time, but enough of the time). Bullies learn their habits because they work for them. Now, Trump may not get any major laws passed, he may severely damage America's standing in the world, he may even get us all killed - but he'll still be adored by the people propping him up, and I think that adulation is all that matters to him.
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Eutychus
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That pretty much describes a con artist for me.

Warning: don't watch the Comey testimony. You'll get sucked in and never come out.

Advice: watch it for hints on how to perform on the stand.

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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy

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sabine
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quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
That pretty much describes a con artist for me.

Warning: don't watch the Comey testimony. You'll get sucked in and never come out.

Advice: watch it for hints on how to perform on the stand.

I'm listening to it on the radio while I clean house. As I posted in Hell, the two seem to go together.

He does very well on the stand.

sabine

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"Hunger looks like the man that hunger is killing." Eduardo Galeano

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Lamb Chopped
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I think we may have finally struck an honest man. He says stuff that on the face of it is damaging to him. At least in the court of public opinion. Go, Comey!

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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!

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Hedgehog

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quote:
Originally posted by quetzalcoatl:
Are you guys watching the Comey testimony? Gulp. 'Trump lied'.

Actually, for me the best part was Trump spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders telling the press: "I can say definitively the president is not a liar." This statement in itself is demonstrably false.

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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'

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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330

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I would really like to know what McCain was on about. He sounded at times like he didn't know where he was

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arse

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Golden Key
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# 1468

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I listened to Comey on NPR. (They or another outlet will probably have a transcript available later.)

A lawyer (not sure if T's personal one, or the White House counsel) is expected to make a statement sometime soon.

Based just on the radio, and not seeing his face nor behavior, I think Comey did a great job. I haven't forgiven him for the disparity in handling allegations re Hillary and T, particularly putting out info just before the election. But it's *possible* that he really thought he was being correct and fair.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the closed-door meeting this afternoon!

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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Pigwidgeon

Ship's Owl
# 10192

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quote:
Originally posted by mr cheesy:
I would really like to know what McCain was on about. He sounded at times like he didn't know where he was

Yup. That's my Senator -- hopefully not for much longer.

(You know that anyone who would have Sarah Palin as a running mate has got to be a bit dotty.)

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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf

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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330

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quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
Yup. That's my Senator -- hopefully not for much longer.

(You know that anyone who would have Sarah Palin as a running mate has got to be a bit dotty.)

Fairly recently he's been sounding quite statesmanlike (or so it seems from this distance), but today he just sounded like a confused old man.

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arse

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Brenda Clough
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# 18061

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I do not envy Comey. What a way to go down in history. This will be the first line in his obituary.

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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page

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Crœsos
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# 238

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quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
I do not envy Comey. What a way to go down in history. This will be the first line in his obituary.

Second. I suspect the first line will be something about how he tilted the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

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Golden Key
Shipmate
# 1468

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Transcript of today's Comey hearing in Congress (Washington Post).

(I simply searched the Web on "Comey Congress transcript". Many sources have a version. Audio and video are available elsewhere. You might try NPR.org or CNN.com.)

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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")

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romanlion
editorial comment
# 10325

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I think the first line of his obituary will be something about what a ginormous douche he was, and how he epitomized everything that is wrong with DC.

How completely could his political motivations and the idiocy of the "overseers" have been laid bare?

None more than they were...

If you are tired of Trump "winning", I suggest you buckle up...

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"You can't get rich in politics unless you're a crook" - Harry S. Truman

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Zappa
Ship's Wake
# 8433

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quote:
Originally posted by romanlion:
how he epitomized everything that is wrong with DC

Yeah, all that truth telling. It's a shit isn't it? SAD.

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shameless self promotion - because I think it's worth it
and mayhap this too: http://broken-moments.blogspot.co.nz/

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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061

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There's also been commentary about how familiar his concerns sound, to women. Not wanting to be alone with the boss. Being made uncomfortable by his innuendoes. The only thing that is missing is the pussy grope.

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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page

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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081

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quote:
Originally posted by Crœsos:
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
The continuous not-quite-scandals are wearing down the opposition while Congress quietly gets on with, say gutting the Dodd-Frank agreement. How much media coverage has that had this week? And how much outrage has there been?

I think it's important to keep pointing out that this is not normal and that what you call "not-quite-scandals"
Sorry, missed this earlier.

They are "not-quite-scandals" not in the sense that they aren't scandalous, but that they have consistently failed to produce the smoking gun which critics seem to think they will.

France Info was virtually giving the impression Trump would be impeached by, well, now, following Comey's testimony. It's been the same with, well, we've basically forgotten all the others, there have been so many incidents like this. In that sense they have become normal. We can't even remember what the presidency looked like before this.

You can only have your expectations defeated so many times.

When the smoking gun repeatedly doesn't appear, the world ends up accepting the process as normal and opening the popcorn for the latest instalment in reality TV from the White House instead of following the progress of boring but impactful little laws in Congress. I think this is probably part of the administration's strategy.

As I also said, Trump appears to be made of teflon.

The most damning thing so far for him in the wake of all this is at the time of writing, he hasn't tweeted since before the hearing, on June 7. Either because his lawyer was standing over him making dire threats during the hearing or, as I have repeatedly argued here, because he is not stupid (firing off random tweets) but cunning (merely giving the impression of doing so). But again, that's not a smoking gun.

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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy

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simontoad
Ship's Amphibian
# 18096

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quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
lB--

Sure. But these folks are spooks/spies, more or less, so they might find it wise *not* to write things down.

--


Yeah, but they are primarily lawyers working for the Government. Both lawyers and government employees know how important a paper trail is. Idiots with gilded loos do not.

Presently eating popcorn while watching the whole Trump thing unfold. If I was a betting man, my money would be on recordings of the relevant meetings being flushed down the lav... Except they are all digital these days... Can you post audio recordings on Instagram?

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Human

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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081

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quote:
Originally posted by simontoad:
Idiots with gilded loos do not.

Trump is not an idiot. The last thing that suits him is a paper trail record, because his entire mindest is one in which the truth is infinitely flexible.

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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy

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Ian Climacus

Liturgical Slattern
# 944

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This closing line from a (paywalled) article I read on Comey's testimony today echoed my thoughts:
quote:
Ultimately, we are left to grapple with the same question Trump’s campaign and presidency have provoked virtually every day. What on earth does it take to bring this man down?


[ 09. June 2017, 08:03: Message edited by: Ian Climacus ]

Posts: 7800 | From: On the border | Registered: Jul 2001  |  IP: Logged
Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081

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The Democrats winning a majority in Congress?

The problem as far as I can see it is that the opposition is fixated on tripping up Trump rather than on planning for elections. At least that's what the media give one to believe.

Exposing a con artist is a long, painstaking, intimidating, and exhausting process; I speak from experience. The con artist will always find a way of turning just about anything you try to use against them to their advantage. It really is like trying to nail jelly to a wall. And make no mistake, Trump is really good at doing this.

Trump's downfall will come, and it's an end worth pursuing, but it shouldn't be mixed up with trying to remove the Republicans, or indeed him, from power.

[ 09. June 2017, 08:27: Message edited by: Eutychus ]

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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy

Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged
Ian Climacus

Liturgical Slattern
# 944

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quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
The problem as far as I can see it is that the opposition is fixated on tripping up Trump rather than on planning for elections. At least that's what the media give one to believe.

Intrestingly enough a colleague and I had the same conversation.

I hope, behind the scenes, wheels are turning. I guess they have some time. But it would be nice to see some forward-looking rather than just waiting for the (inevitable?) fall. But then I'm not a resident, just an interested observer.

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Amanda B. Reckondwythe

Dressed for Church
# 5521

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quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
There's also been commentary about how familiar his concerns sound, to women. Not wanting to be alone with the boss. Being made uncomfortable by his innuendoes. The only thing that is missing is the pussy grope.

Now **that** would be newsworthy! [Ultra confused]

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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.

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Ohher
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# 18607

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Yes, and I've just been wondering how it's possible that, in the five and a half months since the yam's inauguration, he's managed not to be accused of this behavior even once.

Perhaps it WAS "just" all (locker room) talk, imagined by 44.5 as "impressive" to his young male interviewer.

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From the Land of the Native American Brave and the Home of the Buy-One-Get-One-Free

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Crœsos
Shipmate
# 238

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quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
The Democrats winning a majority in Congress?

The problem as far as I can see it is that the opposition is fixated on tripping up Trump rather than on planning for elections.

These aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, "tripping up Trump" and forcing congressional Republicans to rush to his defense seems a pretty good way to link congressional Republicans with an historically unpopular president in the minds of the public. In other words, "tripping up Trump" is an electoral strategy.

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Humani nil a me alienum puto

Posts: 10706 | From: Sardis, Lydia | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged



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