No, it has much more to do with the fact that they are always playing the same old movie on this channel.
Maybe, but it's also because the debate itself is starting to seem pointless. And I present two numbers as to why: 45 and 15,000.
For the first....only 45% of Trump voters believe Don Jr. had a meeting with the Russians. Mind you, this has nothing to do with the content or merits of the meeting itself, or what you think of them, but rather that it happened at all. Less than half of Trump voters believe a meeting that Don Jr. ADMITTED to taking and provided an email transcript of, actually took place. The other 55% either don't know, or don't believe it happened. Where is the conversation supposed to start with people when you can't even agree on the basic terms of reality?? This would be like sitting down for a discussion with 10 sports fans and 6 of them refusing to acknowledge that the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title this year. What exactly would be the point of even sitting down??
The other is 15,000, which is the number of new visas that were issued to immigrant seasonal workers during Trump's "Made in America" week to staff low-wage jobs. We were told by Trump, by Trump supporters, for MONTHS on end, that Americans need these jobs, that they are lining up to take them, and that immigrants were taking these positions away from hard-working Americans. It turns out that either a.) no, Americans DIDN'T want the jobs or b.) Trump was never actually serious about this issue in the first place. And either way, it doesn't matter, because to most Trump voters, these low-wage jobs were never the issue. As has been stated before, the average Trump voter is doing just peachy, coming in at over $70,000 a year. These jobs were never going to affect them in the first place. So what was the REAL reason this issue was so important too them, and why don't they care now?? I suspect it has alot to do with the simple IDEA that Donald Trump is going to keep any more brown people than absolutely necessary out of the country. But guess what?? He isn't even doing that. Incidentally, where are most of these jobs being staffed?? At fisheries, summer resorts and golf courses.
As for health care, I mean, let's get real here: they never had any plan, they haven't had a plan for seven years, and they don't have one now. Republicans don't BELIEVE in governing, so they are incapable of coming up with a plan that isn't going to kick 20-30 million people off health insurance. And enough members a.) didn't think the bill was cruel enough and b.) knew they were going to get eviscerated by constituents if it went through, that it couldn't pass. These people aren't serious about governing. They are great at winning elections, and they will attempt to pass any type of evil legislation that will allow them to give further tax breaks to the 1%, but they don't know or aren't interested in how healthcare in this country actually works and how it affects people. The entire thing has been naked cynicism from the beginning, summed up today by Trump himself, because he can't accept a shred of responsibility:
I'd advise people to remember that quote. What a profile in courage and responsibility as President. "The buck stops anywhere else" Presidency. As soon as he said that, he owns any negative aspects of healthcare going forward. Because he just admitted he wants Americans healthcare coverage to fall apart to help him politically. So why would any reasonable person think he wouldn't continue to try and sabotage the system from the highest levers of government?? And how many loved ones will families have to bury before things reach the point where Donald Trump THINKS he can benefit politically from this??
To summarize: Obamacare is still fully-intact, the Iran deal is still in place, immigrants are still staffing low-wage jobs, there isn't even a hint of a wall, the coal and manufacturing jobs he promised were basically a myth, and the economy is basically in the same place it's been since the beginning of Obama's second-term. These are all things he not only promised his supporters he was going to do, but do nearly IMMEDIATELY. There has been no major legislation or any kind, and his White House is engulfed in what will end up being one of the biggest political scandals in the history of the country less than 9 months into his term. His approval rating seems to be hovering anywhere from 36-40% on any given day and poll, which is comically bad when viewed historically for a first-year Administration. He has launched attacks on the free press that echo Joseph Stalin, for the very simple goal of making it so that his supporters simply do not believe ANY news reports when the big shoes finally drop. And then what?? What happens when 35-40% of the country simply believes in an alternate reality during a Constitutional Crisis, and they think it is all an attack on their Great White Hope in a MAGA hat?? Nothing good. Nothing good at all.
Yeah, I think hoping the considerable Russia mess will simply disapear is kinda wishful thinking, and not healthy for democracy. Many, many people are not tired of it because it hasn't finished yet, more and more corruption keeps showing up.
Mind you, there is no law saying you need to keep following the biggest news story in recent memory, as your opinion is that there is nothing interesting or suspicious about the whole story. In my opinion Fox constantly spews the paranoid delusion de jour though, so I find irony in your position.
I stopped watching Fox too. I think I'm going to join the 'blissfully ignorant' group for a while...
Yeah, I think hoping the considerable Russia mess will simply disapear is kinda wishful thinking, and not healthy for democracy. Many, many people are not tired of it because it hasn't finished yet, more and more corruption keeps showing up.
Mind you, there is no law saying you need to keep following the biggest news story in recent memory, as your opinion is that there is nothing interesting or suspicious about the whole story. In my opinion Fox constantly spews the paranoid delusion de jour though, so I find irony in your position.
I stopped watching Fox too. I think I'm going to join the 'blissfully ignorant' group for a while...
I think this is part of the plan. I think Trump sees his best chance to win re-election is to simply exhaust the American public to the point of numbness, where they simply can't handle the madness anymore.
Yeah, I think hoping the considerable Russia mess will simply disapear is kinda wishful thinking, and not healthy for democracy. Many, many people are not tired of it because it hasn't finished yet, more and more corruption keeps showing up.
Mind you, there is no law saying you need to keep following the biggest news story in recent memory, as your opinion is that there is nothing interesting or suspicious about the whole story. In my opinion Fox constantly spews the paranoid delusion de jour though, so I find irony in your position.
I stopped watching Fox too. I think I'm going to join the 'blissfully ignorant' group for a while...
I think this is part of the plan. I think Trump sees his best chance to win re-election is to simply exhaust the American public to the point of numbness, where they simply can't handle the madness anymore.
Well in truth I very likely wouldn't vote for his ass if the election was tomorrow. That's only if the Dems put out somebody halfway decent. I would also vote for somebody else in the Republican primary if anyone tried to seriously take him on. He still has time to change my views but I'm certainly not a fan of his right now. No amount of numbness would stop me from voting. I've voted in every election since I turned 18 and I'm not about to stop now.
I think Trump's suggestion to "let Obamacare fail" illustrates the difference between Obama and Trump.
Trump thought the Affordable Care Act, implemented by his predecessor, Obama, was a bad idea. He advocated repealing and replacing it. But he has proven unable to do so. His response?
Let Obamacare fail.
Obama opposed the Iraq War, started by his predecessor, George Bush. Obama thought the war was a bad idea, but when he became president, the situation in Iraq--its stability, its safety, and its status as a democratic state--became his responsibility.
Did Obama say "let Iraq fail?"
No. Nor would any decent person.
Whether you believed he succeeded or not, Obama took responsibility for a problem he did not cause. Trump does not believe that he, as the most powerful man on the planet, has any such responsibility.
I think Trump's suggestion to "let Obamacare fail" illustrates the difference between Obama and Trump.
Trump thought the Affordable Care Act, implemented by his predecessor, Obama, was a bad idea. He advocated repealing and replacing it. But he has proven unable to do so. His response?
Let Obamacare fail.
Obama opposed the Iraq War, started by his predecessor, George Bush. Obama thought the war was a bad idea, but when he became president, the situation in Iraq--its stability, its safety, and its status as a democratic state--became his responsibility.
Did Obama say "let Iraq fail?"
No. Nor would any decent person.
Whether you believed he succeeded or not, Obama took responsibility for a problem he did not cause. Trump does not believe that he, as the most powerful man on the planet, has any such responsibility.
It goes well beyond that actually. Many of the recent insurance company pull-outs from state exchanges have been a direct result of Trump threatening to without subsidy payments which are part of an existing law, as a sort of blackmail to either get the GOP plan rammed through Congress, or to destroy Obamacare by (like the Rubio poison pill and the Supreme Court ruling on the Medicaid expansion) sabotaging key aspects that were always necessary to it's survival. So he is not just ROOTING for it to fail, he is going to actively take steps to try and MAKE it fail. Which is a whole other level of cynicism. You only play these kind of games if you feel your core voters will believe anything you say. Today what is being said is that Democrats, who hold absolutely ZERO power is Washington, are responsible for what has transpired on the GOP healthcare bill. McConnell today came out and blasted the Democrats for not working with them on this bill. That is so preposterous as to be beyond belief if you have any knowledge of how this transpired. The bill was crafted in secret among about 13 Republican Senators. The Democrats (and, frankly, most of the Republicans) saw this nonsense a couple hours before the public did. There was not a single moment Democrats could have affected what was drafted into that legislation. Mitch McConnell is well aware of this. He and Trump are simply betting on the fact that Republican voters are never going to realize how preposterous their excuse is.
I know we're all tired of Russia Trump but hey he's still President in part due to working with Russian hackers and spies.
This sentence from Trump Jr's email chain is getting wiped from Fox News comments and is mostly skipped on tv: “This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
So if you didn't know Trump Jr. and presumably Manaford, Kushner, and probably Trump himself were well aware of Russian government support for their campaign.
I know we're all tired of Russia Trump but hey he's still President in part due to working with Russian hackers and spies.
This sentence from Trump Jr's email chain is getting wiped from Fox News comments and is mostly skipped on tv: “This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
So if you didn't know Trump Jr. and presumably Manaford, Kushner, and probably Trump himself were well aware of Russian government support for their campaign.
Even if you believe they all did nothing wrong by taking these meetings, one has to ask themselves why they have been lying about the entire thing for nearly 8 or 9 months now. Some of them have lied under oath in confirmation hearings, some have lied in security disclosure forums, and some of just lied to the public until they have been caught and forced to come clean. But again, there is no reason to tell these lies, or withhold this information, in what are now adding up to DOZENS of incidents, if there is nothing underneath that they don't want to see the light of day.
My absolute favorite, constant excuse is "I don't recall any such meeting, but if one did take place, I know nothing improper went on", which is an utter impossibility. You cannot possibly state for certain nothing improper went on at a meeting you don't even have any memory of.
To summarize: Obamacare is still fully-intact, the Iran deal is still in place, immigrants are still staffing low-wage jobs, there isn't even a hint of a wall, the coal and manufacturing jobs he promised were basically a myth, and the economy is basically in the same place it's been since the beginning of Obama's second-term. These are all things he not only promised his supporters he was going to do, but do nearly IMMEDIATELY. There has been no major legislation or any kind, and his White House is engulfed in what will end up being one of the biggest political scandals in the history of the country less than 9 months into his term. His approval rating seems to be hovering anywhere from 36-40% on any given day and poll, which is comically bad when viewed historically for a first-year Administration. He has launched attacks on the free press that echo Joseph Stalin, for the very simple goal of making it so that his supporters simply do not believe ANY news reports when the big shoes finally drop. And then what?? What happens when 35-40% of the country simply believes in an alternate reality during a Constitutional Crisis, and they think it is all an attack on their Great White Hope in a MAGA hat?? Nothing good. Nothing good at all.
I am actually glad that very little of substance is coming out of Washington, D. C. these days--the less the government does, the less likely they are to make matters worse.
Of course, it's failure was inevitable - you can't impose democracy, it has to be a choice embraced by a huge majority of the population.
And opponents of Obamacare would argue the same thing: it's failure is inevitable.
GWB had signed an agreement with the Iraqi government that all American troops would be pulled out by no later than out Dec. 31th, 2011.
American public opinion was tired of the war and the Iraqis saw it as prolonging a (rightfully) unjust occupation. No President would have countermanded such an agreement. Nothing to gain.
As for the ACA, well sure, when you pull out all the funding and underpinnings behind it, and it falls, can you really say with a straight face "Well, gosh and gee whiz, that was going to happen anyways. So how about that new tax break for millionaires? Gotta buy a new yacht."
Of course, it's failure was inevitable - you can't impose democracy, it has to be a choice embraced by a huge majority of the population.
And opponents of Obamacare would argue the same thing: it's failure is inevitable.
Erm, I wouldn't call kicking a resting hornet's nest imposing democracy. The people in Iraq aren't monsters, and there was no attempt to create a stable state, just a puppet to exploit.
there was no attempt to create a stable state, just a puppet to exploit.
I don't really see how the United States is exploiting Iraq today.
If you're thinking we exploited Iraq for access to its oil, that's not what happened. The rights to Iraq's oil wells were set up for auction, and China's state-owned enterprises bought them up by bidding low. Chinese SEOs can afford to bid artificially low because the Chinese government supports them; profits come second to the national interest. China has a habit of buying up natural resources across the globe to assert their control over critical resources, like when they restricted the exports of heavy metals to punish Japan.
You are aware oil is a commodity, right? Any changes in supply/demand have an effect on price, its immaterial ultimately who uses which exact barrel. More oil on the market lowers the price.
I didn't say the US was successful, did I? Iraq was supposed to be a bigger, better Israel for the US, since Iran didn't work out as a loyal client state in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia is actually pretty hostile for an ally.
No, we aren't exploiting Iraq today. There is nothing left to exploit. We destroyed the country and turned it into a sectarian bloodbath, which is exactly what the most knowledgeable critics said would happen way back in '03. Once we were in and things started to fall apart, the choice was either stay forever, or give rise to what has happened in the last half-decade. In the end, the Iraq War will be on par with Vietnam as the greatest blunder in the history of US foreign policy, if it isn't already. You could argue that at the very least, Vietnam didn't create an entire generation or two of people willing to blow themselves up to get back at the United States for what we did there. If neither Bush Sr. or W. had engaged in their wars in Iraq, it's easily arguable that our Middle-Eastern terrorism problem would be negligible compared to what it is today. The rallying cry of Osama Bin Laden was the staging of US troops in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. The rallying cry of ISIS to this day is what took place in Iraq from '03 onward. This is blowback. I'm not saying we wouldn't have a problem with terrorism, but I'm willing to bet it wouldn't be all that serious.
I opposed the war since it began, but I wouldn't blame it for the state of Islamic terrorism today. Things are more complicated in the Middle East itself, but here in the United States, the worst we suffered was on 9/11, two years before the invasion of Iraq.
Ever since then, we've lost precious few lives to Islamic terrorism. Al Qaeda exhausted much of its strength on 9/11, and though ISIS has risen as a new threat, it does not seem much interested in waging war against the U.S. like bin Laden attempted to. Instead, it has contented itself with eating up parts of Iraq and Syria, cannibalizing its fellow Muslims.
Terrorists have killed a lot of people, but most of their victims have been in the Middle East itself.
The exploitation was not in the form of taking iraqs oil or gold or something.
It was enrichment of defense contractors. Sales of munitions. Security costs. Billions of dollars paid to American companies for nothing. These American companies took taxpayer money hand over fist. They're still doing it. CEOs rolling in cash. The situation in Iraq is just a pretext to give away money.
Matter of fact Trump's talking about privatizing Afghanistan security costs now. Another excuse to just give away money without accountability or oversight or any reason.
CNN said that John McCain has brain cancer. They said his office reported it.
I don't know what to say. He's one of the few people in our legislature that we know to be a good, honorable man who is dedicated to the country, and not just his campaign contributors.
I hope it's not true. And if it is cancer, I really hope he gets through it. McCain has suffered enough in his life; he deserves better.
It's not just for his sake, either. In times like this, we need people like McCain more than ever.
CNN said that John McCain has brain cancer. They said his office reported it.
I don't know what to say. He's one of the few people in our legislature that we know to be a good, honorable man who is dedicated to the country, and not just his campaign contributors.
I hope it's not true. And if it is cancer, I really hope he gets through it. McCain has suffered enough in his life; he deserves better.
It's not just for his sake, either. In times like this, we need people like McCain more than ever.
All indications seem to be that it is aggressive glioblastoma, which is simply not something most 80-year old people can recover from. It is the same type of cancer that killed both Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden's son, Bo. I can speak to this a little, as my grandmother passed away in the past few weeks from bladder cancer. The type of treatment needed to have any chance to fend off something this aggressive in and of itself could cause the death of most elderly people, and oftentimes, it simply can't be recommended in lieu of making the person as comfortable as possible. My grandmother never entertained the idea of getting treatment for her cancer at her age (88, but reasonably similar to McCain at 80). Regardless, with treatment, you're still looking at about 14 months for this type of cancer. Without, he'll be lucky to make it through the year. This DOES explain his recent behavior at the Comey hearings. Many people (including myself) thought something was seriously wrong with him, in a medical sense, after his questions.
I don't really see how the United States is exploiting Iraq today.
If you're thinking we exploited Iraq for access to its oil, that's not what happened. The rights to Iraq's oil wells were set up for auction, and China's state-owned enterprises bought them up by bidding low. Chinese SEOs can afford to bid artificially low because the Chinese government supports them; profits come second to the national interest. China has a habit of buying up natural resources across the globe to assert their control over critical resources, like when they restricted the exports of heavy metals to punish Japan.
The U.S. didn't take Iraq's oil. China bought it.
An awful lot of US contractors and companies made an awful lot of money in the aftermath of the invasion, infamously including Halliburton.
That being said, I doubt that was the real reason Iraq was invaded; allowing US companies to feast on Iraq's carcass like vultures is simply Republican modus operandi. The real reason is probably just the ridiculous but sincere belief that Saddam Hussein was dangerous and could cause another 9/11, since that's what I've heard from accounts by people who knew Bush and Cheney, and to a lesser extent other administration officials. They believed their tainted unreliable evidence and their tainted unreliable informants because they wanted to believe them, and in that they weren't much different than anyone else.
People want the war in Iraq and its architects to be cartoonishly evil, but in fact it was completely mundane. It was executed incompetently in some respects, but being executed "competently" would not actually have much changed the end result.
The real problem is that nobody could stop them (not that the Democrats and media even tried, by and large), and noone ever faced real consequences for the horrific amount of death and destruction they caused, which far eclipsed the sum total of everything every "terrorist" put together has accomplished in the last 50 years.
I don't really see how the United States is exploiting Iraq today.
If you're thinking we exploited Iraq for access to its oil, that's not what happened. The rights to Iraq's oil wells were set up for auction, and China's state-owned enterprises bought them up by bidding low. Chinese SEOs can afford to bid artificially low because the Chinese government supports them; profits come second to the national interest. China has a habit of buying up natural resources across the globe to assert their control over critical resources, like when they restricted the exports of heavy metals to punish Japan.
The U.S. didn't take Iraq's oil. China bought it.
An awful lot of US contractors and companies made an awful lot of money in the aftermath of the invasion, infamously including Halliburton.
That being said, I doubt that was the real reason Iraq was invaded; allowing US companies to feast on Iraq's carcass like vultures is simply Republican modus operandi. The real reason is probably just the ridiculous but sincere belief that Saddam Hussein was dangerous and could cause another 9/11, since that's what I've heard from accounts by people who knew Bush and Cheney, and to a lesser extent other administration officials. They believed their tainted unreliable evidence and their tainted unreliable informants because they wanted to believe them, and in that they weren't much different than anyone else.
People want the war in Iraq and its architects to be cartoonishly evil, but in fact it was completely mundane. It was executed incompetently in some respects, but being executed "competently" would not actually have much changed the end result.
The real problem is that nobody could stop them (not that the Democrats and media even tried, by and large), and noone ever faced real consequences for the horrific amount of death and destruction they caused, which far eclipsed the sum total of everything every "terrorist" put together has accomplished in the last 50 years.
The idea that Saddam was a threat to us, even as the debate was taking place, was laughable. He couldn't even maintain control of certain parts of his own country controlled by the Kurds. We also have pretty reliable accounts that Rumsfeld and Cheney were looking for ANY pretext to invade Iraq merely hours and days after 9/11 took place. UN weapon inspectors told everyone there was nothing there that was of any danger to us. So did Joe Wilson. Lo and behold, not a single thing ever materialized (though to this day the mantra on the far-right is that the WMD were somehow "smuggled" into Syria). I 100% believe Cheney and Rumsfeld knew the entire rational for the war was bullshit. Bush....eh, who knows. Before Trump, he was easily the stupidest man to ever hold the office in modern history. Cheney wanted the war for ideological and monetary reasons, and Karl Rove wanted it for political reasons to run on in the mid-terms. Beyond that, even if every Democrat in Congress had voted against the authorization of force, even if they had somehow lost those votes in Republican-controlled chambers, they STILL would have found a way to wage a ground war. War was never declared regardless. It wasn't the Congress who didn't stop them. It was the American people. There was a bloodlust back then that had to be sated, and it took an American city drowning and the economy collapsing before the country woke up from it. The moment those towers fell, the Iraq War was predestined to take place.
I would encourage everyone to read the major excerpts from Trump's interview with the NY Times that was released tonight. It's becoming more and more evident that there is a crime family operating out of the White House. In no particular order, he says he never would have made Sessions AG if he'd known he would have recused himself from Russia (basically admitting that he expected him to run interference and squash everything), warns Robert Mueller to stay away from Trump family finances (which is exactly where this is going), and says that Rod Rosenstein must be a Democrat because he is "from Baltimore". Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Paul Manafort was in debt over $17 million dollars to Russian interests when he became Trump's campaign chairman. Despite this massive debt, he took this job for....no pay whatsoever. How curious.
For those paying close attention to the endless stream of Trump/Russia stories, I highly recommend 538's two part series on the use of unnamed sources, and how reliable they and the stories based on them are likely to be:
Imho, the towers being destroyed was an assault, and unfortunately Americans are practically force-fed the macho ideal (by their entertainment naturally) that demands not thought and introspection but retaliation. There was no real need to connect either Afghanistan or Iraq to Al Qaeda beyond religion, as Muslims were Othered. In truth there was no connection whatsoever, as Al Qaeda was primarily Saudi, the supposed allies. Once Othered, any Muslim country was fair game, and the two chosen were selected because they had no proper army; Afghanistan wasn't organized enough to have a real army, and Iraq had been largely demilitarized in the first war. I suspect there was an honest hope that both would be quick as a result, but if they weren't, it would be 'proof' of the violent nature of Muslims, so there really was no 'lose' situation. Its not a coicidence that Iran wasn't invaded. As Iraq was actually a rich, developed nation in a desperate situation trade-wise, I suspect there was also the hope that Iraq would be a client state after it's 'belligerent' government was overthrown, back to buying American guns to harass Iran and any hostile Arabs. Israel is a wonderful distraction in the Middle East, but it has no interest in subverting its interests ever in any way; it's too independent, despite giving the rest of the Middle East something to be angry at other than the US.
I honestly think Arabs enjoy dealing with Trump because he's more than a bit racist. GWB had many faults, but I never felt he was a racist. Arabs love seeing him swallow his pride and pretend he likes them, the same reason I think they gave him money; it must irk Trump on a profound level to have to deal with Arabs.
Heh, Trump seems like he's gettin ready to throw some more 'under the bus'. Sounds like Sessions it gettin his heat now.
For some reason I was thinking of Jack Nickolson in A Few Good Men, if you grill Trump enough he'll end up like him in that court room and just blurt it all out. Would be a real hoot for sure. Just say it man, just say it, you know you want to. Yeah right, I know wishful thinking. Chaos can bring about a re-ordering of things. We could use it, fot darn sure. There is just not enough change yet, something BIG need's to go down.
Just plain ol meddling with folks, from people that have butts the shape of the seat of their congressional chairs, as it has always been.
Darn money and greed. Just seems like it makes the whole world go round. No not literally of course, but I would think many can understand what i mean.
Heh, Trump seems like he's gettin ready to throw some more 'under the bus'. Sounds like Sessions it gettin his heat now.
For some reason I was thinking of Jack Nickolson in A Few Good Men, if you grill Trump enough he'll end up like him in that court room and just blurt it all out. Would be a real hoot for sure. Just say it man, just say it, you know you want to. Yeah right, I know wishful thinking. Chaos can bring about a re-ordering of things. We could use it, fot darn sure. There is just not enough change yet, something BIG need's to go down.
Just plain ol meddling with folks, from people that have butts the shape of the seat of their congressional chairs, as it has always been.
Trump has already had about 3 or 4 "You're damn right I did!!!" moments. He is, in fact, JUST like Nicholson in that movie. He can't stand the fact that people are questioning what to him seems perfectly normal. He walked into this thinking he could run the US Government like his private company. Trump is the kind of stupid that is too dumb to realize just how dumb he is. He bought his own hype long ago, and he is convinced he can bluster his way out of it like he has everything up to this point. Maybe he is right, but it won't be because he wasn't guilty. He is. The whole damn clan is. Trump was smack-dab in the middle of New York real estate in the 70s and 80s. This guy has been around the mob his whole life. He is running the White House like the Gambino family (minus the murder). Specifically the John Gotti-era Gambino family. Gotti thought he was untouchable too. The people in Gotti's neighborhood LOVED him. The media couldn't get enough of him. He beat the rap so many times he was called the "Teflon Don". Until he wasn't. Eventually, his closest confidante, Sammy Gravano, turned on him when he was facing life without parole. And you know what?? The Teflon Don died in a Super-Max prison.
So yeah, Trump, to your point, ordered the code red. And just like Tom Cruise surmised in the movie, like Nicholson, he is dying to say it because the idea that he has to deny it is an unbearable strain on his ego (and there is nothing of Trump left BUT his ego). He is already telling you he ordered it. You just have to know what you are listening for. The game to him now, the action for him, is whether we are all going to be the chumps he thinks we are and let him get away with it.
Bummer about McCain, that's terrible for anyone to face , frigging old age creeps around in wait however. I never much cared for him but I really respect his stance on torture, given his history, and especially the fact he walked out of a meeting once when the effectiveness (or something) of it was brought up.
He was also throwing Senator Heller under the bus, basically threatening to run someone or more than one person against him.
This is how dictatorships get started by making it a one party system by fixing elections (election integrity commision anyone?) and kicking anyone out of the ruling party that disagrees with the dear leader.
The exploitation was not in the form of taking iraqs oil or gold or something.
It was enrichment of defense contractors. Sales of munitions. Security costs. Billions of dollars paid to American companies for nothing. These American companies took taxpayer money hand over fist. They're still doing it. CEOs rolling in cash. The situation in Iraq is just a pretext to give away money.
Matter of fact Trump's talking about privatizing Afghanistan security costs now. Another excuse to just give away money without accountability or oversight or any reason.
I couldn't agree more with this. There has been a huge amount of criticism for the failure to plan for what happened after the Iraq war, but I think the miserable performance there has at least as much to do with the inappropriate application of the profit motive as lack of initial planning.
Comments
For the first....only 45% of Trump voters believe Don Jr. had a meeting with the Russians. Mind you, this has nothing to do with the content or merits of the meeting itself, or what you think of them, but rather that it happened at all. Less than half of Trump voters believe a meeting that Don Jr. ADMITTED to taking and provided an email transcript of, actually took place. The other 55% either don't know, or don't believe it happened. Where is the conversation supposed to start with people when you can't even agree on the basic terms of reality?? This would be like sitting down for a discussion with 10 sports fans and 6 of them refusing to acknowledge that the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title this year. What exactly would be the point of even sitting down??
The other is 15,000, which is the number of new visas that were issued to immigrant seasonal workers during Trump's "Made in America" week to staff low-wage jobs. We were told by Trump, by Trump supporters, for MONTHS on end, that Americans need these jobs, that they are lining up to take them, and that immigrants were taking these positions away from hard-working Americans. It turns out that either a.) no, Americans DIDN'T want the jobs or b.) Trump was never actually serious about this issue in the first place. And either way, it doesn't matter, because to most Trump voters, these low-wage jobs were never the issue. As has been stated before, the average Trump voter is doing just peachy, coming in at over $70,000 a year. These jobs were never going to affect them in the first place. So what was the REAL reason this issue was so important too them, and why don't they care now?? I suspect it has alot to do with the simple IDEA that Donald Trump is going to keep any more brown people than absolutely necessary out of the country. But guess what?? He isn't even doing that. Incidentally, where are most of these jobs being staffed?? At fisheries, summer resorts and golf courses.
As for health care, I mean, let's get real here: they never had any plan, they haven't had a plan for seven years, and they don't have one now. Republicans don't BELIEVE in governing, so they are incapable of coming up with a plan that isn't going to kick 20-30 million people off health insurance. And enough members a.) didn't think the bill was cruel enough and b.) knew they were going to get eviscerated by constituents if it went through, that it couldn't pass. These people aren't serious about governing. They are great at winning elections, and they will attempt to pass any type of evil legislation that will allow them to give further tax breaks to the 1%, but they don't know or aren't interested in how healthcare in this country actually works and how it affects people. The entire thing has been naked cynicism from the beginning, summed up today by Trump himself, because he can't accept a shred of responsibility:
I'd advise people to remember that quote. What a profile in courage and responsibility as President. "The buck stops anywhere else" Presidency. As soon as he said that, he owns any negative aspects of healthcare going forward. Because he just admitted he wants Americans healthcare coverage to fall apart to help him politically. So why would any reasonable person think he wouldn't continue to try and sabotage the system from the highest levers of government?? And how many loved ones will families have to bury before things reach the point where Donald Trump THINKS he can benefit politically from this??
To summarize: Obamacare is still fully-intact, the Iran deal is still in place, immigrants are still staffing low-wage jobs, there isn't even a hint of a wall, the coal and manufacturing jobs he promised were basically a myth, and the economy is basically in the same place it's been since the beginning of Obama's second-term. These are all things he not only promised his supporters he was going to do, but do nearly IMMEDIATELY. There has been no major legislation or any kind, and his White House is engulfed in what will end up being one of the biggest political scandals in the history of the country less than 9 months into his term. His approval rating seems to be hovering anywhere from 36-40% on any given day and poll, which is comically bad when viewed historically for a first-year Administration. He has launched attacks on the free press that echo Joseph Stalin, for the very simple goal of making it so that his supporters simply do not believe ANY news reports when the big shoes finally drop. And then what?? What happens when 35-40% of the country simply believes in an alternate reality during a Constitutional Crisis, and they think it is all an attack on their Great White Hope in a MAGA hat?? Nothing good. Nothing good at all.
Trump thought the Affordable Care Act, implemented by his predecessor, Obama, was a bad idea. He advocated repealing and replacing it. But he has proven unable to do so. His response?
Let Obamacare fail.
Obama opposed the Iraq War, started by his predecessor, George Bush. Obama thought the war was a bad idea, but when he became president, the situation in Iraq--its stability, its safety, and its status as a democratic state--became his responsibility.
Did Obama say "let Iraq fail?"
No. Nor would any decent person.
Whether you believed he succeeded or not, Obama took responsibility for a problem he did not cause. Trump does not believe that he, as the most powerful man on the planet, has any such responsibility.
This sentence from Trump Jr's email chain is getting wiped from Fox News comments and is mostly skipped on tv:
“This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
So if you didn't know Trump Jr. and presumably Manaford, Kushner, and probably Trump himself were well aware of Russian government support for their campaign.
http://ir.net/news/politics/126060/exclusive-fox-news-caught-censoring-damaging-comments-trump-jr/
My absolute favorite, constant excuse is "I don't recall any such meeting, but if one did take place, I know nothing improper went on", which is an utter impossibility. You cannot possibly state for certain nothing improper went on at a meeting you don't even have any memory of.
Of course, it's failure was inevitable - you can't impose democracy, it has to be a choice embraced by a huge majority of the population.
And opponents of Obamacare would argue the same thing: it's failure is inevitable.
American public opinion was tired of the war and the Iraqis saw it as prolonging a (rightfully) unjust occupation. No President would have countermanded such an agreement. Nothing to gain.
As for the ACA, well sure, when you pull out all the funding and underpinnings behind it, and it falls, can you really say with a straight face "Well, gosh and gee whiz, that was going to happen anyways. So how about that new tax break for millionaires? Gotta buy a new yacht."
If you're thinking we exploited Iraq for access to its oil, that's not what happened. The rights to Iraq's oil wells were set up for auction, and China's state-owned enterprises bought them up by bidding low. Chinese SEOs can afford to bid artificially low because the Chinese government supports them; profits come second to the national interest. China has a habit of buying up natural resources across the globe to assert their control over critical resources, like when they restricted the exports of heavy metals to punish Japan.
The U.S. didn't take Iraq's oil. China bought it.
I didn't say the US was successful, did I? Iraq was supposed to be a bigger, better Israel for the US, since Iran didn't work out as a loyal client state in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia is actually pretty hostile for an ally.
Ever since then, we've lost precious few lives to Islamic terrorism. Al Qaeda exhausted much of its strength on 9/11, and though ISIS has risen as a new threat, it does not seem much interested in waging war against the U.S. like bin Laden attempted to. Instead, it has contented itself with eating up parts of Iraq and Syria, cannibalizing its fellow Muslims.
Terrorists have killed a lot of people, but most of their victims have been in the Middle East itself.
It was enrichment of defense contractors. Sales of munitions. Security costs. Billions of dollars paid to American companies for nothing. These American companies took taxpayer money hand over fist. They're still doing it. CEOs rolling in cash. The situation in Iraq is just a pretext to give away money.
Matter of fact Trump's talking about privatizing Afghanistan security costs now. Another excuse to just give away money without accountability or oversight or any reason.
I don't know what to say. He's one of the few people in our legislature that we know to be a good, honorable man who is dedicated to the country, and not just his campaign contributors.
I hope it's not true. And if it is cancer, I really hope he gets through it. McCain has suffered enough in his life; he deserves better.
It's not just for his sake, either. In times like this, we need people like McCain more than ever.
That being said, I doubt that was the real reason Iraq was invaded; allowing US companies to feast on Iraq's carcass like vultures is simply Republican modus operandi. The real reason is probably just the ridiculous but sincere belief that Saddam Hussein was dangerous and could cause another 9/11, since that's what I've heard from accounts by people who knew Bush and Cheney, and to a lesser extent other administration officials. They believed their tainted unreliable evidence and their tainted unreliable informants because they wanted to believe them, and in that they weren't much different than anyone else.
People want the war in Iraq and its architects to be cartoonishly evil, but in fact it was completely mundane. It was executed incompetently in some respects, but being executed "competently" would not actually have much changed the end result.
The real problem is that nobody could stop them (not that the Democrats and media even tried, by and large), and noone ever faced real consequences for the horrific amount of death and destruction they caused, which far eclipsed the sum total of everything every "terrorist" put together has accomplished in the last 50 years.
When To Trust A Story That Uses Unnamed Sources
Which Anonymous Sources Are Worth Paying Attention To
I hadn't realised, for example, that an unnamed source "in the Justice Department" is actually almost certain to be an official "leak" from there.
I honestly think Arabs enjoy dealing with Trump because he's more than a bit racist. GWB had many faults, but I never felt he was a racist. Arabs love seeing him swallow his pride and pretend he likes them, the same reason I think they gave him money; it must irk Trump on a profound level to have to deal with Arabs.
For some reason I was thinking of Jack Nickolson in A Few Good Men, if you grill Trump enough he'll end up like him in that court room and just blurt it all out. Would be a real hoot for sure. Just say it man, just say it, you know you want to.
Chaos can bring about a re-ordering of things. We could use it, fot darn sure. There is just not enough change yet, something BIG need's to go down.
Just plain ol meddling with folks, from people that have butts the shape of the seat of their congressional chairs, as it has always been.
So yeah, Trump, to your point, ordered the code red. And just like Tom Cruise surmised in the movie, like Nicholson, he is dying to say it because the idea that he has to deny it is an unbearable strain on his ego (and there is nothing of Trump left BUT his ego). He is already telling you he ordered it. You just have to know what you are listening for. The game to him now, the action for him, is whether we are all going to be the chumps he thinks we are and let him get away with it.
I never much cared for him but I really respect his stance on torture, given his history, and especially the fact he walked out of a meeting once when the effectiveness (or something) of it was brought up.
This is how dictatorships get started by making it a one party system by fixing elections (election integrity commision anyone?) and kicking anyone out of the ruling party that disagrees with the dear leader.
With cameras rolling, Trump tries to bully Republican senator into supporting Trumpcare
“He wants to remain a senator, doesn’t he?”
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-threatens-dean-heller-trumpcare-9f0e0ee7bb43