US Politics Thread

[Moxie]

Russia Russia Russia

If these people could write emails like the educated grownups they're supposed to be, it might make some of this easier. It still seems a leap to say that Trump is being blackmailed by Moscow, but there is definitely a reason he's trying to suppress all of these emails, and I don't think it's girls.

 

[Murat B.]

You want to tell us what he said, or should we just guess what you're talking about?

All over the news that is not named CNN or NBC, obviously.

Scott rips Newsom for saying 'I'm like you' before quoting low SAT score to Atlanta crowd

Sen. Tim Scott took exception with comments California Gov. Gavin Newsom made while speaking with a Black elected official over the weekend.

abcnews4.com

 

[Moxie]

All over the news that is not named CNN or NBC, obviously.

Scott rips Newsom for saying 'I'm like you' before quoting low SAT score to Atlanta crowd

Sen. Tim Scott took exception with comments California Gov. Gavin Newsom made while speaking with a Black elected official over the weekend.

abcnews4.com

It snowed here all day, and I didn't watch news beyond the weather. If you think Gavin Newsom is arrogant and presumptive, you should look at yourself. And yeah, Gavin Newsom is arrogant and presumptive. Who the f&%k even discusses their SAT scores 40 years later?

 

[Moxie]

How quickly Trump turns from hot to cold on those who suck up to him, and then don't. Current object of his ire; SCOTUS, for finding against him on tariffs. And now he's trying to ignore them, anyway. This uncertainty, and the unwarranted tariffs, are really hurting a lot of businesses in this country, especially smaller ones.

Trump, in typical retribution mode, says that the Supreme Court is "barely invited" to his State of the Union addresss. (Barely invited? Is he in a teenager?) It escapes his notice that it is Congress that invites him to their chambers to deliver the SOTU address, and SCOTUS is also the guests of Congress, not of Trump. The man barely understands his job. The emperor barely has any clothes on.

'A Disgrace to Our Nation': Trump Attacks Supreme Court After Tariff Ruling

In the wake of a landmark tariffs ruling against him, Trump lambasted the justices and questioned their patriotism.

time.com

 

[Murat B.]

It snowed here all day, and I didn't watch news beyond the weather. If you think Gavin Newsom is arrogant and presumptive, you should look at yourself. And yeah, Gavin Newsom is arrogant and presumptive. Who the f&%k even discusses their SAT scores 40 years later?

I already knew he was presumptive and arrogant. I just did not know how blatantly racist he was...which you seem to have ignored completely.

 

[Moxie]

I already knew he was presumptive and arrogant. I just did not know how blatantly racist he was...which you seem to have ignored completely.

If I say something is racist around here, I get called a racist. I figured I'd let you take it up with those like-minded around here, who say that, just because you say something sounds kind of racist, doesn't mean it is. You should see all of the Charlie Kirk quotes they have justified. So I'm going to let you all work this one out amongst yourselves.

PS at all of you: The answer is not what lefties would have said. Tell me how you rate it.

 

[Federberg]

If I say something is racist around here, I get called a racist. I figured I'd let you take it up with those like-minded around here, who say that, just because you say something sounds kind of racist, doesn't mean it is. You should see all of the Charlie Kirk quotes they have justified. So I'm going to let you all work this one out amongst yourselves.

PS at all of you: The answer is not what lefties would have said. Tell me how you rate it.

lol! I wouldn’t go as far as calling him racist. If this is his pitch he’s a terrible terrible candidate. My goodness that’s just awful!

 

[Murat B.]

Ok these State of the Union stuff is becoming like Oscars...waaaay too long. I almost expected some music to start to usher Trump off the stage !

 

[britbox]

Ok these State of the Union stuff is becoming like Oscars...waaaay too long. I almost expected some music to start to usher Trump off the stage !

Like YMCA?

 

[Federberg]

lol! I wouldn’t go as far as calling him racist. If this is his pitch he’s a terrible terrible candidate. My goodness that’s just awful!

by the way, I felt the same way about Trump claiming he was like blacks who were being persecuted by the law. I didn't think that was racist either, it was just utterly idiotic politics

 

[Federberg]

lol! I find his sports takes annoying but he’s on point about racism imho

 

[Federberg]

you know it's funny, I just watched an advert here in the UK about how folks will need to show photo ID for the local elections in May.

In the past this wasn't required, we got our letters with some information that you would take along with you to your voting location (you have to vote at specific locations, based on your home address). It struck me after watching the advert what a complete non-issue having to take a photo ID along with me would be.

Makes me wonder why in 2026, even the dumbest bumpkin in America can't be relied on to get themselves an ID? Make it make sense...

 

[Federberg]

gotta feel for Hillary, yet again she's being called out for something she had nothing to do with. That was Bill's relationship with Epstein. I really hope that if the Dems win the midterms they get Melania to testify as it's entirely possible that Epstein banged her and passed her on to Trump. Fairs fair!

 

[Federberg]

 

[Murat B.]

gotta feel for Hillary, yet again she's being called out for something she had nothing to do with. That was Bill's relationship with Epstein. I really hope that if the Dems win the midterms they get Melania to testify as it's entirely possible that Epstein banged her and passed her on to Trump. Fairs fair!

View attachment 10617

You are underestimating Hilary. She is ten times smarter than Bill. Plus she is a wife...Wives know everything, especially smart ones like her. Bill took the plane 14 times in a 12 month period and what do you think Bill told Hilary regarding those trips? "Honey, I just went there again to dig another well so the poor island kids have access to fresh water !" ?

 

[Federberg]

You are underestimating Hilary. She is ten times smarter than Bill. Plus she is a wife...Wives know everything, especially smart ones like her. Bill took the plane 14 times in a 12 month period and what do you think Bill told Hilary regarding those trips? "Honey, I just went there again to dig another well so the poor island kids have access to fresh water !" ?

I know you're joking, but you reminded me of the evolution of the narrative of Hillary's abilities. As Bill's star rose, folks would say she was as smart as him. But over the years, it wasn't enough for liberal media anymore... equality? pfffff! She's better she's smarter. It's fascinating how it's gone over time. People forget that not only was Bill a political genius, even his enemies would admit that, in fact that's why they hated him, but the man was an uber smart Rhodes scholar

 

[Federberg]

one of the weirdest things about the Trump-Putin relationship in this second term is the fact that Trump is so obviously supportive of Russia as it prosecutes it's illegal war against Ukraine. We see it in the way he talks, the lies he tells about Ukraine's culpability in the conflict. But on the flip side, how does one get around the fact that Trump has now decapitated two of Putin's most important allies? First there was Maduro - Venezuela was the country most aligned with Russia on sanctions busting with the shadow fleet. They permitted Russian crude to be mixed in with Venezuelan crude and thus evaded international sanctions. And now, Trump, along with Israel, has killed the Iranian leadership. Iran as we know has been supplying shaheed drones to the Russians. While the Russians now have the capacity to manufacture the drones themselves, I believe the Iranians still maintained part of the supply chain. So this is unquestionably a severe blow for Putin and the Russian war machine.

How do we get around the fact that on the one hand Trump is supporting Putin, but on the other hand he has severely damaged Russia's ability to continue with the war, by removing some of Russia's most die hard allies. It's super weird! It's almost as if Trump is afraid to confront Putin directly, but is still indirectly doing what he can to hurt Russia badly. Almost as if Putin has something really dangerous on the man.

I can't wait to read the book, or watch the documentary to explain all of this sometime in the future! It's going to make compelling reading!

 

[Moxie]

one of the weirdest things about the Trump-Putin relationship in this second term is the fact that Trump is so obviously supportive of Russia as it prosecutes it's illegal war against Ukraine. We see it in the way he talks, the lies he tells about Ukraine's culpability in the conflict. But on the flip side, how does one get around the fact that Trump has now decapitated two of Putin's most important allies? First there was Maduro - Venezuela was the country most aligned with Russia on sanctions busting with the shadow fleet. They permitted Russian crude to be mixed in with Venezuelan crude and thus evaded international sanctions. And now, Trump, along with Israel, has killed the Iranian leadership. Iran as we know has been supplying shaheed drones to the Russians. While the Russians now have the capacity to manufacture the drones themselves, I believe the Iranians still maintained part of the supply chain. So this is unquestionably a severe blow for Putin and the Russian war machine.

How do we get around the fact that on the one hand Trump is supporting Putin, but on the other hand he has severely damaged Russia's ability to continue with the war, by removing some of Russia's most die hard allies. It's super weird! It's almost as if Trump is afraid to confront Putin directly, but is still indirectly doing what he can to hurt Russia badly. Almost as if Putin has something really dangerous on the man.

I can't wait to read the book, or watch the documentary to explain all of this sometime in the future! It's going to make compelling reading!

You make interesting points, but I don't think we can only read Trump's choices via the lens of Russia. I don't think he really has one coherent plan. We talk about him making choices to distract Americans from his poor polling numbers, and the economy, and ICE, etc. But we also have to remember that he, himself, is easily distractible. He ping pongs around the globe, alighting to fixate on something briefly, then caroms off to something else. And we know he's surrounded himself with sycophants, not statesmen, so it really is all about Trump, and which shiny objected he's distracted by at any given moment.

As to Venezuela, I think it's less about Putin than it is about Cuba, IMO. He's starving them into submission. And here, I do think Rubio has his ear.

As to Iran, Trump had the ability to illuminate for Congress and the American people what he was hoping to do in Iran, and passed on the opportunity. As many have said, no one is sad that Khamenei is dead. But there is no opposition organization to fill the void. Reza Pahlavi is gaming for the slot. I'm curious to know what @brokenshoelace thinks about all of this.

 

[Federberg]

You make interesting points, but I don't think we can only read Trump's choices via the lens of Russia. I don't think he really has one coherent plan. We talk about him making choices to distract Americans from his poor polling numbers, and the economy, and ICE, etc. But we also have to remember that he, himself, is easily distractible. He ping pongs around the globe, alighting to fixate on something briefly, then caroms off to something else. And we know he's surrounded himself with sycophants, not statesmen, so it really is all about Trump, and which shiny objected he's distracted by at any given moment.

As to Venezuela, I think it's less about Putin than it is about Cuba, IMO. He's starving them into submission. And here, I do think Rubio has his ear.

As to Iran, Trump had the ability to illuminate for Congress and the American people what he was hoping to do in Iran, and passed on the opportunity. As many have said, no one is sad that Khamenei is dead. But there is no opposition organization to fill the void. Reza Pahlavi is gaming for the slot. I'm curious to know what @brokenshoelace thinks about all of this.

your points are fair, but to clarify what I was doing was looking at the impact of his actions on Russia-Ukraine. I guess the conclusion is that he is utterly unreliable as a partner. The only thing that makes sense is his sociopathy and limitless corruption or the fact that Putin does indeed have some sort of leverage... or both! That's the only framework that makes sense when you really sit down and think about it. It sure as hell isn't 4D chess

 

[brokenshoelace]

gotta feel for Hillary, yet again she's being called out for something she had nothing to do with. That was Bill's relationship with Epstein. I really hope that if the Dems win the midterms they get Melania to testify as it's entirely possible that Epstein banged her and passed her on to Trump. Fairs fair!

View attachment 10617

While I get the sentiment, we should never ever "feel for Hilary." She is an absolute ghoul and deserves everything bad that happens to her.