The Era of rivalry, Biden vs. Trump and their respective parties

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Sandy Shanks, Jul 31, 2022.

  1. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ABC reports, "MONTEREY PARK, Calif. -- President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday aiming at increasing background checks to buy guns, promoting more secure firearms storage and ensuring U.S. law enforcement agencies get more out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer.

    "The Democratic president was to address his latest efforts to curb gun violence in a speech in this suburban Los Angeles community, where a gunman stormed a dance hall and shot 20 people, killing 11, following a Lunar New Year celebration in January. He was also meeting with families of victims and with first responders from that day.

    "But the president has only limited power on guns to go beyond bipartisan legislation passed by Congress last summer after the killings last year of 10 shoppers at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store and 19 students and two teachers at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school."
     
  2. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Sandy Shanks said:
    "As in 2016, early polls of next year’s contest show the Republican electorate is again sharply dividing about former President Donald Trump along lines of education. In both state and national surveys measuring support for the next Republican nomination, Trump is consistently running much better among GOP voters without a college education than among those with a four-year or graduate college degree," CNN
    *****************************************************************************************************************************************************
    There is little wonder why the forum's Republicans don't say much when it comes to today's important issues. I would be embarrassed, too, if I supported the two leading Republican candidates for the Presidency in 2024, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

    It is okay with Trump and Desantis if Russia is rewarded for her naked aggression against Ukraine. It is okay with both of them that Ukraine becomes another Russian province. How embarrassing.

    Without America's help in providing weaponry, ammo, and funds, Ukraine would have succumbed months ago to much larger Russian military. Trump and Desantis think it is not in our interests to do so.

    The Hill
    reports, "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has made a dramatic intervention in the national debate on Ukraine — and the reverberations are big.

    "In response to a questionnaire from Tucker Carlson of Fox News, DeSantis declared that the war between Russia and Ukraine was merely a “territorial dispute” — and one that does not involve America’s “vital national interests.”

    "DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a presidential campaign in the coming months, also contended, “We cannot prioritize intervention in an escalating foreign war over the defense of our own homeland” — a reference to the situation at the southern border."

    That last statement is completely false, but it sounds good to the less educated rural voters in the Republican Party.

    This sounds good to them, too.

    "Trump claimed that he could settle the Ukraine war “in no longer than one day,” The Hill.

    "In a separate recent radio interview with Sean Hannity, [the former President] indicated he would be willing to let Russia “take over something” as the price of peace, adding “you could’ve worked a deal.”

    "Take over something?" What the hell is he talking about?

    Since Republicans can't speak up, others sympathetic to their position have to do it for them.

    The forum's Republicans are too ashamed to speak up. Their silence on the issues of this report will continue.
     
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  3. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Republicans are interested in expanding the role of government. They want to control elections, women's health, and now education.

    ABC reports, "Texas officials on Wednesday announced a state takeover of Houston's nearly 200,000-student public school district, the eighth-largest in the country, acting on years of threats and angering Democrats who assailed the move as political.

    "The announcement, made by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's education commissioner, Mike Morath, amounts to one of the largest school takeovers ever in the U.S. It also deepens a high-stakes rift between Texas' largest city, where Democrats wield control, and state Republican leaders, who have sought increased authority following election fumbles and COVID-19 restrictions.

    "The takeover is the latest example of Republican and predominately white state officials pushing to take control of actions in heavily minority and Democratic-led cities. They include St. Louis and Jackson, Mississippi, where the Legislature is pushing to take over the water system and for an expanded role for state police and appointed judges."
     
  4. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    This is not good.

    CNN reports, "The Russian downing of a US drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday has prompted a diplomatic spat and a race to recover some highly classified technology.

    "The White House slammed Moscow’s actions as “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless” while Russia’s defense ministry denied its aircraft came into contact with the drone.

    "The drone – a US-made MQ-9 Reaper – and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea on Tuesday when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle several times, a statement from US European Command said.

    "The aircraft then hit the propeller of the drone, prompting the drone’s remote operators to bring the MQ-9 drone down in international waters. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder added Tuesday that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding just after 7 a.m. Central European Time.

    "Despite the history of encounters in the Black Sea, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine heightens has heightened tensions in the region. The US European Command said in its press release on Tuesday that the incident “could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation.”

    "And what will become of the downed Reaper and its highly classified payload? According to the NSC’s Kirby, the US is not confident it will be able to successfully find wreckage in the Black Sea."

    “I’m not sure we are going to be able to recover it,” Kirby said.

    "The US military wiped the secret software from the MQ-9 Reaper drone before it crashed into the Black Sea<" CNN.
     
  5. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    "My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time... Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.

    British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain spoke those ominous words to the British people in September, 1938, shortly after returning from Munich after making a deal with Adolf Hitler.
    A year later, Hitler invaded Poland, igniting World War Two -- the most calamitous war in human history.

    History repeats itself. In February, 2022, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation bordering Poland.

    The leading Republicans for the Presidency in 2024, Donald Trump and Ron Desantis -- the best Republicans can offer -- are playing the role of Neville Chamberlain. They both think fighting for Ukrainian democracy and stopping Putin in his tracks is not worth our effort.

    In response to a questionnaire from Tucker Carlson of Fox News, DeSantis declared that the war between Russia and Ukraine was merely a “territorial dispute” — and one that does not involve America’s “vital national interests.

    In a recent radio interview with Sean Hannity, Trump indicated he would be willing to let Russia “take over something” as the price of peace, adding “you could’ve worked a deal.”

    Since these two are prominent in next year's Presidential race, it is readily apparent that this is what the rural grassroots Republican voter wants.

    Since Republicans seem incapable of speaking for themselves, others have to assume that role for them based on what they do and/or approve. They chose our President in 2016. Will we allow them to do it again?
     
  6. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Here are the Republicans who have responded to DeSantis on his Ukraine-Russia comments. For some reason they don't mention Trump who shares the same view.

    “Well, it’s not a territorial dispute in the sense that any more than it would be a territorial dispute if the United States decided that it wanted to invade Canada or take over the Bahamas,” Senator Rubio said.

    “If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin loses in Ukraine, then the world resets in all the right ways,” Senator Graham said on Twitter. “If he wins in Ukraine and the west capitulates just like in the past, more conflict is coming. When it comes to Putin, you either pay now or pay later.”

    “I’m disturbed by it. I think he’s a smart guy,” Senator Cornyn told Politico. “I want to find out more about it, but I hope he feels like he doesn’t need to take that Tucker Carlson line to be competitive in the primary. It’s important for us to continue to support Ukrainians for our own security.”

    “Putin wants nothing more than to push the United States away from our support of Ukraine and prevent us from rolling back his destructive policies,” Senator Wicker said. “We must choose to project strength against our adversary, not appease this dictator with words or so-called ‘de-escalation.'”

    “I think we have to look better than just the conflict in Ukraine,” Senator Tillis said. “There’s a humanitarian crisis. There are war crimes being committed.”

    Will all this influence the grassroots Republican voter? Hell, no. He won't even know about these comments. They pay no attention to remarks that slam their favorite Republican.
     
  7. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    As expected, no response from the forum's Republicans.

    The two leading Republicans for the Presidency in 2024 are willing to surrender to Vladimir Putin, but not the Poles. Not Americans, either. The Republican leaders are an aberration from the rest of America, as are, apparently, those who support them.

    NPR reports, "Polish President Andrzej Duda says his country will deliver four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in "the next few days," making Poland the first NATO country to supply fighter planes to Ukraine.

    "Ukraine has long urgently requested warplanes to fight Russian forces. Poland, one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in its fight against Russia, has often taken the lead in persuading sometimes hesitant allies to provide Kyiv with heavy weapons. Duda hinted that Poland may send additional fighter jets in the coming weeks.

    "Slovakia, a fellow NATO member, is also likely to send planes in the coming weeks.

    "Ukraine has also been asking for U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, but the Biden administration has repeatedly turned down the request. The United States says it would take too long to train Ukrainian pilots on them, and maintenance and logistics would be too complicated to manage during an ongoing conflict.

    "Unlike F-16s and other fighter jets, Ukraine has been flying Soviet-era MiG-29s for decades and could start using them right away."
     
  8. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    If all the criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump end in conviction, then Trump will be a true renaissance man of crime.

    Vox reports, "The FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida residence because, as federal prosecutors said in a fiery court filing in August, they believed not only did the former president possess “dozens” of boxes “likely to contain classified information” but also that “efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” In that search, the FBI said it did remove over 100 classified documents, some of which reportedly contained information about nuclear weapons. That’s all part of just one investigation into possible violations of the Espionage Act, the improper handling of federal records, and obstruction of a federal investigation.

    "Meanwhile, a second federal investigation is looking into the January 6 attack on the Capitol and broader efforts to overturn the 2020 election, an issue that obviously could implicate Trump into possible insurrection, treason, and obstruction. Trump's own words on that day indict him.

    "In Georgia, a number of Trump allies were subpoenaed as part of a state criminal investigation into interference with the 2020 election in their state specifically. Trump told the state’s top election official that he wants “to find 11,780 votes.'"
    "Then there are two separate New York investigations into the Trump Organization and Trump’s web of surrounding businesses, which are investigating allegations that Trump misrepresented his companies’ finances in order to obtain bank loans or to reduce taxes."
    Of secondary importance is Trump's payoff to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, and the illegal use of campaign funds.
    But something is wrong here.
    Trump's theft of classified documents occurred over two years ago, and the DOJ has been investigating the matter for over a year and has piles of evidence.

    Trump's call to far-right extremist groups to occupy our capitol and overthrow the elected government occurred over two years ago, and the DOJ has been investigating the matter for over a year and has piles of evidence. A diligent House committee spent a year investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

    Trump's attempt's to change the vote in Georgia was over two years ago.

    Trump has been committing tax fraud for years, and the CFO of the Trump Organization has been sentenced to prison.

    Trump's tryst with Daniels occurred over seven years ago.

    Some prosecutors and experts say Trump will be indicted "soon." They have been saying that for months.

    All this begs a question.

    Will the Republican candidate for the Presidency ever be indicted for anything?
     
  9. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The Slavs, too, are showing great courage in the face of a daunting enemy right on their doorstep.

    Reuters reports, "Slovakia on Friday became the second of Ukraine's allies to provide MIG-29 fighter jets which Kyiv believes are crucial to repel Russia's year-long invasion.

    "Slovakia joined Poland, which announced its delivery of the planes on Thursday. Both the NATO members neighbour Ukraine.

    "Slovakia will also supply part of its KUB air-defence system, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said."

    "Today, the government decided and unanimously approved an international agreement (on the donation)," Heger said.

    "The process of handing over these fighter jets is closely coordinated with the Polish side, with Ukraine and, of course, with other allies," he said.

    The top two Republicans want to give up.
     
  10. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The Russian pilots who brought down an American drone should have been court-martialed or the Russian equivalent. Instead, they are being rewarded. Does Putin want to bring Russia down with him? it would seem so. He is now a wanted man.

    ABC reports, "Russian fighter pilots involved in an incident with a U.S. drone that resulted in its crash will be given state awards, the Defense Ministry announced Friday. The move appears to signal Moscow's intention to adopt a more aggressive stance toward future U.S. surveillance flights.

    "On Friday, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu lauded the pilots for preventing the drone from flying into the area that Moscow has banned for flights. The Defense Ministry emphasized that the ban was “in line with international norms.”
     
  11. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

    The government has recovered more than 300 documents with classified markings from Trump since he left office. The first batch of documents was returned in January, another set provided by Trump’s aides to the Justice Department in June and the material seized by the F.B.I. in its search at Mar-a-Lago.

    As President, Trump conducted a three-month campaign to overthrow our elected government, culminating on Jan. 6, 2021.

    “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
    “When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
    “We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
    "Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
    **********************************************************************************************Donald J. Trump, Jan. 6, 2021

    Pro-Russian Trump says Russia is not the enemy.

    Fox News provided Trump's speech in which he made his sentiments known. There is no ambiguity.

    "Our foreign policy establishment keeps trying to pull the world into conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia based on the lie that Russia represents our greatest threat," Trump said in a video first posted to his Truth Social account. "But the greatest threat to Western civilization today is not Russia. It's probably more than anything else ourselves and some of the horrible, USA-hating people that represent us," Donald Trump.

    No more needs to be said.
     
  12. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Trump and House Republicans are making complete fools of themselves, and the less educated rural voters in the Republican Party love it.

    Americans have learned not to believe anything Trump says. Speaker McCarthy is calling for still another investigation based on what Trump said.

    Trump made the baseless claim that he is going to be arrested on Tuesday.

    Yeah! Believe it. Trump actually said that, prompting McCarthy's investigation based solely on what Trump said.

    Politico reports, "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday said he would direct House committees to investigate the Manhattan district attorney’s potential prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

    "Trump on Saturday predicted on Truth Social that he would be arrested next week [Tuesday, Trump said] in the probe over his handling of a hush-money payment during his 2016 presidential campaign, prompting a slew of Republican allies to express their outrage."

    So, instead of investigating the circumstances of Trump's impending arrest, Republicans are going after the prosecutor.

    This morning Trump's lawyers blamed the media for Trump's ambiguous claim.

    This is unbelievable. Republicans look like idiots.
     
  13. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    House Republicans are going to extraordinary lengths to try to defend Donald Trump ahead of a potential indictment, even as they acknowledge they don’t know the full scope of any potential charges.

    They also don't know what Trump did. Or they do know, but they ignore the circumstances of Trump's alleged crimes, and blame the Democrats.

    In a nutshell, this is what happened according to Business Insider.

    "Porn star and director Stormy Daniels met Donald Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in July 2006, and the two allegedly began an affair.

    "He was married to Melania Trump at the time, who had just given birth to their son Barron.

    "Just weeks before the 2016 presidential election, Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen paid $130,000 so Daniels would keep silent about the alleged affair, which Trump has denied.

    "In January 2018, news of the hush money broke, and Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was thrust into the national spotlight."


    "> [​IMG]

    Business Insider continued, "In August 2018, Cohen struck a plea deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to eight federal crimes, including one count of making an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an illegal campaign finance contribution.

    "The contribution was made on October 27, 2016 — the day a $130,000 payment to Daniels was finalized. Trump directed him to make the illegal payment to Daniels in order to influence the election."

    Trump denies the affair existed. That is contrary to known facts. The fact that he paid Daniels $130,000 makes it self-evident that the affair existed, and that would have been catastrophic to his election campaign.

    Little wonder as to why House Republicans do not want to talk about Trump's involvement. Instead, they focus on the prosecutor and the Democrats. That is standard procedure for House Republicans -- avoid the obvious and change the subject.

    Senate Republicans are strangely quiet.
     
  14. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    CNN reports, "Three key House GOP chairmen took the extraordinary step on Monday of seeking to intervene in an investigation into Donald Trump ahead of potential criminal charges the former president may face. The move underscores the lengths House Republicans are going to try to defend Trump ahead of a potential indictment, even as they acknowledge they don’t know the full scope of any potential charges.

    "The three chairmen – House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, House Oversight Chairman James Comer and House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil – sent a letter calling for testimony from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and criticizing his investigation into Trump as an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.” It’s the latest effort by House Republicans to try to muddy the waters ahead of the possibility that Trump could become the first former president ever to be indicted.

    "Jordan argued that Trump didn’t commit a crime while acknowledging he didn’t know the potential charges.

    "The three chairmen write that they intend to investigate whether Bragg and his office used federal public safety funds as part of its grand jury investigation into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels. upload_2023-3-20_17-12-49.gif

    “Your decision to pursue such a politically motivated prosecution … requires congressional scrutiny about how public safety funds appropriated by Congress are implemented by local law enforcement agencies,” the chairmen wrote.

    Many tend to think Bragg was motivated by Trump's questionable payout to a porn star.

    Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on House Judiciary Committee, tweeted that Republicans “tie themselves in knots protecting” Trump “at the expense of the American people, law enforcement, and our legal system.”
     

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    Last edited: Mar 20, 2023
  15. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    House Republicans are vehemently defending Trump. What is interesting is that none of them are claiming Trump is innocent.

    Instead, they lie. “This was personal money,” McCarthy told reporters when he was asked if he has concerns with the allegations Trump is facing in Manhattan.

    Trump's lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, was imprisoned because Trump used his own money? McCarthy is not only incompetent, he is downright stupid. It is hard to believe he said that.

    McCarthy's problems do not end there.

    ABC reported, "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday again ripped into the Manhattan district attorney when asked about the potential charges against Donald Trump at a news conference at the House GOP retreat in Orlando while seemingly growing frustrated with reporters after multiple questions about the former president who has continued to dominate the news cycle.

    "McCarthy was asked directly if had concerns specifically about Trump's alleged conduct regarding a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and quickly pivoted to talking about Hillary Clinton and did not answer the question -- before instead targeting the Manhattan DA."

    That is standard procedure for House Republicans -- avoid the obvious issue, change the subject, and target the tormentor. That is exactly what House Republicans are doing -- avoid Trump's involvement entirely and blame the prosecutor and the Democrats.

    "What we see before us is a political game being played by a local ... Look this isn't New York City, this is just a Manhattan, this is just a borough DA. Okay," McCarthy said.
     
  16. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    CNN reports, "Donald Trump’s Republican allies in the House are doing what the former president taught them to do – use government power to try to keep his legal threats at bay.

    "After Trump warned he could be arrested, his allies have been using their new House majority to demand Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s testimony and seek to thwart his investigation relating to an alleged hush money payment to an adult film star before the 2016 election. It looks like an extraordinary attempt to influence an open grand jury investigation.

    "In fact, the House GOP appears to be using the exact same tactic they accuse the Biden administration, Bragg and any other investigators on Trump’s trail of employing – weaponizing the powers of government to advance a partisan political end."

    Fox News reports, "Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has issued a statement after top House Republicans demanded that Bragg testify to Congress on a possible indictment of former President Donald Trump.

    "We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law," a spokesperson for Bragg’s office told Fox News Digital.

    "A grand jury will reconvene on Wednesday to continue to weigh charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with the Manhattan district attorney's probe into the 2016 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels," ABC.

    Wednesday? Trump had it wrong again, but his campaign coffer grew because he played his rural base for suckers.

    The forum's Republicans remain totally silent about all this. Apparently, they are incapable of responding.
     
  17. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    "White Americans without college degrees helped propel Donald Trump to an upset victory in the 2016 election and have been one of his most supportive subgroups during his presidency. The group's support for Trump may largely reflect their political leanings as much as their affinity for Trump, as currently, 59% of non-college whites identify as Republicans.," Gallup.

    In defending Donald Trump there are examples of certain Republicans elected to Congress whose education levels were on par with the rural base of the Republican Party.

    “This was personal money.” Speaker McCarthy was referring to the hush money from campaign funds paid to a porn star.

    "The D.A. should be put in jail," Senator Rand Paul. He couldn't provide a reason for the jail time.
     
  18. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Trump imagines himself to be a T.V. star.

    The Guardian reports, "Donald Trump has told advisers that he wants to be handcuffed when he makes an appearance in court, if he is indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for his role in paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, multiple sources close to the former president have said.

    "The former president has reasoned that since he would need to go to the courthouse and surrender himself to authorities for fingerprinting and a mug shot anyway, the sources said, he might as well turn everything into a “spectacle”."

    Trump is a complete jerk. What does that say about his followers?

    The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

    Vladimir Putin knew his man.

    Since he became our President, Trump has created chaos wherever he goes. About to be indicted on multiple criminal charges, Trump has managed to seriously endanger the American political system, and his followers are giddy with the harm he has caused.

    Republican Senators and Congressmen strongly defend him while ignoring the crimes he has committed.
     
  19. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ABC reports, "Prosecutors in the special counsel's office have presented compelling preliminary evidence that former President Donald Trump knowingly and deliberately misled his own attorneys about his retention of classified materials after leaving office, a top federal judge wrote Friday in a sealed filing.

    "U.S. Judge Beryl Howell wrote last week that prosecutors in special counsel Jack Smith's office had made a "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations," and that attorney-client privileges invoked by two of his lawyers could therefore be voided."

    Trump's lawyers appealed the ruling.

    CNN reports, "Former President Donald Trump’s defense attorney Evan Corcoran is scheduled to testify Friday before the grand jury investigating classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago after a new order from a federal appeals court.

    "The US DC Circuit Court of Appeals said that Corcoran must provide additional testimony and turn over documents about the former president as part of the criminal investigation into possible mishandling of classified documents.

    "The source said Trump’s side is unlikely to appeal to the Supreme Court."

    Note: The Appeals Court moved at light speed.

    "The announcement from a panel of three judges in the appeals court – less than a day after Trump sought to put Corcoran’s testimony on hold – adds momentum to the special counsel investigation as it seeks to secure evidence that could make or break a federal criminal case against Trump," CNN.

    Trump's followers are not aware of any of this.

    Hell, they don't even read this thread.
     
  20. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Incredible as this sounds, it is true. Trump's lead over DeSantis in a mythical Republican primary has increased.

    CNBC reports, "Donald Trump is extending his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will likely start as the former president’s top competitor in the 2024 Republican presidential primary if he runs, according to a poll of a potential GOP field released Wednesday.

    "Quinnipiac University’s latest survey of Republican and Republican-leaning voters found Trump winning 46% of support in a hypothetical GOP primary field, with DeSantis receiving 32%.

    Trump and DeSantis are the best the Republicans can offer in the race for the Presidency.
     
  21. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Geoff Duncan, who served as Georgia’s Republican,lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023, opines, "Once former President Donald Trump predicted his forthcoming arrest in New York City, attention naturally shifted to the Manhattan district attorney. Yet his more serious legal peril may lie 900 miles south in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation into the efforts by pro-Trump forces to overturn the 2020 election continues.

    "It can be difficult to keep the multiple and simultaneous investigations straight, but here is the key distinction between New York’s and Georgia’s. The former involves a probe into Trump’s alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, during his 2016 presidential campaign.

    "The Fulton County investigation is focusing on potential racketeering and conspiracy charges in connection with Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, charges that are more often associated with TV crime dramas like “The Sopranos” than a former president of the United States.

    "With very little exception, the state’s leading Republicans, including Gov. Brian Kemp, have remained out of the fray and have been conspicuously silent.

    "Many of the 75 witnesses interviewed by Willis’ special grand jury — including this author — are Republicans who had voted for Trump in 2020. They had seen his antics first-hand. Many had been on the receiving end of his wrath in his desperate unrealistic attempt to cling to power.

    "There was Trump’s infamous phone call to GOP Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021 demanding he “find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have [sic], because we won this state.”

    "Trump’s actions left the Georgia GOP in ruins. The untold damage will outlive any news cycle about his legal peril. History will not be kind to anyone involved in undermining and overturning a fairly decided election."

    Will Trump's followers elect our President again?
     
  22. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Are Republicans in the House doing anything more than investigating investigations into Donald Trump's countless alleged crimes from paying off a porn star to inciting a failed insurrection to stealing hundreds of pages of classified documents to circumventing the Georgia 2020 Presidential election?

    One example of the House investigations is the peculiar interference into the activities of the Manhattan district attorney. It signals that a number of House Republicans are not very bright.

    Or they are quite desperate. Over the weekend, the former President took to social media to claim he would be arrested on Tuesday, and urged his supporters to protest.

    The man they are trying to protect is the leading Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2024.

    NPR reports, "The New York District Attorney's office investigating former President Donald Trump called Republican requests for its documents and testimony "an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution."

    "The DA's Office will not allow a Congressional investigation to impede the exercise of New York's sovereign police power," General Counsel for the District Attorney of New York County Leslie Dubeck wrote Thursday.

    NPR continued, "Earlier this week, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, House Oversight Committee Chair Jim Comer, R-Ky., and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., sent Bragg a letter demanding documents, communications and testimony related to his investigation of the former president.

    "Bragg's office is investigating Trump over a $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, made just before the 2016 election in order to quiet her allegations of an affair between the two. Trump has denied the affair. A New York grand jury is investigating whether Trump falsified his records of the hush money payment in order to cover up a violation of campaign finance laws."

    In their letter, the three committee chairs completely ignored Trump's involvement and called a possible indictment "an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority."

    Needles to say Bragg is interested in Trump's involvement. Because of that, the three Republican chairs want to investigate the district attorney.

    I can sympathize with the forum's Republicans. Would anyone want to try to defend Republicans, including Trump, in all this?
     
  23. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Sandy Shanks said:
    Incredible as this sounds, it is true. Trump's lead over DeSantis in a mythical Republican primary has increased.
    ************************************************************************************************************************************************
    Sandy Shanks said:
    Vladimir Putin knew his man.

    Since he became our President, Trump has created chaos wherever he goes. About to be indicted on multiple criminal charges, Trump has managed to seriously endanger the American political system, and his followers are giddy with the harm he has caused.
    *************************************************************************************************************************************************

    For the Presidency in 2024, Trump is the best Republicans can offer.

    And now it seems clear Trump has lost his mind. Little wonder as to why forum Republicans are silent about their party's leader.

    NBC reports, "Former President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against the Manhattan district attorney's probe into a hush money payment made during his 2016 campaign, warning in an overnight post on his Truth Social site about "potential death and destruction" if he is charged in the case.

    "An early Friday post on Truth Social marks Trump's most explicit reference to violence yet, echoing his intensified rhetoric during the events that led-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters."

    This is what Trump posted to his followers -- and everyone else.

    "What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country? Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!"

    Trump likes to play the victim. The Manhattan D.A. is not attacking him. The D.A. is attacking "our ountry."

    In a Thursday post, Trump pushed back on suggestions that people remain calm. "OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!"

    Unless the majority of his fans are anarchists -- which seems to be a strong possibility but we don't know because they don't talk about Trump -- it is difficult to understand why Trump's popularity is increasing.

    We only know that as Trump is fulfilling Vladimir Putin's wildest dreams, he is becoming more popular with the Republican base.
     
  24. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    For Trump matters keep getting worse. It is what happens when a person considers himself to be above the law.

    ABC reports, "A federal judge has rejected former President Donald Trump's claims of executive privilege and has ordered Mark Meadows and other former top aides to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

    "Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff, was subpoenaed along with the other former aides by Special counsel Jack Smith for testimony and documents related to the probe.

    "In a sealed order last week, Judge Beryl Howell rejected Trump's claim of executive privilege for Meadows and a number of others, including Trump's former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, his former national security adviser Robert O'Brien, former top aide Stephen Miller, and former deputy chief of staff and social media director Dan Scavino, according to sources familiar with the matter.

    "Former Trump aides Nick Luna and John McEntee, along with former top DHS official Ken Cuccinelli, were also included in the order, the sources said."

    They represent Trump's closest associates in the White House. Then there is the matter of the stolen classified documents. Trump lost that court case as well.

    The AP reports, "A federal appeals court in a sealed order Wednesday directed a lawyer for Donald Trump to turn over to prosecutors documents in the investigation into the former president’s retention of classified records at his Florida estate.

    "The ruling is a significant win for the Justice Department, which has focused for months not only on the hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago but also on why Trump and his representatives resisted demands to return them to the government. It suggests the court has sided with prosecutors who have argued behind closed doors that Trump was using his legal representation to further a crime."
     
  25. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It is a part of the economic cycle, as much a part of the American economy as free enterprise.

    Inflation only goes away when an economy suffers a recession which in turn causes a loss of jobs.

    The Fed knows that. Everything else they say is politic-speak.

    CNN reports, "One of the biggest unknowns since the Federal Reserve started its historic rate-hiking campaign has been how many jobs could be lost from the central bank’s deliberate effort to slow down the US economy.

    "So far, the labor market has stayed white hot, with unemployment hovering at a half-century low. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s acknowledgment on Wednesday that the banking sector meltdown could lead to “tighter credit conditions for households and businesses, which would in turn affect economic outcomes” has critics reminding him of the human impact of that “Fedspeak:” Millions of people out of work.
     

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