Political Roundtable Part XI

[Wizardspride]

IF true, this doesn't surprise me.

Trump (at least to me) gives off a "Romney-vibe"....meaning someone who is basically a liberal/moderate who'll say crazy "stuff"/lies to appeal to a more conservative base.


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/08/politics/jared-kushner-donald-trump-new-york/index.html
Kushner: Trump didn't believe conspiracy theories

(CNN)Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, personally assured skittish acquaintances the President-elect didn't really believe some of the more outrageous claims he was making, according to a new New York magazine profile.

"Back when Trump was spinning birther conspiracy theories, which were lapped up by gullible Republicans, one person who talked to Kushner says he offered assurances that his father-in-law didn't really believe that stuff," the report says.

[verbal8]

Chris Hedges:

Some thoughts on “Russia’s Influence Campaign Targeting the 2016 US Presidential Election,” the newly released declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

1. The primary purpose of the declassified report, which offers no evidence to support its assertions that Russia hacked the U.S. presidential election campaign, is to discredit Donald Trump. I am not saying there was no Russian hack of John Podesta’s emails. I am saying we have yet to see any tangible proof to back up the accusation. This charge—Sen. John McCain has likened the alleged effort by Russia to an act of war—is the first salvo in what will be a relentless campaign by the Republican and Democratic establishment, along with its corporatist allies and the mass media, to destroy the credibility of the president-elect and prepare the way for impeachment.

The allegations in the report, amplified in breathtaking pronouncements by a compliant corporate media that operates in a non-fact-based universe every bit as pernicious as that inhabited by Trump, are designed to make Trump look like Vladimir Putin’s useful idiot. An orchestrated and sustained campaign of innuendo and character assassination will be directed against Trump. When impeachment is finally proposed, Trump will have little public support and few allies and will have become a figure of open ridicule in the corporate media.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_real_purpose_of_the_us_governments_report_on_alleged_hacking_by_russi

I think hacking Trump's tax returns would be far more effective than manufacturing a source of hacking to make Trump look bad.

Speaking of credibility on what topic is Trump credible?

[verbal8]

Letter from Mitch McConnell to Mitch McConnell with a little help from Chuck Schumer.



http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a52156/schumer-mcconnell-letter/

[nate33]

"Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose."
-- Meryl Streep

Agreed. So perhaps Meryl Streep shouldn't have disrespected our President Elect.

Maybe, as a woman, she felt like she'd already gotten an invitation.

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep? If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

Ultimately, I don't care. As long as the left continues feign outrage over every little tweet Trump makes, they won't be making any real headway into stopping his agenda. Newsflash. Feigned outrage doesn't work anymore.

[AFM]

Whoever runs this account is becoming a master troll



Russian embassy tweeting Pepe

[montestewart]

Agreed. So perhaps Meryl Streep shouldn't have disrespected our President Elect.

Maybe, as a woman, she felt like she'd already gotten an invitation.

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep. If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

Nate, I think we've had this conversation before. Trump habitually references women either in gender-specific negatives or according to their looks. That's not in the past, that's now, that's who he is. If a person finds his characterizations of women persistently demeaning, she or he wouldn't have to feign outrage, although the Streep quote sounds more reasoned than outraged. Trump could try the same in his tweet response, but he really enjoys his pot stirring.

[montestewart]

Whoever runs this account is becoming a master troll



Russian embassy tweeting Pepe

It's probably some kid. What a great job that would be.

[AFM]

Whoever runs this account is becoming a master troll



Russian embassy tweeting Pepe

It's probably some kid. What a great job that would be.

I heard it's Putin himself.

BREAKING: Video evidence of Russia hacking the election!

Watch on YouTube

[closg00]

Another thing that we know now about Trump, is that he is a pathological liar, he lies about things that can easily be checked.


"Donald Trump claims all the "dress shops" in Washington, D.C. are sold out for his inauguration. We found hundreds of available dresses"

http://www.salon.com/2017/01/09/donald-trump-claims-all-the-dress-shops-in-washington-d-c-are-sold-out-for-his-inauguration-we-found-hundreds-of-available-dresses





Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[Ruzious]

Agreed. So perhaps Meryl Streep shouldn't have disrespected our President Elect.

Maybe, as a woman, she felt like she'd already gotten an invitation.

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep? If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

I'm at a loss for words when you post things like this. It diminishes your thoughtful comments.

[dckingsfan]

Maybe, as a woman, she felt like she'd already gotten an invitation.

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep. If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

Nate, I think we've had this conversation before. Trump habitually references women either in gender-specific negatives or according to their looks. That's not in the past, that's now, that's who he is. If a person finds his characterizations of women persistently demeaning, she or he wouldn't have to feign outrage, although the Streep quote sounds more reasoned than outraged. Trump could try the same in his tweet response, but he really enjoys his pot stirring.

Hey Monte - is this confusing to you? It was to me... that someone could be so politically incorrect and still be a successful (getting elected) politician (I think there is a high degree of probability that he flames out).

I will give my two cents. The left (personified by indivuals like Streep) has preached for so long that they are now ignored by a large segment of the population. When they start to pontificate and he tweets a large part of the country cheers (or are entertained by their befuddlement).

I think this was personified again in a recent NY Times opinion piece on drought conditions in Africa. The piece put the blame on America and the responsibility on America. http://tinyurl.com/hox9kje

Trump is basically saying - America first. He doesn't care that global trade has lifted nearly a billion people out of poverty over the last 20 years. And neither do his constituents. And frankly, I don't think the globalists have done a good job explaining this... they haven't had any balance in the message. It has been - America, all the fault of the world's problems are yours.

Trump came in and said, nonsense. Their problems are their problems. That message was started by Obama in the middle east and resonated. Now Trump is just exploiting that same hole.

Anyway... I think that is why the left is getting tuned out in middle America.

[nate33]

Maybe, as a woman, she felt like she'd already gotten an invitation.

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep? If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

I'm at a loss for words when you post things like this. It diminishes your thoughtful comments.

Streep uses an inappropriate public venue to attack Trump (with false accusations). I don't really have much of a problem with it because liberals in a bubble are gonna act like liberals in a bubble. What confuses me is the outrage expressed by you, montestewart and others that Trump responded with his Twitter account. This is what Trump does. He attempts to force any and all critics to pay a price for attacking him. It's a strategy that has worked for him for decades.

Maybe the strategy won't work as President. But since it worked for him in the primary and the general election, I'm not at all surprised that he's going to keep doing it. And it won't surprise me if it ends up working in the long run.

[Ruzious]

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep? If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

I'm at a loss for words when you post things like this. It diminishes your thoughtful comments.

Streep uses an inappropriate public venue to attack Trump (with false accusations). I don't really have much of a problem with it because liberals in a bubble are gonna act like liberals in a bubble. What confuses me is the outrage expressed by you, montestewart and others that Trump responded with his Twitter account. This is what Trump does. He attempts to force any and all critics to pay a price for attacking him. It's a strategy that has worked for him for decades.

Maybe the strategy won't work as President. But since it worked for him in the primary and the general election, I'm not at all surprised that he's going to keep doing it. And it won't surprise me if it ends up working in the long run.

It's got nothing to do with being a liberal or a conservative. I saw her speach live - there was no personal insults or anything like that. She certainly has a right to give her opinion - in that stage or any other stage - there's nothing inappropriate about that. It's absolutely ridiculous to defend Trump making fun of the reporter, and his excuse was laughable at best. It's okay to make fun of the reporter if he wasn't making fun of his handicap? Really? And any RATIONAL person could tell that he was making fun of his handicap. His response was to say she's an overrated actress... what a f'in child! Yes, we're used to his idiotic petulant responses to anyone he foolishly considers an enemy, but that doesn't make it ok. What's sad and pathetic is when we take it for granted because we're used to it and don't say anything.

[Doug_Blew]

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep? If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

I'm at a loss for words when you post things like this. It diminishes your thoughtful comments.

Streep uses an inappropriate public venue to attack Trump (with false accusations). I don't really have much of a problem with it because liberals in a bubble are gonna act like liberals in a bubble. What confuses me is the outrage expressed by you, montestewart and others that Trump responded with his Twitter account. This is what Trump does. He attempts to force any and all critics to pay a price for attacking him. It's a strategy that has worked for him for decades.

Maybe the strategy won't work as President. But since it worked for him in the primary and the general election, I'm not at all surprised that he's going to keep doing it. And it won't surprise me if it ends up working in the long run.

Speaking of inappropriate venues... The president tweeting about every personal attack on a middle school level seems like it qualifies as one.

[Doug_Blew]

Did I say that?

The fact that he is still in business after 50 years and still apparently has a good enough credit rating to finance the building and renovation of hotels and properties tells me he is successful. I'm also confident that Forbes knows more about him than you do when they estimate his wealth. The fact that he has survived audits tells me he has been successful without breaking tax laws.

Does the fact that Trump selfishly screwed many a little guy on the way to being "successful" (and then used his high-powered attorneys to get away with it) matter at all to you?

Trump's corporation has probably dealt with tens of thousands of "little guys" over the course of his 40 years. I'm sure there have been a handful of encounters where, looking at it from the perspective of the little guy, the little guy got screwed. I'm reasonably sure that, in general, when little guys deal with big business, from time to time, they end up on the short end of the deal if there are disputes.

I've also seen numerous interviews from associates, employees, vendors, and even competitors of Trump who consider him an honorable and stand up guy. I'm sure there's enough stories from either end of the spectrum to cherry-pick in order to build a narrative.

For every bankruptcy that trump filed for, thousands of people got screwed. From reading your posts, you come off like the Millie of Trump.

[verbal8]

Trump came in and said, nonsense. Their problems are their problems. That message was started by Obama in the middle east and resonated. Now Trump is just exploiting that same hole.

Anyway... I think that is why the left is getting tuned out in middle America.

Good point about Obama being America-focused. I think this may be why there are a good portion(especially in the Mid-West) of voters who voted for Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2016. I think the 2008 Obama/2016 Trump voters are a portion of the electorate that will support most exciting change.

I think a significant portion of middle America feels the coastal elites care more about what is going on in Lima, Peru vs. Lima, OH.

The problem with Trump is that his outlook is "America-only" and a lot of his ideas actually would make things worse for our country.

[DCZards]

I will give my two cents. The left (personified by indivuals like Streep) has preached for so long that they are now ignored by a large segment of the population. When they start to pontificate and he tweets a large part of the country cheered.

Do I need to remind you that almost 66 million Americans voted for the candidate on the "left." Trust me, individuals like Streep and other progressives are not being ignored by a large segment of the population.

In fact, thanks to the election of Trump, people are listening more closely than ever to those on the left.

[dckingsfan]

I will give my two cents. The left (personified by indivuals like Streep) has preached for so long that they are now ignored by a large segment of the population. When they start to pontificate and he tweets a large part of the country cheered.

Do I need to remind you that almost 66 million Americans voted for the candidate on the "left." Trust me, individuals like Streep and other progressives are not being ignored by a large segment of the population.

In fact, thanks to the election of Trump, people are listening more closely than ever to those on the left.

"a large segment of the population"

And yes, they are being ignored by that segment - mostly because they "preach" like Streep.

[nate33]

Does the fact that Trump selfishly screwed many a little guy on the way to being "successful" (and then used his high-powered attorneys to get away with it) matter at all to you?

Trump's corporation has probably dealt with tens of thousands of "little guys" over the course of his 40 years. I'm sure there have been a handful of encounters where, looking at it from the perspective of the little guy, the little guy got screwed. I'm reasonably sure that, in general, when little guys deal with big business, from time to time, they end up on the short end of the deal if there are disputes.

I've also seen numerous interviews from associates, employees, vendors, and even competitors of Trump who consider him an honorable and stand up guy. I'm sure there's enough stories from either end of the spectrum to cherry-pick in order to build a narrative.

For every bankruptcy that trump filed for, thousands of people got screwed. From reading your posts, you come off like the Millie of Trump.

You are holding him to an absurd standard. The man has started hundreds of business. Some are going to go bankrupt. Starting and failing in a business venture is not a crime. I'm quite confident that he has created more jobs than you have.

[montestewart]

When did Trump disrespect Meryl Streep. If you're going to assume that his disrespect of some woman months or years ago, totally unrelated to Streep, is justification for Streep to attack Trump (with a false charge, I might add), then spare me the shock when Trump fights back.

Nate, I think we've had this conversation before. Trump habitually references women either in gender-specific negatives or according to their looks. That's not in the past, that's now, that's who he is. If a person finds his characterizations of women persistently demeaning, she or he wouldn't have to feign outrage, although the Streep quote sounds more reasoned than outraged. Trump could try the same in his tweet response, but he really enjoys his pot stirring.

Hey Monte - is this confusing to you? It was to me... that someone could be so politically incorrect and still be a successful (getting elected) politician (I think there is a high degree of probability that he flames out).

I will give my two cents. The left (personified by indivuals like Streep) has preached for so long that they are now ignored by a large segment of the population. When they start to pontificate and he tweets a large part of the country cheers (or are entertained by their befuddlement).

I think this was personified again in a recent NY Times opinion piece on drought conditions in Africa. The piece put the blame on America and the responsibility on America. http://tinyurl.com/hox9kje

Trump is basically saying - America first. He doesn't care that global trade has lifted nearly a billion people out of poverty over the last 20 years. And neither do his constituents. And frankly, I don't think the globalists have done a good job explaining this... they haven't had any balance in the message. It has been - America, all the fault of the world's problems are yours.

Trump came in and said, nonsense. Their problems are their problems. That message was started by Obama in the middle east and resonated. Now Trump is just exploiting that same hole.

Anyway... I think that is why the left is getting tuned out in middle America.

I agree with a lot of this. Logical arguments arguments for and against don't necessarily intersect with reasons Trump was elected. I watched a few conservative friends and relatives employ mental shell games to dismiss this as an issue (much the way many liberals did with Bill Clinton's assaults) and vote Trump. Surprising is the wrong word, as the only surprising part was the success of the Trump Rust Belt strategy, so successful it reportedly surprised some Trump insiders and Trump himself.

Surprising or not, we will have as a president someone who has in one way or another repeatedly and quite openly called women who publicly disagrees with him ugly (including conservative women), and seems to have trouble praising a woman in any other way than to call her beautiful. That's seems to be how he sees women, beautiful or ugly. So many people either discount that as meaningful or are somehow unaware of that well documented aspect of their president-elect. But that's politics, all black and white and cognitive dissonance.