Yeah, even Newsmax have refuse to sign.
It does strike me that, in a world with OAN et al, Fox feels almost like a real news channel now... almost. The Overton Window in the US has swung hugely into the non-factual.
Printable View
Yeah, even Newsmax have refuse to sign.
It does strike me that, in a world with OAN et al, Fox feels almost like a real news channel now... almost. The Overton Window in the US has swung hugely into the non-factual.
I don't know that this is new. There just seems to be a lot more choices. Not only televised but newspapers, internet news, podcasts, social media. Plus cell phones have made it much easier to consume larger quantities.Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
But people have sought out news sources that tell them what they want to here for a long time. I've said it before, there seems to be a large segment of society that not seeking the truth, National Inquire has been @ for 100yrs.
Exploiting this human trait is big business and can be the key to political success. Trump is a great example of that. Just tell them what they want to hear.
I see that North Carolina has joined the gerrymandering wars. So far it looks like the GOP is winning.
I remember a few years ago remarking that I thought the the huge amount of money it takes to run/win for office at the national level was the biggest threat to our political system. Shaggy said he thought gerrymandering was the biggest threat. It's getting hard to disagree with that.
I think I agree with both of you.
Further, I think both are rooted in the absolutely massive "All or Nothing" stakes you've got over there. All Or Nothing because of the two party, first past the post system and massive because of the sheer scale of the US. Those high stakes are going to make manipulation pretty much inevitable, I reckon.
The money and the gerrymandering are two symptoms of that but there are others. You've reached a point where you're running candidates past the point of obvious senility. That's been going on in the houses and the supreme court for a long time and it's hard to deny that both Biden and Trump weren't/aren't obviously past it.
The intellectual dishonesty and moral bankruptcy of the left is just astounding.
Michael Knowles Causes Debate Moderator to IMPLODE & Attack the Audience
https://youtu.be/pUX44r6ToOw?si=FdbIl0hwoTjIhgU0
The people can see through it now and they are soooo done with this crap.
* Demolishing parts of the White House (after saying it wouldn't impact on the building)Quote:
Originally Posted by dilettante
* ICE being effectively a private military force being used against US citizens
* Murdering Venezuelan fishermen (in Venezuelan waters) without due process or evidence
* Shutting down the government (to prevent the release of the Epstein files)
* Bailing out Argentina to the tune of $20 billion dollars (possibly $40 billion)
* Refusing to swear in an elected Democrat (to prevent the release of the Epstein files)
* Using American Military against US cities in violation of US laws
* Pardoning multiple convicted criminals because they are either friends of Trump or donated money to him.
* Promoting multiple sex offenders and paedophiles to positions of power despite no qualifications for the job.
* Using the DoJ to prosecute people who Trump feels aggrieved by, without evidence.
* Demanding $230 million from the DoJ because it prosecuted him, which is exactly what they should have done.
* Accepting a $400 million dollar jet as a gift to Trump, not to the US, from Qatar - then allowing Qatar to have a base on US soil. Despite Qatar being called terrorists by Trump himself, and Qatar are generally held to be behind 9/11.
* The president being a paedophile (in all likelihood -after all why else go to such lengths to prevent the release of the Epstein files).
* Pardoning all 1,600 people charged over the Jan 6th insurrection (Thank you FunkyDexter for reminding me of this one)
And you think the left is morally bankrupt???
This ignores the not necessarily morally bankrupt, but vaguely insane things such as
* Using tariffs to destroy your sales of soy beans to China - from $13 billion a year to $0
* China buying soy beans from Argentina and USA propping up their economy ($20 billion)
* The US beef industry being seriously damaged and suggesting buying from Argentina?
* Is trump making friends with Argentina so he can flee there when he is outed as a paedophile? :rolleyes:
* Blaming autism on Tylenol and / or circumcision - with no evidence to back any of this up (good distraction from the Epstein files though)
* Claiming health care is too expensive, while also claiming $17 trillion dollars in investments, mostly from tariffs. (With no evidence the $17 trillion exists whatsoever)
* Trump nominee for Senator admitting to "having a nazi streak"
* Young Republicans' chat being full of Pro-Nazi, pro-hitler messages; also advocating gassing people, and an awful lot of pure racist speech. (young in this case actually means at least 24 years old, with some being in their 30s - certainly not "kids being kids" and even if it was it shouldn't be considered acceptable for "kids to be racist morons" anyway.)
* Calling for homeless people to be executed (thank Shaggy for reminding me of this one)
You forgot pardoning 1600 charged and/or convicted insurrectionists without any attempt to asses guilt or innocence...
Can't watch the video. It's blocked here for some reason. I'm sure it's a great loss for me.
I shall add that to the list... Thank you for reminding me!Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
"No Kings!" indeed.
I wonder how many high-ranking Democrats and their conspirators will face firing squads for their heinous acts of sedition and treason?
LIVE Coverage: Obama Arrest Rumors Shock Washington | Trump’s Reaction Goes Viral | USA LIVE
https://www.youtube.com/live/72j_2O7...EBIjSmZLcg_0No
There was no insurrection.Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
It doesn't concern you.Quote:
Originally Posted by FunkyDexter
...and with that the last of your credibility fled.Quote:
There was no insurrection.
None of your links concern me:DQuote:
It doesn't concern you.
It must be amazing to live in your reality.Quote:
Originally Posted by dilettante
Thousands of people storming the Capitol, elected officials having to hide from the rioting mob, the intruders breaking into the various offices in the Capitol, people killed by the rioters, the Senate having to be evacuated, calls for Pence to be hung (supported by Trump). IT was a shameless attempt to prevent the lawful exchange of power, encouraged by Trump himself.
So how would you describe what happened? Are you going to repeat Trump's lies about it being "a day of love" or do you support his claims that Biden (who wasn't yet in power) managed to get hundreds of FBI agents there to drive on the mob?
Seriously - how would you describe the day?
Funny how the Republicans are constantly portraying the Left as violent, yet it is always the Republics calling for violence, calling for executions, calling for firing squads, suggesting the gas chamber for people who oppose trump. Look in a mirror and see just how much of the violence and aggression is coming from the MAGA crowd.Quote:
Originally Posted by dilettante
You left out the call for executing the homeless.
It feels strange to think that such a thing is so run of the mill from the current Trump party that I could honestly forget that was something they said. I remember a time when such a statement would have been so extreme that it would have been uppermost in the things I had considered. The constant level of hate and suggested violence against the homeless, the poor, immigrants, women, democrats, and LGBTQ people is no longer that memorable. That is a real condemnation of the current state of things.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
I will however add that to the list as well. :D
I think it would be a nightmare. Constantly afraid of the monsters under the bed and in the closet. There's no joy living like that.Quote:
It must be amazing to live in your reality.
Speaking of free lunches. The people on SNAP will be losing benefits because of a lack of funding. That has to be a frighten prospect.
I lot of people whine about the number of people on SNAP but what seems to be ignored is, Why do so many people that are gainfully employed sti8ll need SNAP just to survive???
Quote:
Approximately 28% of all SNAP households have at least one person who is employed, a figure that rises to 55% for households with children. More broadly, recent data from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that about 70% of adult wage-earners in the SNAP program work full-time hours.
Overall households: In fiscal year 2023, 28% of all SNAP households had earned income.
Households with children: Among SNAP households that include children, 55% had earned income.
Full-time workers: A GAO report found that approximately 70% of adult wage earners in the SNAP program work full-time.
Worker demographics: A significant portion of SNAP recipients work in service, professional, and transportation occupations.
Work status: A majority of SNAP participants who are able to work do work, though often in unstable jobs, with many participants having short-term use of the program.
Trump Ignores Canada's Carney at ASEAN Summit, Major China Trade Deal Instead
https://youtu.be/V8nvTZOXSH0?si=PjQUwYp2bd5xiCTy
Canada created an advertisement, using real video footage of Regan - and Trump had a complete cry-baby meltdown and accused it of all being fake. He then behaved like a complete child and increased the tariffs on Canada (not that they really care as they are making trade deals with other countries now) and then terminated talks with Canada (because his poor feelings were hurt by the truth).Quote:
Originally Posted by dilettante
Do you honestly think Canada really cares that much, your President is generally considered a criminal, mentally unstable, terrible leader, a cheat, a liar, a racist, and a rapist - his constant on / off with tariffs are just making people look for alternative markets. Like China did with Soy-beans, which for some reason Trump is helping to support Argentina rather than your own farmers...
Your own people are suffering because Trump has shut down the government, pretty much out of spite / to prevent Epstein files proving he is a paedophile as well as a rapist. People who need benefits will not get them - but $40 billion for Argentina, $300 million on a ballroom, etc. you must be so proud of how he is helping to keep billionaires rich while making normal people suffer. I assume you also are proud of his lies about Tylenol and Autism. Or the fact he is a self-admitted sex ofender.
When I hear the words "Trade Deal" and "Trump" within the same sentence I glaze over. Sadly his supporters don't seem to understand the difference between an announcement and... ya know... actual reality.
We've seen this particular deal before. In his first term, Trump made a deal with China where they promised to buy a whole lot of soy beans. They signed the deal, then shifted the bulk of their supply chain to Brazil. As far as I know, they reduced their purchases rather than increasing them.
Of course, that means that they can offer the same carrot a second time. Recycling, and all that. Quite efficient, really.
Who are they buying the carrot from? It's all 4d chess.
I basically glaze over almost anything he says. First, it's rarely accurate and second, it's could be changed very quickly.Quote:
When I hear the words "Trade Deal" and "Trump" within the same sentence I glaze over.
The wins keep coming. This is not your doddering Puppet King Joe.
https://youtu.be/znE1y-qls8A?si=E5cX-nH8WvGkyWDT
This one is certainly a confused and doddering Trump however...Quote:
Originally Posted by dilettante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3zlsxSEt5c
Also nobody ever used King in relation to Joe Biden, don't even pretend that was a thing. That is a criticism aimed at Trump and no other president of recent years.
Yeah, the mainstream media has been selective about what they show. Of course, Dilettante would agree with that, he just wouldn't agree that what they didn't show was Trump's horrible performance. The PM had to lead him around. He got stuck a few times. There were times where she nearly had to grab his arm to keep him from just wandering, or staring at nobody. Clips focus on him wandering off near the flag, but the rest of that ceremony was arguably even worse. He had to be shepherded around.
And then there was that bit on the plane. At least this time he acknowledged that the "IQ test" he was taking was a cognitive impairment test. He was bragging up how well he did, but that test is something that any normal person would crush. It's not measuring intelligence, it's a preliminary test to judge how much you've lost with the most simple of cognitive skills. He called it difficult and suggested his opponents couldn't do as well as he did, though he also rambled off into something else, because he was talking about the higher questions being more difficult. Some would interpret his words to be saying that it was the questions up around 20 and above, but there are only around a dozen questions. He might have been talking score out of 25, as that looks to be a thing, but his words don't really match that.
The Soviet Union blundered into Afghanistan because Brezhnev was senile and the sycophants around him were trying to guess at what he meant or wanted. Trump isn't that far gone, yet, but he's headed that way.
Yeah and we got over three more years to go.
Now, he wants to immediately start testing nuclear weapons. This statement was a little hard to just glaze over.
It's gonna be a long three years.
He forgets over half of his initiatives.
Yeah, hopefully the thought will be forgotten as quickly as it came. He does amaze me with the vast quantity of things he says. Not that it ever seems like any of them have been given any real thought. Other than, "people might want to hear this".
After looking into his latest health releases, I would guess that Trump is not going to survive four years. He may not physically survive that long, or he may not be even mildly functional, but it sure isn't looking like he's going to make it three more years.
That' surprising to hear. His mind doesn't seem to be able to hold a thought very long but he seems very physically active.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
There are a series of issues that brought me to that conclusion. First off, he stated a few different times from 2020 to 2022 that there was something that might make it so he couldn't run again. He never said what, but he was already taking cognitive assessments in his first term, though he said they were IQ tests. He's now admitted that they are not, though he's saying fuzzy things about them.
Still, that's only mental. When it comes to physical, there is something going on. First there was the "Trump is dead" thing where he went silent for five or six days. He released a picture of him golfing, but people noted that the picture was not from that day, but from seven days earlier. Where was he?
Then there was the Sept 11th speech where lots of people noted that one side of his face was drooping. There was also the bruising on his hands and swollen legs (attributed to vascular insufficiency). Now he's talked about having multiple MRI scans. I realize that some rich people have full body scans, but this doesn't sound like that. They're looking at something in soft tissue, without saying what.
Finally there is the extended video from Japan. He was shuffling along, not moving his head, and being led/guided around, while wandering off in one instance and standing, staring at nothing, until somebody got him turned. Yeah, ceremonies can be stultifying, but he was not there.
Put it all together and it sure looks like he's in a pretty steep mental and physical decline and there's something that isn't being shared with the public. He's always been a ferocious, instinctive, counter puncher, so if somebody waves a red flag in front of him, his instinct will keep him going. They might carry him for a very long time, in which case he'll end up being a pile of peevishness in a loose fitting suit. Still, I think that's not going to be the case.
EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot about this post, as well:
https://trumpstruth.org/statuses/33487
It looks like the shutdown is about over. Glad of that but it doesn't look like the Dem's accomplished much and they caved on the ACA. It's a pretty weak optic.
Though it looks like we could be doing the same song and dance in about 2 1/2 months. This agree seems to only fund the government till Jan 30th. I can't remember when we were able to due an actual year long funding bill.
Does this mean that the government will be functioning again, and that Adelita Grijalva will finally be sworn in? I suspect it will be interesting to see what further lengths Johnson will go to to avoid this happening, seems to be anything to prevent the release of the Epstein files...Quote:
Originally Posted by wes4dbt
It means government workers will start getting paid again. As for "functioning", that's doubtful.Quote:
Does this mean that the government will be functioning again
Johnson will do what ever Trump tells him to do.Quote:
I suspect it will be interesting to see what further lengths Johnson will go to to avoid this happening
Apparently, she is getting sworn in.
I just can't get real interested in the Epstein files. I've said it before, even if there is incriminating information in them, Trump will deny any wrong doing, the GOP will provide cover and his faithful will chose to believe him. In the end, nothing will happen to Trump. I mean, after his first term, he was convicted of sexual abuse and fraud. He cried "witch Hunt" and was elected president.