OOTB's Political Thread . ..
- Thread starter BillyL
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What is the "Russia troll scheme"? Is that where they put adds on Facebook? I'll probably watch it at some point, but I just wanted some clarification.
Not ads. They have an organization that is one part intelligent agency and one part social media marketing firm. They created lots of accounts and Facebook groups with the aim of creating in group dynamics for every imaginable group of people in America. Their goal was to manipulate the American public the way they had manipulated their own people.
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Gotcha. Don't they know that they don't need to do that? Our media does it already.
This is what I was referring to, slightly, in my earlier response to iammyfathersson
There is a volatility in the culture that hasn't existed since the Vietnam era. As Rogan said in this podcast, the government has no control over what people are doing. And, there's a divide and this sometimes-violent clash of ideologies. And, the efforts to silence people (from wherever it originates) that occurs is fukked-up. But, this polarization gets worse and worse. And, that is one of the worst parts of Trump's presidency. If he weren't such a big-flappin' douchebag, I think it might not be quite so volatile. The push-back toward what he has helped create is toxic. The extreme left blows a fuse and it gets messy.
I also liked how they discussed the illusion of human interaction that occurs exclusively through an electronic device. Smartphone addiction.
There goes that raise.
Let me know when you are ready to bet on 2020. Surely a man as intelligent and clever as you wants to make some easy money.
I didn't mean to imply that "it all started" with Trump. But, his attitude, his actions, his rhetoric, is just gas on a fire. Your participation in this thread is proof positive that, since he showed-up, it's gotten worse. Unless everything you've been whining about here has been one, endless troll job.
You realize that all this animosity has been exponentially increased by the leftist media, right? The guy wasn't even in the White House and there was a talk of "nucular" war, and as much as I don't like the guy, the media was MUCH harsher on GW than it ever was on Obama. You couldn't say anything about Obama without automatically being called a racist. If you want to know where to put the blame, it should go straight at the feet of the MSM, especially the leftist MSM.
That's exactly what I said earlier! They're in full panic mode. If he weren't such a big-flapping douchebag, who gets-off on pissing people off being exactly that, then I believe the push-back wouldn't be quite so bad. But, that's just who he is. That's partly why he has such a dedicated following. A lot of Americans love his asshole-ness. They get off on it. That doesn't excuse "liberals" for being assholes right back.
I don't think Obama was a "Come at me, bro" type of president. I didn't like a lot of what he did, but my dislike for him wasn't anything that "the Right" had problems with. I did see plenty of pissing and moaning on this board about him. And, I am fully aware that his presidency freaked-out "conservative America." They went into full shit-your-pants mode. McConnell and the GOP regulars were emphatic about keeping him held in-check just like the Democrats are trying to obstruct Trump.
Constantly resorting to partisan explanations for every issue is a perfect example of what’s wrong with our political climate today. This simple minded right vs left crap is tiresome and boring. Whenever someone constantly falls back on partisan talking points to reframe the discussion, you can tell they are completely consumed by ideology and bias.
That sounds like something a crazy liberal would say.
Well, he did immediately eff up healthcare. Trump hasn't done anything remotely that big so far.
Obama didn't do that alone. He had lots and lots of help. And, healthcare was eff'ed up before. We live in an Oligarchy. The insurance industry and pharmaceuticals wrote all of that legislation.
As far as Trump, aside from holding the government hostage over his trophy border wall, Trump hasn't done much except the usual unnecessary tax-cuts that every GOP shill is required to do. Trump hasn't been on a war rampage. He doesn't seem to be fellating the MIC any more than others. When I see neo-cons like Bill Kristol upset with him, I pause and wonder "Hmmm... now, I know what Kristol is about, and I don't like it. If he hates Trump, then there's something I may be overlooking." However, as I have said many times, Trump is just too much of a narcissistic asshole for me to support. And, I don't like his nationalist rhetoric, either. He has no clue what The Fed really does. His only criticism of The Fed is when their actions hurt the economy, which Trump likes to take full credit for... if it is going well.
I watched an interview with Norm MacDonald. And, he summed-up Trump really well. I don't think Trump EVER expected to actually have to be the president. He wanted to make a huge splash and I think he would have been more effective if he'd lost and kept up the pressure and heat by challenging the outcome of the election, and being even more critical of Madame President. He'd have far less criticism. And, his buddies wouldn't be in prison, facing potential prison sentences, and under investigation, and pleading guilty.
And, again, if he weren't such an asshole, and reveling in being an asshole, I don't think he would be getting so much flack from the media. He BEGS for attention and he does it in the worst way. The sad thing is, people who are (or were) ever genuinely conservative Republicans have now gotten Trump's stank all over them. The deficit spending is totally out of fvcking control. I'm sick of this stupid wall. If he hadn't chained himself to that "structural monument to himself" he would also be getting less flack from the media.
Most of this seems to boil down to, "We should want to be glad-handed, no matter the price."
And nobody said that healthcare was good before, but it's better than what we have now.
Well, Trump is definitely the antithesis of glad-handed. And, frankly, Hillary Clinton was just as unlikable in a different way. These parties always seem to roll-out worse and worse candidates. I could get behind an "outsider", I'm sure. I have gotten behind them! But, Trump has always been a joke to me. He's always been a con artist, a carnival barker, whatever. And, he's just a totally insensitive prick. He's always been that. I've never had the slightest bit of respect for him at all. And, that didn't just start in 2016. I thought he was a douchebag 30 years ago! It still amazes me that so many people can endear themselves to a person like that. He was an asshole before he ever thought of being president. When he became president, suddenly, he was representing this country. The shit that he is connected with is disgusting. Roy Cohn, for example! That is one mf'er who personifies evil like few I have ever seen in American culture.
And, people will say "well, Hillary was in cahoots with so-and-so!" Yes, I know! They're all wallowing around in a sea of corruption!
You and I have the Ron Paul appreciation in common. I was very fortunate to be able to speak with him in an informal, in-person situation... twice. He was so frigging humble. But, he said "I never look for solutions to society's problems to occur through the political process." I've never forgotten that. It's so damned tainted and bought-off. And, It's always, ALWAYS, a medium that exists out of contention and corruption. Politics (our version of it) exists because of disagreement! It has become antiquated and archaic. But, it's so profitable that it will never be abandoned. And, nowadays, with the way we can interact with each other, it's just getting worse. This idea that people are conservative OR liberal makes no sense to me. And, people hating each other because they believe that they are is just sad.
The issue that many trump defenders/supporters seem to keep skirting around his is psychological/emotional fitness to be president. And these aren't really debatable issues. It takes about fifteen seconds on google to realize this is a man with infantile tendencies, who lacks the intellectual capacity to engage with the serious issues that face any president. He is a pathological liar, with the emotional maturity of a 14 year old girl. These qualities should transcend politics.
I believe this is the major point of divergence in this country right now. Many people look at his character and personality, and they are repulsed by him, and the people who justified voting for him. Meanwhile, the other side is split into two groups. The first group recognizes these qualities but doesn't care because he is instrumental to their political goals. The second group either doesn't see the qualities, or outright revels in them. We see it on this board every day. People repeatedly finding delight in knowing that the POTUS is pissing off people they disagree with. This is deeply troubling behavior. I was never a very big fan of Obama, but I'm even less of a fan of the 'Fox News crowd.' That being said, I can genuinely say that I never was delighted to see the unhinged rantings of the birthers.
We have already seen that Trump is not a man that you want at the helm of the ship in a time of crisis. We have already seen that he surrounded himself with criminals during his campaign, and chooses to side with foreign dictators over our own intelligence agencies. We have seen that his supporters will make excuses for any and all of these behaviors. This is a serious problem whether his supporters want to admit it or not.
I believe this is the major point of divergence in this country right now. Many people look at his character and personality, and they are repulsed by him, and the people who justified voting for him. Meanwhile, the other side is split into two groups. The first group recognizes these qualities but doesn't care because he is instrumental to their political goals. The second group either doesn't see the qualities, or outright revels in them. We see it on this board every day. People repeatedly finding delight in knowing that the POTUS is pissing off people they disagree with. This is deeply troubling behavior. I was never a very big fan of Obama, but I'm even less of a fan of the 'Fox News crowd.' That being said, I can genuinely say that I never was delighted to see the unhinged rantings of the birthers.
We have already seen that Trump is not a man that you want at the helm of the ship in a time of crisis. We have already seen that he surrounded himself with criminals during his campaign, and chooses to side with foreign dictators over our own intelligence agencies. We have seen that his supporters will make excuses for any and all of these behaviors. This is a serious problem whether his supporters want to admit it or not.
Another person who doesn't care, as long as he's glad-handed. The insane people are the ones with TDS.
Ya, I think Trump's morals/maturity/personality leaves a lot to be desired. He's shown that you don't need to be a politician lifer to do the job though. This should open up the door for the actually smart and mature non-politicians to get the position going forward, which is what I wanted.
People who always get what they want having to learn to deal with something they couldn't comprehend happening is just an added bonus. I was hoping it would teach them that whining and crying about things not going their way doesn't work - but in fact they've doubled down on it.
If the media decided to reverse course and praise the far-right initiatives/people and always paint them in a positive light to the point they thought they were infallible - then I would be rooting for someone on the left to come through and put them in their place as well.
People who always get what they want having to learn to deal with something they couldn't comprehend happening is just an added bonus. I was hoping it would teach them that whining and crying about things not going their way doesn't work - but in fact they've doubled down on it.
If the media decided to reverse course and praise the far-right initiatives/people and always paint them in a positive light to the point they thought they were infallible - then I would be rooting for someone on the left to come through and put them in their place as well.
I know people generally don't like the professional political class, and neither do I, taken as a whole. A big challenge is that the best character and knowledge and competence people aren't necessarily the ones with the means to raise a lot of money or do all the slimy stuff required to get elected at the highest levels.
I still think we are better off with presidential candidates being past governors, or even past military leaders, or CEO's of organizations - all of these are instances where they are responsible for managing, running large organizations. I don't put DJT in this category.
I don't think senators or house members of congress really have ever owned being accountable for an organization or operation, like CEOs or governors or military leaders.
Ya, as much as I don't agree with AOC's alternative facts about a myriad of things, I do like that she got involved in politics and has the following she does. It's not enough to actually get anything stupid accomplished, but it's enough to have the Nancy Pelosi's of the world realize that their cushy meal tickets are about to go away.
Paul Manafort gets additional 43 months in second Mueller sentence
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/pau...nal-43-months-in-second-mueller-sentence.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/pau...nal-43-months-in-second-mueller-sentence.html
Exclusive: Biden to run for White House, says Dem lawmaker
https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...iden-to-run-for-white-house-says-dem-lawmaker
It sounds like The Groper is in.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...iden-to-run-for-white-house-says-dem-lawmaker
It sounds like The Groper is in.
I already have your offer from months ago but this time i
I don't think Trump ever met the man, maybe once....
I love when @prlyles keeps us all in suspense.
Wow. I thought for sure she would give him the max. I can't imagine Muller is happy about that.
Have you ever seen the video with Sad Joe getting extremely handsy with little girls? I couldn't even make it through the whole video. It was disgusting.
Mueller is probably happy that he actually got a conviction this time. Of course, the guy plead guilty, so...
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Lmao yet you support a guy who multiple witnesses saw barging into a little girl’s changing room during a pageant, and gets handsy and sexualizes his own daughter. You’re either a troll or you’re completely full of shit.
I'm an old man, I'm confused, will someone help me home?
Bro, I'm not talking about teenagers. I'm talking about groping little girls. I don't support what Trump allegedly did, but watching The Groper in action is enough to turn my stomach.
It will certainly be interesting to see if those that have railed on Trump for his pageant escapades are fine backing Biden against him.
