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Nov 2023 Mod notice:


There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.

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In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#174226: Feb 14th 2017 at 7:28:35 AM

The CIA appear to already been exercising some level of autonomy, as they're apparently holding back intel due to fears that it will end up in Russian hands if given to the White House. It's entirely possible that the CIA simply told Trump to get bent.

That makes the most sense to me. The CIA told Trump in private to go f*ck himself, so now he's publicly trying to make f*cking himself seem like it was his idea all along.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#174227: Feb 14th 2017 at 7:29:46 AM

[up] ...Ugh, that brings up some really nasty images in my head. Brain Bleach please.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Reflextion from a post-sanity world (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
#174228: Feb 14th 2017 at 7:33:33 AM

[up] and [up][up]

/me takes out a bottle of Brain Bleach and a shotglass, fills the glass, passes it to M84, then starts chugging straight from the bottle himself.

Someone did tell me life was going to be this way.
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#174229: Feb 14th 2017 at 7:56:18 AM

There's a danger that, with the CIA uncooperative, and the FBI director owing his career to Trump, that the role of the FBI will end up expanding to fill the gap in intelligence, which is one major component of how Putin consolidated power in Russia.

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#174230: Feb 14th 2017 at 8:20:59 AM

No way that can happen quickly though, right? The FBI doesn't have the people trained to deal with international stuff.

The more inniment risk is the FBI morphing into domestic secret police, which has happened before.

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#174231: Feb 14th 2017 at 8:31:02 AM

That was due to J. Edgar Hoover being a fixture in American government for more than fifty years. Comey doesn't have nearly the political heft that Hoover did, nor the longterm access to kompromat that he did. The reason why Hoover's FBI was basically State Sec was because he was in there for so long that he might have known a Senator in 1968 since he was a local politician in the 1920s, and collected dirt on them since.

I'd be worried if they introduce legislation to expand the FBI's authority, but its era of massive overreach was a product of its leader's personal power and personality translating to carving a fiefdom in the government.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#174232: Feb 14th 2017 at 8:39:24 AM

Not exactly US politics, but potentially significant. The half-brother of North Korea's leader has been murdered in Malaysia.

"North Korean leader's half-brother murdered in Malaysia: source" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-malaysia-kim-idUSKBN15T1DN

More relevant to the thread:

"Challenge to Trump travel ban moves forward in two courts" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-court-idUSKBN15S2CB

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#174234: Feb 14th 2017 at 9:38:28 AM

[up]Goddamn, I can hardly wait for the walls to coming tumbling down and this wretched government thrown out on its ass.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#174235: Feb 14th 2017 at 9:54:32 AM

Trump visit to UK delayed until August/September to avoid embarrassing him.

This President is such a god damn baby...

[down] Apparently Parliament is out of session at the time, meaning that most Government Officials won't be around to basically shout him down. He'll still be protested, and I'm sure the Royal Family will have some choice words for him.

edited 14th Feb '17 9:58:03 AM by DingoWalley1

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#174236: Feb 14th 2017 at 9:55:51 AM

Went would waiting make Trump less of an embarrassment when he does eventually go?

edited 14th Feb '17 9:56:02 AM by sgamer82

SeriesOfNumbers Since: Jun, 2013
#174237: Feb 14th 2017 at 10:39:55 AM

That was actually Flynn and possibly one other military guy.

Ah, my mistake.

That was like, the one good point in Flynn's favor out of the whole shit show. And then some other guy talked Trump back into thinking torture was a good idea.

  • sad sigh* Of course.

Assad helped create ISIS by letting their leaders out of prison, trades with ISIS (buying their oil) and has regularly pulled troops away from fighting ISIS so as to target more moderate and pro-democracy groups (that's how ISIS gained so much ground at the beginning of the war and recently when Assad focused on fighting the non-radical rebels in Aleppo he basically surrendered a city to ISIS so as to focus his fighting on non-radical rebels).

It looks like things have changed since then

On top of all of that there are non-radical groups in Syria, mainly the Kurds and non-Kurdish groups operating under their umbrella but also the southern rebel groups who are connected to Jordan and not with Turkey like the northern rebel groups are.

Some quick Google searches turned up both articles indicating the Kurds had fled Syria and other articles that seemed to contradict that, so I'm not sure what to believe.

@174185: Am I missing something? It looks like that link just leads to someone criticizing Wikileaks' response to something without explaining what the response was.

IFwanderer use political terms to describe, not insult from Earth Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
use political terms to describe, not insult
#174238: Feb 14th 2017 at 11:17:14 AM

Who was the one here that wanted a snarky tweet from Hillary about something stupid from the Trump administration?

Also, Flynn said last July: “If I did a tenth of what [Hillary Clinton] did, I would be in jail” So, do I go get the handcuffs or will you just turn yourself voluntarily?

edited 14th Feb '17 11:17:25 AM by IFwanderer

1 2 We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. -KV
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#174239: Feb 14th 2017 at 11:18:47 AM

These people are extraordinarily petty to keep ragging on Clinton even now.

The election's over, it doesn't matter.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#174240: Feb 14th 2017 at 11:23:22 AM

I'm just glad to hear from her again. Hopefully this is a sign that the "grieving America's stupidity" phase is over and the "munching popcorn and making hilarious commentary" phase has begun.

#StillWithHer

edited 14th Feb '17 11:23:34 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#174241: Feb 14th 2017 at 11:35:50 AM

I was looking at a story about how GOP four senators were against Puzder and a thought hit, none of the four are McCain or the other one (whose name eludes me) who have developed a rep for talking the talk without walking the walk. In fact two of the four were also the two that defected for DeVos.

edited 14th Feb '17 11:36:09 AM by sgamer82

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#174242: Feb 14th 2017 at 11:38:42 AM

That tells me that the constituency in at least two states are actually doing their jobs.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#174243: Feb 14th 2017 at 11:40:12 AM

The other "all talk" is Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Which makes it more interesting since the other South Carolina senator is one of the four opposing the Labor pick.

SeriesOfNumbers Since: Jun, 2013
#174244: Feb 14th 2017 at 1:25:42 PM

It just keeps getting worse. Republicans are pushing Trump to expand Guantanamo.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/13/politics/guantanamo-bay-senator-letter/

BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#174245: Feb 14th 2017 at 1:42:14 PM

Retailers Can't Escape Trump-Related Turmoil

“Americans are looking to corporations to lead on the issues of the day,” according to an email from Global Strategy Group, which conducted a study of consumer reaction to Super Bowl ads this year, many of which were political, or perceived to be. “From CE Os protesting at airports to Super Bowl ads opposing Trump’s immigration ban, we are seeing unprecedented political activism from corporations. While this level of activism may present challenges with the new Administration, Americans are clear that they want corporations to engage in the political debate.”

Seeing corporations engage in the political debate, on our side, is nice. However, it could also feed into the narrative that "elitists" of all stripes oppose Trump. Professionals, corporations, intellectuals - those disdained by the common Trump supporter, who tend to see all these people as out of touch elitists. Sad that nearly everyone with a brain is against this assclown, and that's just not a large enough percentage of the population.

RAlexa21th Zettai Ryouiki Enjoyer from California (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I <3 love!
Zettai Ryouiki Enjoyer
#174246: Feb 14th 2017 at 1:43:19 PM

[up][up]Welp, probably because Obama did the opposite.

edited 14th Feb '17 1:43:50 PM by RAlexa21th

Continue writing our story of peace.
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#174247: Feb 14th 2017 at 1:47:24 PM

[up][up]Even at the expense of furthering that narrative I would prefer that corporations throw that weight around rather than doing nothing or even being complicit with the Trump administration.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#174248: Feb 14th 2017 at 1:52:06 PM

So, according to Spicer, the meeting between Trump and "Joe Trudeau" went well.

Seriously Spicer is so goddamned bad at this! How the hell did he even get the job in the first place? He's like the American version of Baghdad Bob.

FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#174250: Feb 14th 2017 at 2:16:26 PM

When I called Trump and co a bunch of Captain Planet villains last summer, I was joking.

[up][up]Meh, I'm just glad the meeting went well. But I doubt Spicer will survive the winter. I wonder how bad the turnover in that position is going to be...

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.

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