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

PolarPhantom Since: Jun, 2012
#181826: Apr 7th 2017 at 6:35:30 PM

All I know is SNL's got some great material to work with.

So, Bannon's on the way out?

Pity. My best friends and myself were wondering if he or Trump would turn out to be the Final Boss.

You know, for Trump's many, many, many flaws, he does seem to love his family. And not in that "I'd date my daughters" way.

While I oppose many policies put forth by this White House, if they cleaned up their act I would forgive and support them. I may be naive, but I believe anyone can be redeemed.

DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#181827: Apr 7th 2017 at 6:40:09 PM

[up] Bannon may be getting kicked out, or he may just be sidelined temporarily. Nothing is confirmed other then Bannon getting kicked out of the NSC.

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#181828: Apr 7th 2017 at 6:48:54 PM

The caveat about anyone can be redeemed is that they have to actually want and work towards that goal. And I don't think any of the Trumps see any reason they should change.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#181829: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:00:36 PM

On another note, SNL and other comedy/satire shows might take a hit if the Writer's Guild goes on strike again.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
pwiegle Cape Malleum Majorem from Nowhere Special Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
Cape Malleum Majorem
#181830: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:01:39 PM

[up][up]"The Donald" (or as I call him, the Not-So-Great Pumpkinhead) thinks he's the most bigly perfect just the way he is, and sees no room or need for improvement.

More's the pity...

This Space Intentionally Left Blank.
HextarVigar That guy from The Big House Since: Feb, 2015
That guy
#181831: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:03:23 PM

[up][up]Don't they do that every second month or so?

edited 7th Apr '17 7:03:39 PM by HextarVigar

Your momma's so dumb she thinks oral sex means talking dirty.
Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#181832: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:04:51 PM

Ugh, all this stuff about Russia and North Korea is really starting to make me nervous.

Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#181833: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:10:42 PM

If you live in the U.S, you are more likely to die due to lack of healthcare, than a Best Korean Nuke.

And if Putin actually wanted war, you'd be in it.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Bat178 Since: May, 2011
#181834: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:13:25 PM

[up] Yeah. You should only be concerned about North Korea if you have any friends or family living in South Korea, Japan, China or the Russian Far East, or are living there yourself. They are much more of a threat to their neighbors and the US's East Asian allies than the US itself.

edited 7th Apr '17 7:17:02 PM by Bat178

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#181835: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:17:20 PM

[up][up]The question is, if Trump continues fucking with Syria, is Putin just going to take it, or is he actually going to want war?

Bat178 Since: May, 2011
#181836: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:17:55 PM

[up] There would probably be proxy conflicts, but not a full-scale war.

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#181837: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:21:20 PM

[up]Let's hope so. Mind you, when your father keeps looking at the paper and muttering to himself 'We're all going to die...' when he doesn't think you're in earshot, that can be just a mite discouraging.tongue

edited 7th Apr '17 7:22:00 PM by kkhohoho

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#181838: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:22:11 PM

Regarding anyone being capable of redemption:

"Redemption requires more than simply the execution of your duty, even if you follow that duty to the end. True redemption requires that you seek forgiveness for your past misdeeds. ... That you even acknowledge that you could, in fact, be wrong."

I don't see Trump and his ilk doing that any time soon, even if they might occasionally make decisions that aren't an affront to everything good and humane.

Self-improvement isn't an action. It's a shift in worldview. A change in not just opinions held but in the processes by which you form those opinions. Without that shift, Trump making not-shitty calls from time to time is an empty gesture.

edited 7th Apr '17 7:23:13 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Bat178 Since: May, 2011
#181839: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:22:37 PM

[up][up] You sure he's not part of the Alt-Right? They are saying the same thing.

edited 7th Apr '17 7:22:49 PM by Bat178

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#181840: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:26:44 PM

"Um. This might sound crazy. But do you think Trump and Putin planned this to try and clear up the whole Russian interference stuff? I read this theory on The Guardian's web site, but I dunno. Seems a little far fetched, But what can I believe in this MGS 2 world we currently live in?"

Maybe, maybe not, but not outside the realm of possibility that everything, from Trump's missile strike to Putin's condemnation of it was playacting to sell a mole as a genuinely loyal actor, while leaving him free to surreptitiously act in Russia's interest.

Speculation: Trump's missile attack and Putin's condemnation in actuality planned between the two nations as an elaborate ruse and masterwork of tradecraft. Removes suspicion from Trump as pro-Russian actor, casts him as a stalwart enemy of Assad and rival of Russia, freeing him from congressional suspicion, and allowing him to direct U.S. resources to Russia's advantage with a free hand.

edited 7th Apr '17 7:30:58 PM by CrimsonZephyr

"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."
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#181841: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:27:12 PM

I doubt Putin would elevate Trump's dumb bombing to a war. I would wager he would even be willing to throw Assad to the dogs if he could get other benefits.

In a wild, extreme example only possible with like, lots of rolling 1 on the dice, if Trump keeps going full retard and bombs Syria more without announcing stuff, it could strain and even break U.S relationships with NATO. Again, extreme example but if it was possible, I would wager Putin would give up Assad for that.

No need to get so wild though; Putin could want to put someone else other than Assad, and let Trump do the bombing and then walk in himself and do what he wants. Trump's reputation would get fucked, Putin gets what he wants, he retains Syria, less fighting and bombing than otherwise. Totes worth. Would twitter bait again.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#181842: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:27:53 PM

[up][up][up]Oh no; he may be a Conservative, but he's also an actual Conservative, and isn't afraid to vote Democrat if someone from that party better suits his beliefs and interests. (Like Hilary.) But he's also an old man who grew up in the Cold War, so that's probably influencing his line of thinking here.

edited 7th Apr '17 7:28:46 PM by kkhohoho

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#181843: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:32:18 PM

Bit off topic, but still relevant to the Syria question. I linked to this guy a while back.

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/04/06/crocodile-trumper-tears-and-dead-syrian-children/

It's a brutal deconstruction of the Trump supporters horrified reactions to the images in Syria, when they are the ones who support the Refugee ban, stopping people fleeing the atrocities in Syria to enter our country.

Also I think this might be relevant too.

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/01/12/no-my-diversity-doesnt-have-to-include-your-bigotry/

edited 7th Apr '17 7:44:07 PM by megaeliz

MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#181844: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:33:37 PM

You know, for Trump's many, many, many flaws, he does seem to love his family. And not in that "I'd date my daughters" way. While I oppose many policies put forth by this White House, if they cleaned up their act I would forgive and support them. I may be naive, but I believe anyone can be redeemed.

Eeeeeh, I've heard reports of him slapping Donnie Jr. in college, Donald Jr. has admitted to him verbally abusing him when he was a kid and I've heard there's a recording of him calling one of his sons "a retard" while he was on the Apprentice. Some people say it was directed towards Barron.

That's not to mention that he screwed his dead older brother's children out of their inheritance (they sued him) as well as making some sexually vulgar comments on the wife of one of his sons.

I think he just loves Ivanka and Jared specifically.

Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#181845: Apr 7th 2017 at 7:37:03 PM

Bah. Accusing Trump of being clever for doing some awful stuff is like calling mugging an intelligent act: You do something socially heinous in order to get money from other. Look at it financially: Net gain: Positive for you, negative for the schmuck you mugged. FINANCIAL GENIUS. THE OTHER IS A LOSER. SAD.

Trump is not smart or clever for deciding to skip over certain lines of decency, diplomacy, protocol, etc. He's just a bully who thinks that just cuz' he got the lunch money of others he's the best in all school.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#181846: Apr 7th 2017 at 8:07:12 PM

[up][up]I read about stuff like that. It just makes me sad and a bit angry.

I agree that people have to want to change to be redeemed. They have to acknowledge that they did things that are unacceptable. It may also help if they stand to actually lose something that they've gained.

People who do not face consequences for their actions may be less likely to see why they may need to change.

In regards to Trump loving Ivanka and Jared more, does anyone think that he sees himself in them more than his other kids and in-laws?

edited 7th Apr '17 8:11:23 PM by BearyScary

Do not obey in advance.
CenturyEye Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? from I don't know where the Yith sent me this time... Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
#181847: Apr 7th 2017 at 8:13:39 PM

[up]x5 Hardly off-topic. Guy really could've just wrote:

This is what you bought and paid for. Maybe not something this sadistic or explicitly grotesque, but the heart is the same: contempt for life that looks different and a desire to rid yourself of it.

I want to believe that you’re truly outraged, but honestly your resume is less than convincing.

Drops Mike. Glad he went on...That said, the crocodile tears thing could be applied to well alot. There's a reason, we've learned to tell an ad for donations instantly by sad music and those pictures...

edited 7th Apr '17 8:15:05 PM by CenturyEye

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#181848: Apr 7th 2017 at 8:28:25 PM

In regards to Trump loving Ivanka and Jared more, does anyone think that he sees himself in them more than his other kids and in-laws?

Well there was a pretty good article about how Jared and Trump are a lot alike in premise and they enjoy each other's company.

And Trump puts Ivanka on a pedestal so I think there's a bit of narcissism there. I created this hot, intelligent girl therefore I'm awesome because I gave her those good genes.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#181849: Apr 7th 2017 at 8:41:17 PM

There's that, and in a lot of ways Ivanka is her father's daughter, moreso than any of her siblings.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#181850: Apr 7th 2017 at 8:57:44 PM

Trump's seventy and has spent most of his life being the same awful person. He's not going to change. He's not going to become a better person. Not unless he gets a visit from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-come.

Hoping for him to "redeem" himself is wishful thinking and yet another iteration of the tired "Give him a chance" rhetoric we've been hearing since he won the election. How many more chances are we supposed to give him?

edited 7th Apr '17 8:59:04 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised

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