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

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#250851: Jul 31st 2018 at 1:35:27 PM

Yes you irrelevant moron please sow discord within your camp evil grin

Edit: What a lovely page topper.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Jul 31st 2018 at 4:35:13 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#250852: Jul 31st 2018 at 1:35:50 PM

Manafort's defense strategy seems to be focusing on pinning the crimes on Rick Gates.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/manafort-trial/h_dc8da3fdf73dec89c0aa7d241b1e8d34

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#250853: Jul 31st 2018 at 1:36:17 PM

[up][up]

Guess it's moment of truth time - will they cave to the hard-right base, or stick to the status quo that'd be more sustainable for the party?

Edited by ironballs16 on Jul 31st 2018 at 1:58:53 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#250854: Jul 31st 2018 at 1:37:42 PM

Manafort's defense strategy seems to be focusing on pinning the crimes on Rick Gates.

See, I thought that "someone else did it" being used as a defense strategy is a last-ditch effort when there is absolutely no doubt about your guilt anymore.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#250855: Jul 31st 2018 at 1:55:11 PM

Gates has already plead guilty to a pair of felonies (lying to investigators and conspiracy) in exchange for getting the rest dropped. But I doubt that one man could pull off such a scheme alone, it was probably a team effort. And since Gates flipped, they've got the best source of evidence possible.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#250856: Jul 31st 2018 at 1:59:02 PM

[up]

Agreed - the Prisoner's Dilemma has already happened, and Manafort is late to the punch on it.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#250858: Jul 31st 2018 at 2:24:44 PM

Ah, that odd feeling when unbridled artillery capitalism actually agrees with you on an issue.

"You can reply to this Message!"
Imca (Veteran)
#250859: Jul 31st 2018 at 2:44:38 PM

Trump doesn't like 3D printed guns after talking with the NRA.

Broken clock syndrome? NRA trying to save themselves? Or both?

Why would the like them? They aren't in it for the gun owners, there in it for the gun companies... And that threatens to hurt there bottom lines.

....

And blow off the hands of any one stupid enough to use them, but they dont care about that bit, just the bottom line one.

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#250860: Jul 31st 2018 at 2:49:33 PM

Well this one's just funny. A Russian woman and her husband were recently arrested in Florida and extradited to NY on charges that they ran a prostitution ring out of their Trump Tower apartment.

Cue jokes about how Trump wanted his Russian urine fresher than shipping would allow.

[up]

No, not necessarily - they've boycotted firearm manufacturers before for being too willing to play ball in regards to regulation.

Edited by ironballs16 on Jul 31st 2018 at 2:51:55 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
DeathorCake Since: Mar, 2016
#250861: Jul 31st 2018 at 2:53:16 PM

RE: Medicare For All, if that study is correct and the implementation decreases total USA healthcare spending you shouldn't even have to raise many taxes to fund it. All spending carries the same inflation risk in the same markets, doesn't matter whether it's public, private, deficit spending or balanced out by taxes.

You would probably have to raise taxes in order to counterbalance the fact that most of those negated private healthcare bills will be spent on other things rather than saved, but it wouldn't have to be 1:1 with the deficit increase in order to prevent any increase in inflation.

My amateur economics knowledge says that the spending-neutral tax raise would have to be 34 trillion times American marginal propensity to consume (which is somewhere between 90 and 98%, call it 94.5%) minus 2 trillion. You'd be a bit over half a trillion dollars a year better off before you account for any improvements in healthcare coverage and not ruining the lives of poor people randomly.

Edited by DeathorCake on Jul 31st 2018 at 10:05:21 AM

LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#250863: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:10:21 PM

Well that's... legitimately shocking.

I wonder if Pence is looking forward to a possible career beyond Trump? Or maybe he's been in contact with Republican leadership and they've been souring on denialism?

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#250864: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:13:45 PM

Oh, I am sure that Pence has a lifeboat or several ready if the Trump ships sinks. This is bog standard survival strategy.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#250865: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:17:02 PM

That's... yeah.

There is, mind you, a situation where it's genuinely in Pence's favour to say stuff like that. If he believes that Trump's going down sooner rather than later, then if distances himself from the whole mess, there isn't an excuse to impeach him as well- people will believe him when he says he didn't know about it and had no hand in it.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#250866: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:23:18 PM

[up][up]Yeah that was a somewhat silly question, Pence is many things but foolish probably isn't one of them.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#250867: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:28:13 PM

Just how hostile is the relationship between Trump and Pence? Must be pretty bad for him to turn on the cheeto like this.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#250868: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:33:35 PM

Well, Pence was hated and a dead end career when Trump gave him the lifeboat of VP. Because Trump needed someone who had legitimate government experience to give him even the thinnest veneer of legitimacy.

There is the fact, though, Pence actually believes. He is a raging fundamentalist, sexist, and a homophobe but not necessarily a hypocrite.

Which oddly has always made me more afraid of him than Trump despite ostensibly sharing the same faith.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jul 31st 2018 at 3:34:26 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Robrecht Your friendly neighbourhood Regent from The Netherlands Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Your friendly neighbourhood Regent
#250869: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:34:33 PM

See, I thought that "someone else did it" being used as a defense strategy is a last-ditch effort when there is absolutely no doubt about your guilt anymore.

It's my understanding that it's more of a behaviour that criminal investigators like to encourage in the people they already have enough evidence to convict. Any actual evidence that the suspect provides during that phase allows them to get multiple people with one interrogation.

If you've got someone in custody that you know for a fact has robbed a bank and they tell you 'No, it was actually that guy, here's the proof!' and that checks out, you've just nabbed yourself an accomplice for free.

Angry gets shit done.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#250870: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:35:28 PM

That's how the Prisoner's Dilemma works.

When one person points at you, you have no reason not to point right back.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jul 31st 2018 at 3:38:25 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#250871: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:37:56 PM

Turns out that "honor amongst thieves" isn't actually a thing tongue

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Robrecht Your friendly neighbourhood Regent from The Netherlands Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
Your friendly neighbourhood Regent
#250873: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:42:56 PM

[up][up][up] The 'everything must be correct!' side of my brain compels me to point out that in the Prisoner's dilemma, both people get a reduced sentence if they don't roll on each other and a worse sentence if they both do.

What I'm talking about is someone rolling on another for the perceived rewards of going completely free while still unaware they're going to get the full punishment regardless of what they do.

Edited by Robrecht on Jul 31st 2018 at 3:45:16 AM

Angry gets shit done.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#250874: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:48:53 PM

[up]The Prisoner's dilemma only works if you TRUST the other person, though.

Which prisoners are inclined not to.

Trained organized crime tend to say nothing and get off better because of it but Trump's posse is not remotely loyal to one another and cowardly.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#250875: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:54:45 PM

So this is a thing apparently.

In painting a picture of his extravagant lifestyle, prosecutors say Paul Manafort owned a $15,000 ostrich-skin jacket.

And there's an actual reason they would mention that as well.

Jurors hate when a defendant lives a lavish lifestyle due to fraud. Pointing to outlandish spending by a defendant in a fraud case is Prosecution 101.

Edited by megaeliz on Jul 31st 2018 at 7:03:32 AM


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