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Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#264151: Dec 12th 2018 at 8:07:01 AM

If Trump is up for re-election in 2020 (and he probably will be); there will be rioting after the result, at the very least. Calling it now.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#264152: Dec 12th 2018 at 8:08:12 AM

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/11/pelosi-disses-trumps-manhood-white-house-meeting-1057607

Apparently Pelosi had a few things to say about Trump after their confrontation yesterday, with the report claiming that she said Trump must have said the word 'wall' 30 times and (in line with the earlier given proverbs) "I was trying to be the mom. It goes to show you: You get into a tinkle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you." (I can't help but be amused by the Gosh Dang It to Heck!-ness of that)

Perhaps the one Trump will actually care about, though: “It’s like a manhood thing with him — as if manhood can be associated with him,” Pelosi deadpanned. “This wall thing.”

Congressional Democrats are feeling smug — and actually a little excited — for the looming shutdown fight with the president after Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting.

The president may have decided at the last minute to open up the entire negotiation session to the public to throw Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York off their game. But in the end, Democrats feel confident that their leaders came out ahead.

Trump, Democrats argue, fell into a trap the minute he took ownership of what Pelosi has dubbed “the Trump shutdown.” Absent a bipartisan agreement on Trump’s border wall, about a quarter of the government will run out of money on Dec. 21.

But instead of finger-pointing, as Republicans and Democrats usually do during spending standoffs, Trump said he wanted to close the government and said he wouldn't even try to pass the blame.

Edited by sgamer82 on Dec 12th 2018 at 9:08:39 AM

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#264153: Dec 12th 2018 at 8:27:29 AM

If Trump is up for re-election in 2020 (and he probably will be); there will be rioting after the result, at the very least. Calling it now.
Trump himself said that if he's impeached, there will be riots from his supporters. Even though he didn't explicitly state it as such, that read like a call to action to me. sad

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#264154: Dec 12th 2018 at 8:29:03 AM

You know, I am somewhat impressed by the chutzpah Trump expressed there. Bickering in front of running cameras and then "shutdown oh yeah!"?

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#264155: Dec 12th 2018 at 9:17:07 AM

Holy shit! Michael Cohen Opens Up in Court as He’s Sentenced to 36 Months: ‘It Was My Duty’ to Cover up Trump’s ‘Dirty Deeds

Cohen addressed a tweet from President Donald Trump: Recently the president tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again i felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.”

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#264156: Dec 12th 2018 at 9:31:40 AM

You know...I maybe shouldn't, but I kind of start to feel respect for Cohan. Well, not for what he did in the past. But, well, he went into this without a plea deal, right? It takes some guts to face what you have done, and admit it to the world. Maybe he isn't a complete piece of sh... (unlike the other people involved in this sorry story).

Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#264157: Dec 12th 2018 at 9:37:15 AM

Well, he continuously backed up Trump while doing those illegal things he ordered and only relented when faced with so much evidence he had no option to plead innocence, so... no respect for him from my end.

Life is unfair...
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#264158: Dec 12th 2018 at 9:42:20 AM

Honestly, I’d say the really amazing part is that Federal judge William H. Pauley III, just said straight out, that “Individual-1” directed Cohen to commit Federal Crimes. note 

Pauley notes that Cohen admitted that he made the illicit hush-money payments "at the coordination with and the direction of Individual-1."

Edited by megaeliz on Dec 12th 2018 at 12:49:27 PM

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#264159: Dec 12th 2018 at 9:48:14 AM

Well, I can't help myself, I am a big believer in redemption and always cheer on people who walk that path.

The good thing is that because Cohan doesn't have a plea deal, the claim that he makes stuff up for a lower punishment doesn't really hold up.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#264160: Dec 12th 2018 at 9:51:26 AM

He's just covering himself as much he can, that's not a sign of trying to better himself.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#264161: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:00:13 AM

Nope, Cohen's still shit. I have zero respect or sympathy for him.

Edited by M84 on Dec 13th 2018 at 2:00:34 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#264162: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:09:14 AM

Wouldn't he have insisted on a plea deal if this were just about covering himself? And wouldn't he try to downplay his actions in front of the court instead of basically saying "yeah, I did a lot of criminal acts for my criminal boss"?

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#264163: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:13:15 AM

“Yeah I did all the crime for my boss” is typical cover your own ass language. Cohen is not regretful or sympathetic.

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#264164: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:13:26 AM

He did take a plea deal. I'll quote from Vox:

Cohen pleaded guilty to all of the above crimes. Yet in his plea deals, he conspicuously did not commit to cooperate with prosecutors regarding further criminal investigations. Instead, he took a different approach — he’d voluntarily provide certain information to Mueller’s office and other probes.

Cohen’s lawyers claimed he did this to speed up his sentencing so he could move on with his life. Perhaps more plausible is the theory that Cohen has been involved in a lot of shady activities over the years, and so preferred to pick and choose what he’d cooperate about rather than being obligated to tell everything he knows.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#264165: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:23:20 AM

So he basically didn't take a plea deal on Trump related crimes in exchange for not being asked about other crimes?

I take it back then.

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#264166: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:24:07 AM

What I can't get over is just how tiny Cohen's sentence seems to be. Seriously.

When buying elections, selling your "expertise" in gaining access and/or favour with the boss and schmoozing with anybody with a decent-sized wallet isn't seen as worse than the supposed destabilising of society that carrying a packet of weed does, something's horribly wrong.

Even the Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu wanted more-expensive-than-normal fines for "white collar" crime. And, false accusers or false witnesses... yeouch: expect to cough up enough to have to sell yourself into slavery to cover it. <_<

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#264167: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:27:48 AM

A Million Is a Statistic. That's why killing a bunch of people is a crime while enacting policies that do the same isn't. "Tough on crime" for some reason only extends to flashy crimes. Funny that.

Edited by SeptimusHeap on Dec 12th 2018 at 7:29:09 PM

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#264168: Dec 12th 2018 at 10:50:02 AM

I remain unconvinced that paying off his former mistress should have been a campaign expense. Even if it should have been, given that it's never really been tested, I think Trump has a good argument of "It wasn't intentional because I thought it was better to use my own funds because I've used my own funds previously for similar expenses." Even then, typically campaign finance violations result in a fine.

TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#264169: Dec 12th 2018 at 11:18:46 AM

If you're doing it in a way that benefits your campaign, it's an in-kind contribution. He might have gotten off with just a fine if he had been honest about it, but his continued denials only make it more likely he'll have the book thrown at him (or the campaign) for it.

Speaking of elections, the Senate actually did something good. At 50-49, they overturned a policy which would have limited donor disclosure requirements for political nonprofits. Unfortunately, the House isn't likely to take it up, so it's more symbolic than anything.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#264170: Dec 12th 2018 at 11:30:52 AM

When will the house vote on it? Now or next year?

I am kind of disturbed that the focus is so much on the campaign contribution thing and not on the fact that the president of the United States threatened a woman in order to get her to sign a non-disclosure agreement….

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#264171: Dec 12th 2018 at 11:31:28 AM

And of course given his pro-barely hidden corruption predilections, the turtle from Kentucky had to oppose it:

"Prior to the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the resolution was an "attempt by some of our Democratic colleagues to undo a pro-privacy reform. ... In a climate that is increasingly hostile to certain kinds of political expression and open debate, the last thing Washington needs to do is to chill the exercise of free speech and add to the sense of intimidation.""

Ugh, I so despise this man.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#264172: Dec 12th 2018 at 12:05:40 PM

Mitch notably killed the legalization of weed in Kentucky after hours and hours of listening to veterans and opiod addicts as well as joint support from both parties. Including listening to people talking about how the traffic of opiods was killing thousands and this could seriously relieve both poverty, illness, and pain. He didn't even have an excuse, he just tabled it for next year...and then did it again when the year passed.

As for Cohen, my respect is limited to the fact he's a criminal with a grasp of reality and self-interest enough not to screw himself more like Manafort. I don't need or want to respect his morality (and don't) but I can certainly understand he's got a better head on his shoulders than most of these idiots.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Dec 12th 2018 at 12:06:54 PM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#264173: Dec 12th 2018 at 12:26:42 PM

"Except where one of you is for some reason investigating the other one, you are now required to share your data"?

From the Jurisdiction Friction page, the FBI is concerned with the "Fruit of the Poisoned Tree" scenario (CIA got the information unlawfully, and thus the FBI wouldn't be able to prosecute afterward), while the CIA is worried the FBI could leak the information since they aren't anywhere near as Properly Paranoid as the CIA would like.

And in more recent news, we've got:

And nix that last one - I was thinking about this exchange from Dragonheart

Einon: The peasants are revolting!
Brok: They've always been revolting, prince. Now they're rebellin'.

Edited by ironballs16 on Dec 12th 2018 at 4:07:25 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#264174: Dec 12th 2018 at 1:22:17 PM

In more "nice to have it confirmed but not surprising in the least" news: National Enquirer owner admits to paying off Playboy model to protect Trump. Bummed that they aren't going to be prosecuted for it, though.

EDIT:

Rand Paul is apparently not a fan of Trump's new Attorney General pick, due to Barr's support for the PATRIOT Act (which expanded domestic surveillance)
Well of course he does! (rolls eyes) Note 

Edited by speedyboris on Dec 12th 2018 at 3:23:47 AM

TechPriest90 Servant of the Omnissiah from Collegia Titanica, Mars, Sol System Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Servant of the Omnissiah
#264175: Dec 12th 2018 at 1:45:47 PM

I sincerely hope he won't get impeached. Because that'll mean Mike Pence in the driver's seat. Which is far, far worse.

Better he loses the while on the 2020 ticket and gets humiliated fair and square, than give him and his neo-Nazi fanboys any ammunition.

I hold the secrets of the machine.

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