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.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines
before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules
when posting here.
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
https://nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html
Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation
First part of article:
“I hope you can let this go,” the president told Mr. Comey, according to the memo.
The existence of Mr. Trump’s request is the clearest evidence that the president has tried to directly influence the Justice Department and F.B.I. investigation into links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia.
Mr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence a continuing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations.
Mr. Comey shared the existence of the memo with senior F.B.I. officials and close associates. The New York Times has not viewed a copy of the memo, which is unclassified, but one of Mr. Comey’s associates read parts of the memo to a Times reporter.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
On a more serious note, as crazy as I find some of the anti-abortion people to be, if that was the main reason Republicans hated Obama, I think I'd find them more tolerable. It's at least possible to pretend that opposition to abortion comes from something other than hatred of women. It's not possible to pretend "he's a Muslim from Kenya" came from anything other than pathological xenophobia.
Pretend his presidency was illegitimate or never existed just like annulments do with marriages.
This would be so tempting. And yet it might be dangerous. We pretend Trump never happened, and before you know it, we end up unprepared to defend ourselves from Trump 2.0. It's a pleasant thought though.
I've been reading Kennedy's New Frontier Speech, and it still rings true today, now more than ever.
It's short, but definitely worth a read. There's a lot here that can apply to our current situation, and maybe even learn something from.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25966
edited 16th May '17 3:05:49 PM by megaeliz
Well, it's clearly obstruction of justice. He still wont get impeached, not yet. But maybe we can get our independent investigation.
Upon second thought, I'm not so sure. There is the idea that by impeaching him, the Republicans can end the scandals, and it's not like President Pence would make it harder to get legislation through. I'm starting to wonder if impeachment isnt the better option, since the Russian investigation could cause a scandal that would impact the Republicans. I'm open to thoughts on this.
edited 16th May '17 3:02:32 PM by DeMarquis
I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.Looks like this leak might have cost the US at least one European intelligence sharing partner
.
edited 16th May '17 3:05:59 PM by Deadbeatloser22
"Yup. That tasted purple."https://twitter.com/Sam_Frizell/status/864597389474222081
Burr says the "burden is on the New York Times" to produce the memos, not on Comey. Says there may be an effort to undermine the president.
From WTF Just Happened Today's Twitter posts
Trump's aides "fear" leaving him alone in meetings.
5/ Gingrich urged Trump to shut down White House press room.
edited 16th May '17 3:36:47 PM by sgamer82
@ironballs: TBH we don't know for sure the agent is dead, just that people who are experts have said it is likely. It depends on what the agent was doing; if he was an asset for intel on ISIS, I'm not sure why Russia would target him. If he was indeed an Isrellei, someone remind me what the relationship between Russia and Israel is like?
Sorry, but not every person who opposes abortion is a republican misogynistic fundamentalist. For some people, including me, it comes from the value of life which is potentially destroyed and wanting women to ponder the other existing options before taking a drastic action as that. Were it the males or both getting pregnant in our species I would have the exact same position (not pretending anything here).
I obviously know what the general view of the subject here is, but creating a strawman just to attack the opposing viewpoint more easily is disingenious.
edited 16th May '17 3:48:39 PM by Grafite
Life is unfair...
Congratulations on responding to something that nobody said. Did you even read what you were responding to there? I said that even the craziest members of the anti-abortion lobby have positions that are more palatable than those of the racist whackos who insisted Obama was a Muslim.
I was specifically referencing the extremists, made it clear I was referencing the extremists, and then said that even then, I'd take that particular group of extremists over a different and crazier groups of extremists. You responded by...accusing me of calling you, personally, an extremist.
Since it's a subject that frequently results in bans I'm not going to touch the rest of your post. I'll simply finish by saying this—you can't accuse me of setting up a strawman while attacking something I didn't say.
edited 16th May '17 3:51:24 PM by AmbarSonofDeshar
![]()
![]()
Not to prolong a possible abortion debate, but rhetoric like that is one of the things I have a problem with on the pro-choice side (as well as the pro-life side).
When you ask real-life people about the question, there responses are usually not so clear whatever their ultimate stance is. It's why you get things like a lot of women being pro-choice but saying they'd never personally get an abortion, or just the general "I don't morally agree with abortion, but still think it should be legal" stance that is also common.
edited 16th May '17 3:51:04 PM by LSBK
Looks like Ann Coulter is turning in Trump:
In an interview with The Daily Caller on Sunday, Coulter said she still has hope in Trump, but she is ready to jump ship if things don't change.
"I’m not very happy with what has happened so far," Coulter said. "I guess we have to try to push him to keep his promises. But this isn’t North Korea, and if he doesn’t keep his promises, I’m out. This is why we voted for him. I think everyone who voted for him knew his personality was grotesque, it was the issues."
She explained that Trump ran as a master negotiator who would drain the Washington, D.C., swamp, but she hasn't seen him follow through on enough of his campaign promises.
"My fingers are still crossed. It’s not like I’m out yet, but boy, things don’t look good," Coulter said.
She added that she won't apologize for supporting Trump during the election, because he said all the right things on the campaign trail and because there was no better option.
She said she is afraid now that "the Trump-haters were right," which she said would be a "nightmare."
"I got to tell you when I wrote 'Adios America,' I thought there was a ten percent chance of saving the country," Coulter said. "On the evening of November 8, I thought, 'Wow, we have a 90 percent chance now. This is a chance that comes a long once every thousand years. We can save America now.'"
"And now, I don’t know, I’m someplace between ten percent and 90 percent."
Lol wut
@ The Arizona guy who wants to end compulsory schooling, because "education should be a privilege." With all due respect—that is none—[expletive redacted]
And good ol' Gingrich, utterly lacking in self-awareness as par usual...whatever image of the USA, foreigners have for the next 4-8 years we brought on ourselves...
Some where speculating about this already but Just for Fun: McConnell: I recommended Merrick Garland for FBI director
“Yeah, it may surprise people, but he has a deep background in criminal law,” he continued. “He was the prosecutor in the Oklahoma City bombing case. And I think it would make it clear that President Trump will continue the tradition at the FBI of having an apolitical professional.”
A source familiar with Garland’s thinking said he’s not interested in the FBI director post. “He loves his job and isn’t interested in leaving the judiciary,” said the source, who asked not to be named.
Aides to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had privately prodded associates of Garland — who had stayed mum as speculation swirled about Trump naming him to the FBI — to make clear publicly that he wasn't interested in the position, according to one source familiar with the interaction.
While Republicans have framed Garland as a figure who could get bipartisan support in the Senate, nominating Garland would give the president an opening to appoint someone to the D.C. Circuit, the most powerful court aside from the Supreme Court. There are currently seven Democratic and four Republican appointees on the court.
Mc Connell didn’t address the court vacancy that would open up but insisted “it would be good to have Democratic support” on a new FBI director nominee.
“And I think if he picks someone with a deep background in law enforcement who has no history of political involvement, a genuine expert — and the reason I mention Garland, he’s an example of that — it will serve him well, serve the country well and lead to, I think, a more bipartisan approach,” he said.
@Ambar: Looking through your post again and nothing suggests you were talking about the extremist or crazy faction. You said you found "anti-abortion people" to be crazy and then referenced opposition to abortion (again general) as only by people who hate women. I can't see how a troper could extrapolate from your post that you were only talking about a subset of the group.
@Elle: Tim Kaine, I think he is a good example of a reasonable position from a Democrat on the topic.
edited 16th May '17 3:59:30 PM by Grafite
Life is unfair...![]()
Is there a time limit for how long it takes until a new director of the FBI is appointed?
There is none. Trump never has to nominate one. (And the Senate never has to confirm one). ![]()
![]()
And I'll put a zeni on Bernie Madoff myself
edited 16th May '17 4:08:28 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 livesI'm not sure a special prosecutor would be ideal, as the type of special prosecutor from Watergate has had its powers stuarorily neutered to the bone since the late 90s after Bill's impeachment. You'd be better off asking for a special council or committee has no such restrictions.
New Survey coming this weekend!FoxNews can't seem to get any Republicans to come on air and defend Trump.
edited 16th May '17 4:25:55 PM by tclittle
"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."edited 16th May '17 4:27:59 PM by tclittle
"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."

Too bad the US can't do an annulment with Trump.
Pretend his presidency was illegitimate or never existed just like annulments do with marriages.
edited 16th May '17 3:40:55 PM by MadSkillz