TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The General US Politics Thread

Go To

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

TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#238326: Apr 11th 2018 at 10:55:28 AM

Unless the seized/frozen assets branch into his properties, he's probably in the clear on that.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238327: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:03:01 AM

The new Sanctions are particularly interesting, since several of the oligarchs targeted are major shareholders in Western Companies that do business with the US, and forces them to cut ties. This should have an effect.

The Treasury Department designated seven oligarchs and seventeen Russian government officials in this tranche. The designations of Oleg Deripaska, Suleiman Kerimov, and Viktor Vekselberg were particularly notable, as they all own or control vast holdings in the West. Although, like most Russian oligarchs, the three men originally made their fortunes in extractive industries in Russia, their companies are now closely interwoven with the Western financial system. Deripaska’s EN+ Group is incorporated in Jersey and trades on the London Stock Exchange. Kerimov’s family owns Polyus, one of the largest gold miners in the world, which also trades in London. Vekselberg’s Renova Group has substantial operations in Zurich and owns a large U.S. investment firm. Renova, through an affiliated company, is also the single largest shareholder in the largest bank in Cyprus.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control, which manages financial sanctions for the Treasury Department, issued two licenses granting American businesses and individuals a short window to unload equity or debt holdings related to these sanctioned companies and to wind down business relationships. The licenses signal that Treasury anticipates these seven oligarchs are extensively intertwined with American companies and capital markets. While U.S. businesses may find it complicated and costly to extricate themselves, that very entanglement also means that the subjects of sanctions may stand to lose their shirts. Time will tell...

...The deterrent effect of this round of targeting may be felt even absent additional actions, as the logic of the expectations game plays out — if other oligarchs think they will be next, they may be forced into a fire sale of assets. If Western businesses perceive that the previously unimaginable is now likely and retreat from Russia, the Russian business climate could deteriorate quickly.

edited 11th Apr '18 11:07:28 AM by megaeliz

Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#238328: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:13:15 AM

@Angelus Nox: So we should let Assad continue to violate international treaties and gas his own people? Inaction in Syria except watching it from afar is what gave us the latest chemical attack and the free russian reign there, glad Trump went back on his decision.

Life is unfair...
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238329: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:30:01 AM

Another Trump tweet.

Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy!

edited 11th Apr '18 11:31:29 AM by megaeliz

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238330: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:31:11 AM

[up][up]If we were talking about a normal administration I would completely agree with you, but we're not. Trump is incredibly lazy and incompetent he is not the sort of President we need launching interventions or any form of military action.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#238331: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:33:47 AM

[up] Bluster aside, the question just comes down to whether we think we should be launching a strike now. Even normal presidents aren't military experts, most of the actual details of a strike would be left to various planners in the Do D. Trump wouldn't really have all that much say over the ins and outs of a strike once he authorized it.

They should have sent a poet.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238332: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:38:42 AM

[up] What we really need is an actual strategy, and not just the one off airstrike.

edited 11th Apr '18 11:57:05 AM by megaeliz

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238333: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:51:45 AM

His tweets today are odd.

These three tweets were all from this morning. Can anyone see which tweet is the odd one out?

Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!

Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race?

Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy!

edited 11th Apr '18 11:54:47 AM by megaeliz

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238335: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:56:34 AM

[up][up][up]This. The DOD handling the day to day operations doesn't mean that military actions under Trump isn't something that wouldn't be counter-productive or myopic.

[up]I was thinking #1 in that it's the only one that's combative towards Russia while the other two aren't.

edited 11th Apr '18 12:16:42 PM by Fourthspartan56

"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
#238337: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:59:10 AM

But #1 was definitely written by Trump, as was #3.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#238338: Apr 11th 2018 at 11:59:56 AM

I make a point of avoiding Trump's tweets,it's all political theatre as far as I'm concerned,I feel like they want you read his tweets and they want you to believe that he's writing them

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238339: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:00:48 PM

In the wake of Ryan's decision to retire, 7 House seats have moved towards the Democrats.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/house-race-ratings-ryan-retirement-update/index.html

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#238340: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:07:40 PM

I wonder why he decided to retire now? The consensus on Twitter seems to be that he's retiring now to escape consequences for the stuff he pulled as Speaker.

edited 11th Apr '18 12:07:51 PM by BearyScary

Do not obey in advance.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238341: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:16:56 PM

You know how we know it's actually Trump tweeting?

He literally live tweets Fox and Friends.

We usually talk about state controlled media as a sign of Authoritarianism. Well, in an absurd twist, we have media that controls the state!

edited 11th Apr '18 12:19:39 PM by megaeliz

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238342: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:18:19 PM

Records relating to the Access Hollywood tape were a focus in the Cohen raid. Looks like they are looking for more coverups and potential fraud, etc.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/michael-cohen-raid-access-hollywood/index.html

Man, this might balloon into its own scandal, fraud and bribery to suppress a ton of Trump's dirty laundry. And its probably easier to get charges on this than Russian collusion.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#238343: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:20:16 PM

You know, there's something that's been niggling at the back of my mind regarding Trump's tweeting style, primarily the overuse of parentheses in them. It just struck me today reading the "I (we)" tweet as to who it reminds me of - Chris-chan. And given how much attention that person gets, I'm suddenly far less surprised by how many are entertained by Trump's antics.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238344: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:20:45 PM

[up] It's entirely being handled by the New York Division of the FBI, acting on a tip that was directed to them by the Mueller team. The mostly likely reason is that they found evidence of a possible crime that was outside the scope of the Muller investigation. And since he and Rosenstein are good civil servants, they did their due diligence and directed it to the appropriate authorities.

As a bonus, this also means trump can't do anything about it.

edited 11th Apr '18 12:44:14 PM by megaeliz

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238345: Apr 11th 2018 at 12:26:21 PM

Yeah, at the very least Cohen will get charged (or be threatened with charges in an effort to flip him, unlikely because as we've seen Cohen is personally loyal to Trump, and he's almost like family), most talking head lawyers on the news said that no judge would authorize a raid on the president's lawyer without a damn good reason.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#238346: Apr 11th 2018 at 1:04:05 PM

Cohen may be loyal to Trump, but is he loyal enough to place Trump over the needs of his own family?

Do not obey in advance.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238347: Apr 11th 2018 at 1:07:22 PM

[up]

Cohen may be loyal to Trump, but is he loyal enough to place Trump over the needs of his own family?

I did see this in an AP Article about him.

Stressing his loyalty, Cohen has steadfastly denied wrongdoing and defended Trump. But he has confided in associates in recent weeks that he is fearful of being a fall guy, according to a person familiar with his thinking but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.

Cohen told CNN on Tuesday that the FBI agents were “extremely professional, courteous and respectful” but acknowledged the experience was “upsetting to say the least.”

In the early years, Cohen practiced personal injury law, made millions in real estate, failed in a run for New York City Council and partnered with his Ukraine-born father-in-law to own a fleet of vehicles in New York City’s gritty taxi cab industry. And he was a dealmaker, emerging as a key figure in trying to establish Trump-branded properties overseas, including in Russia.

During the campaign, he was involved with a plan to help the Trump Organization build a tower in Moscow and in October 2016 brought Trump a letter of intent from a Russian developer. Later, he sent an email to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman seeking help to advance the stalled project. He said he did not recall receiving a response.

Interest in his ties to Russia only intensified in February 2017, when it was revealed that Cohen had hand-delivered a Moscow-friendly plan to settle the dispute in Ukraine to Gen. Michael Flynn, then Trump’s national security adviser. Cohen later testified to Congress about the proposal and denied wrongdoing.

edited 11th Apr '18 1:10:42 PM by megaeliz

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#238348: Apr 11th 2018 at 1:43:42 PM

So according to CNN, Trump 's morning outburst meant diddly-squat as they are still deciding just what to do about Syria, as well as consulting with Macron and May about the possibility of a joint strike. However, some Rebublicans are concerned that such a strike may now not happen as Trump's tweet makes doing so that much more complicated, with more potential ramifications then there otherwise would be.

In other words, Trump's first tweet was basically Fire and Fury redux. Pure impulse with no actual substance behind it. But it was still enough to give everyone the willlies.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#238349: Apr 11th 2018 at 1:45:34 PM

Trump seems to have no awareness whatsoever that his tweet storms sabotage his own policy options. It's bizarre, even for someone so deeply afflicted with NPD.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#238350: Apr 11th 2018 at 1:46:08 PM

[up]

Which would make for great conspiracy fodder at that - "Trump gave Russia a heads-up before we were even done deliberating!"

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"

Total posts: 417,856
Top