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

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242401: May 15th 2018 at 12:25:39 PM

Let's use a 1-5 scale, or something along those lines, with 5 being people that already agree with you, and 1 people being that completely disagree with you.

The extremes at either end aren't worth worrying about, since the 5s are already supporting your cause, and the 1s will never support it. You go for people in the middle.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#242402: May 15th 2018 at 12:26:51 PM

There's a certain sense Trump supporters are an army of fanatics motivated purely by racism.

Orcs, basically, with MAGA hats.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#242403: May 15th 2018 at 12:30:21 PM

I mean, most people who support Trump aren't going to turn on him, or at least won't vote against him.

But the guy in that article didn't actually sound like that. From the sounds of it, he might actually have been one of those Trump voters who actually voted for Trump for that reason and is realizing that they made a mistake, instead of the (more numerous) voters who use worry about the economy to cover up for their bigotry.

As for how many people are actually like that, I don't know, but even if you don't feel sorry for them, insulting them doesn't actually do any good either.

Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#242404: May 15th 2018 at 12:30:28 PM

An article on 538 basically stated that if one in every 100 voters switched their vote from Trump to Hillary, she would have won, that's definitely a margin that we can work with. I expect farmers to have the biggest swing in the next election due to the trade wars that have hurt their businesses.

edited 15th May '18 12:31:30 PM by Grafite

Life is unfair...
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#242405: May 15th 2018 at 12:30:35 PM

Well, if we assume that his 48.8% of the voting public is directly proportional to the 40% who approve of his presidency, that leaves 8.8% of the voting population, roughly 9 million people and a significant, unexploited demographic.

"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."
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242406: May 15th 2018 at 12:30:40 PM

Trump's tweets today:

Trade negotiations are continuing with China. They have been making hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the U.S., for many years. Stay tuned!

Can you believe that with all of the made up, unsourced stories I get from the Fake News Media, together with the $10,000,000 Russian Witch Hunt (there is no Collusion), I now have my best Poll Numbers in a year. Much of the Media may be corrupt, but the People truly get it!

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242407: May 15th 2018 at 12:37:48 PM

This is interesting.

Qatari investor confirms he attended Trump Tower meetings in 2016 [1]

(CNN) A Qatari investor referenced in a series of tweets from Michael Avenatti this week confirmed to CNN through a spokesperson on Tuesday that he did attend meetings at Trump Tower in December 2016.

The stated reason: Ahmed Al-Rumaihi wanted face time with Trump transition officials.

"Mr. Al-Rumaihi was at Trump Tower on December 12, 2016. He was there in his then role as head of Qatar Investments, an internal division of QIA, to accompany the Qatari delegation that was meeting with Trump transition officials on that date," said a spokesperson for Sport Trinity, a company that Al-Rumaihi co-owns. "He did not participate in any meetings with Michael Flynn, and his involvement in the meetings on that date was limited."

The spokesperson did not elaborate on which Trump transition officials attended those meetings or the substance of the meetings.

A person familiar with the Qatari delegation's meetings at Trump Tower that day said, "There were several meetings that took place between the delegation and Trump transition officials. During one, Michael Cohen briefly popped in."

The statement is Al-Rumaihi's first acknowledgment of why he was at Trump Tower on December 12, 2016, since Avenatti, a lawyer for Stormy Daniels, made an issue of it in his tweets.

Jared got a huge loan from that bank to try to pay off the 666 fifth Avenue property, which is interesting.

edited 15th May '18 12:38:24 PM by megaeliz

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#242408: May 15th 2018 at 12:38:29 PM

[up][up]"Billions and Billions and BILLIONS" of dollars.

edited 15th May '18 12:39:41 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."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#242409: May 15th 2018 at 12:46:02 PM

Carl Sagan turns out to be alive and head of the Calamitous Intent.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#242410: May 15th 2018 at 12:46:40 PM

North Korea is already threatening to cancel any negotiations with both the US and South Korea over continued US-SK Military exercises.

Which kind of makes my theory of "North Korea is lying to the world (again)" more believable.

[down] That was quick.

edited 15th May '18 12:48:58 PM by DingoWalley1

TheWildWestPyro from Seattle, WA Since: Sep, 2012 Relationship Status: Healthy, deeply-felt respect for this here Shotgun
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242412: May 15th 2018 at 12:48:11 PM

[up]x5 if also confirms yet another part of the Steel Dossier.

1. Ahmed Al-Rumaihi has CONFIRMED himself that he DID attend meetings at Trump Tower in Dec. 2016.

2. "Mr. Al-Rumaihi was at Trump Tower on December 12, 2016. He was there in his then role as head of Qatar Investments, an internal division of QIA, to accompany the Qatari delegation that was meeting with Trump transition officials on that date."

3. The fact he was there specifically in the role of head of Qatar Investments casts a larger shadow on the meeting, as this division is part of the Qatari fund that bought a 19% stake in ROSNEFT.

4. The Steele dossier said that Igor Sechin, the CEO of Rosneft, offered CARTER PAGE and Trump associates the brokerage of a 19% stake in the company in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on Russia. And that 19% ? Went in the hands of the above-mentioned Qatari fund.

5. Carter Page was in Moscow discussing ROSNEFT specifically, per HIS OWN admission, from Dec.8 to Dec. 13, 2016. See here for a timeline of Carter Page's russia contacts.

6. Page was thus IN Moscow as the Dec. 12, 2016 meeting between Al- Rumaihi and Cohen, Trump & co. was ongoing at Trump Tower. Meaning they may have had direct input before the meeting, or even a call from Moscow about Rosneft during the meeting.

7. I strongly suspect there's SIGINT of the meeting regardless of Carter Page, bc of Al-Rumaihi and others, but if Page for any reason called in, he was under FISA warrant then. So there would be nice and full transcript and "tape" of whatever they said.

8. Al Rumaihi's spox said that "he did not participate in any meetings with Michael Flynn, and his involvement in the meetings on that date was limited". LOL Please.

9. This is from the man who bragged about BRIBING FLYNN, per court documents in the Ice Cube and business partner lawsuit that says Al-Rumaihi and other Qatari officials attempted to use an investment in the men’s BIG3 basketball league to gain access to Trump admin officials

10. Lawsuit specifically says Al-Rumaihi laughed at Jeff Kwatinetz, Ice Cube's business partner, when he rejected his offer for a bribe, and told Kwatinetz he shouldn't be naive and said "Do you think Flynn turned down our money?" [1]

11. So yeah, highly unlikely that Flynn, who was in the elevator with Cohen and Al-Rumaihi, wasn't part of these meetings, considering his "mutually beneficial" relationship with Al-Rumaihi.

12. A person familiar with the Qatari delegation's meetings that day said "There were several meetings that took place between the delegation and Trump transition officials. During one, Michael Cohen briefly popped in." One can only imagine how this will change by tomorrow.

13. This once again proves @M Ichael Avenatti 100% correct. People better learn that when he speaks, he knows what he's saying and he backs it up with receipts. And punctually, the directly involved people confirm.

edited 15th May '18 12:58:59 PM by megaeliz

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#242413: May 15th 2018 at 12:51:25 PM

What's weird is the whole, "Russia and Quatar did a massive trillion dollar deal that is probably an immense bribe for trump" was not news awhile back.

Everyone assumed it was too obvious a bribe.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#242414: May 15th 2018 at 12:59:20 PM

By this point though, we've all come to realize his how blatantly incompetent the Trump Administration is.

LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#242415: May 15th 2018 at 1:00:11 PM

Blatantly incompetent and corrupt.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#242416: May 15th 2018 at 1:01:40 PM

I realized that the politicos within the admin had zero understanding about how government works when they launched the first travel ban. The racism was repugnant sure, but understandable if you knew anything about the nativist wing of the Republican party. But the execution was beyond incompetent, and anyone with an ounce of common sense should have seen that coming.

That was week one, and they've never failed to demonstrate their ineptitude since.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#242417: May 15th 2018 at 1:05:47 PM

"And North Korea just postponed talks."

My immediate reaction re: Trump and his hopes for the Nobel.

Afterward I breathed a sigh of relief. North Korea's our enemy again, and we can go back to business as usual without the specter of Trump achieving a peace agreement looming over us. Hallelujah!

edited 15th May '18 1:07:25 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."
Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#242418: May 15th 2018 at 1:21:43 PM

[up]The fact that this is an entirely reasonable sentiment is probably a very good indicator that the world is fucked up beyond believe.

danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#242419: May 15th 2018 at 1:25:19 PM

[up]It's not so much a reasonable sentiment, as peace is always preferable, as it is that even in an announcement like this there's good news to be had. Normally there shouldn't be anything good about cancelled peace talks.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#242420: May 15th 2018 at 1:30:01 PM

[up]Except there will still be peace, it just won't be a peace that massively benefits Trump that had little chance of actually happening.

Thus we've lost nothing so that sentiment is hardly unreasonable.

"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
#242421: May 15th 2018 at 1:30:39 PM

[up][up]Depends, a bad peace that empowers Kim and removes the American deterrent from the peninsula without addressing North Korea's rampant Irredentism (which could lead to a destructive war that the South would probably win...probably) would be worse than the status quo. Especially if China fills the power vacuum.

edited 15th May '18 1:32:21 PM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#242422: May 15th 2018 at 1:35:39 PM

A static border with an allied South Korea still dependent on America's military-industrial teat, few deaths on either side of the DMZ, a faltering North Korean economy, Trump with no major accomplishments to his name, and Kim blowing a lot of hot air and testing nukes at the silos we already know about is peace.

"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."
Imca (Veteran)
#242423: May 15th 2018 at 1:41:05 PM

And the last one is a non issue any way, the nuclear program is already toast for North Korea.

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#242424: May 15th 2018 at 1:45:10 PM

Hold on there. NK only postponed talks with SK. They haven't said anything about the Summit. And the U.S is still preparing for it. Don't be jumping to conclusions.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#242425: May 15th 2018 at 1:47:36 PM

[up][up] Their program has just gone underground. The test site being dismantled is symbolic but doesn't really mean anything for their program as a whole.

Their nuclear program as a whole is sort of a red herring though. Their regime is highly unstable, and they need coal and grain from China to keep the whole thing running. The nukes could be a useful bargaining point, but an end to the embargoes and blockades is what they're really looking for.

edited 15th May '18 1:47:43 PM by archonspeaks

They should have sent a poet.

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