So long as the Astros didn't make it I'm fine. Would like the Phillies to win tonight but I can handle Arizona Texas.
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So long as the Astros didn't make it I'm fine. Would like the Phillies to win tonight but I can handle Arizona Texas.
The New York Times reports that Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt privately recorded his intentions to give Donald Trump money in order to advance his business interests in the United States. Pratt wrote, “If Potus is having his election party at mar Lago I’ll book as many rooms as available,” because doing so would not only help Trump win the election but also “be good for business.”
The Times reports that, according to witness testimony to federal prosecutors, Pratt “spent $1 million to attend the party, well in excess of the normal charge.” That is to say, Pratt was not merely indulging himself in amenities offered by Trump’s private club but consciously using those payments as a vehicle to pay Trump directly.
While there is no evidence this alleged scheme violates any criminal statute, the colloquial term for this behavior is bribery.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are continuing to circulate allegations that President Biden was connected to his son Hunter’s influence-peddling business. Representative James Comer has made a series of uncorroborated allegations that the conservative media have uncritically promoted, insinuating that Joe Biden personally benefited from his son’s business. Republicans have produced communications between Hunter Biden and his father, which might be expected between a father and a son, but no clear evidence that Joe Biden received any payments stemming from Hunter’s work.
They are attempting, so far without success, to show Biden did what Donald Trump is proven to have done.
Whataboutism is the lowest form of political argument. Trump’s misconduct does not excuse Biden’s poor judgment in permitting his son to trade on the family name, even if he was only selling the illusion of access.
At the same time, however, the swirling charges of corruption are obviously being used in the context of a presidential-election contest between Biden and Trump. And whatever combination of criminal charges he is ultimately convicted of, Trump is unambiguously guilty of corruption. The Republicans’ accusations against Biden usefully frame the scope of Trump’s culpability.
The facts of the Hunter Biden case are that he performed consulting work for a series of clients who obviously hoped he would have influence with his father. The accusation Republicans make, but haven’t proven, is that Joe Biden was in on this arrangement and collected money from it.
Trump also had a son running a business during his presidency. But the idea Trump profited from the business isn’t an accusation. It’s a fact nobody denies.
Instead of a consulting business, Trump ran a social club at Mar-a-Lago. Unlike the bank-shot proposition offered by Hunter — Hire me, and maybe I’ll put in a word with my dad — Trump offered a direct proposition: Put money directly into my pocket, and I will be grateful.
Three years ago, the Times reported in detail on the extensive corruption embedded in Trump’s running of Mar-a-Lago. The story, which is some 10,000 words long and came out in the crazed final days of the 2020 election, did not receive the attention it merited. But its primary conclusions were extremely damning. The Times found:
–
Despite promising to leave the handling of his business to his son, Trump took a direct role in overseeing the cash flow of his properties.
–
After winning election, Trump noticed an increase in the demand to join the Mar-a-Lago club and gain access to him and twice raised membership prices to capitalize on it.
–
Pratt is one member who exploited this arrangement by gaining access to Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue, whose influence over food regulations pertained directly to Pratt’s packaging business.
–
The Times found “over 200 companies, special-interest groups and foreign governments that patronized Mr. Trump’s properties while reaping benefits from him and his administration.”
– One lobbyist paid the membership fee because “the president’s wishes had been made clear to him — and he needed to ante up.”
Just imagine if Joe Biden were not only receiving money from Hunter’s business but letting lobbyists know they’d better pay up if they wanted favors from him!
Biden shouldn’t lower his standards to Trump’s. But the conservative hyperventilation about unproven allegations against Biden, combined with a complete lack of interest in proven corruption by their party’s nominee, doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously as a form of accountability. If your interest in corruption is primarily directed at Joe Biden, then you are not in the corruption-exposing business. You’re in the corruption-enabling business.
The Japan part was a bit of a joke, although I think it's true, even I with my rudimentary reading on these subjects know about Japan's amazingly low interest rates and low inflation...Canada is quite similar to America as they seem to forget the rest of the world exists or at best are RPG NPCs doing whatever they do due to whatever the player(america decides).. it doesn't seem to difficult to find out how well America has recovered compared to the rest of the world, just look at some graphs obviously something worldwide happened and somebody recovered a lot better than the others, shame it doesn't work like that in effect.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
Lowest inflation rate of any major economy. Core inflation at two point one percent over the last six months. Basically back to the Fed's standard two percent target (central banks aim for two percent inflation as it allows for stable economic growth). Japan is a little lower but they've spent the last thirty years trying to generate inflation in Japan, a legacy of an ageing population who save more than they spend, no immigration, low birthrate etc etc. Three percent is like hyperinflation for their economy. The problem is voters don't understand economics. All they know is there's been significant inflation after decades where they didn't notice it and the person in power in whichever country you look at gets the blame. The highest approval rating of any major economy leader right now is the Italian fascist lady with forty odd percent and she has only taken over recently/took over after most of the inflation had happened.Quote:
Originally Posted by palmerq
You're right about Trump and twitter. But maybe because he knows he isn't going to get the coverage he had when he was on twitter so he can be more extreme to play to his hardcore base without it making national headlines. I have a feeling he'll tone it down when the election campaigns really get going and he's getting daily national coverage. Hope I'm wrong.
I'd say trump is one prison sentence away from declaring himself Jesus reborn, if only the Bible had some warnings about this sort of thing the "Christians" might be a bit suspicious right now, he's even super goldy orange coloured :S.....
As for trump and toning it down, I'm not sure he can resist telling everyone on the national stage that us is spelt U S! No one ever noticed before!.
https://x.com/Acyn/status/1716547648658850017?s=20
Trump is babbling now like a very old uncle no one listens to.
Also how orange is he becoming?
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...ce19f.jpg.webp
'Heck of a reunion': Donald Trump silent as Michael Cohen dishes dirt
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67211840
Soooo.... Trump is simultaneously "getting in more and more hot water" every day.... and seeing his ratings go up and up and up, at least in comparison with Joe Biden.
Got it. :rolleyes:
What was it that Don King used to say? Only in America? Or was that a movie I'm forgetting? :D
May as well start outfitting his future jail cell with a desk and a red phone, I guess. :D
Supreme Court corruption scandal still going:
https://twitter.com/crampell/status/1717269446857756773
Next is a simple point; these people are partly who they — wealthy, immune to most economic pressures, and essentially above the law — are because of the sweeping power of regulatory and political capture. GOP megadonors get their problems legislated or regulated into oblivion. They understand the purely transactional nature of MAGA capitalism, namely, kleptocracy.
They know if they give, they get. They know if they don’t, they get punished.
It’s the freakshow mirror of the free market the old GOP preached. Lobbyists, friendly regulators, captive legislators, and an army of eager political, media and public relations consultants thrive off the largesse of this donor community.
The system works very well for them, and even if the President is a madman, a criminal, and an insurrectionist, they truly believe they’ll get what they want.
It’s not just transactional.
It’s the venality of evil.
https://therickwilson.substack.com/p...utm_medium=web
By the numbers: Just five years ago, the country had never experienced 500 mass shootings in one year:
- 2018: 335 mass shootings
- 2019: 414 mass shootings
- 2020: 610 mass shootings
- 2021: 689 mass shootings
- 2022: 645 mass shootings
https://www.axios.com/2023/09/17/mas...ed-states-2023
The Senate adopted an amendment yesterday making it easier for veterans with mental disabilities to buy guns. Sen. Angus King of Maine voted in favor. Chris Murphy said it will allow "actively suicidal," veterans to buy deadly weapons.
https://twitter.com/KenDilanianNBC/s...80779717283992
Hours before a U.S. Army reservist who sources said had mental health symptoms allegedly shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate approved an amendment that would scale back background check requirements for some veterans and service members with mental health issues.
The amendment was authored by Republican Sens. John Kennedy and Jerry Moran, who had concerns that veterans could lose gun rights. It prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from reporting certain veterans to the National Criminal Background Check system when their finances are being managed by a conservator at the VA.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/main...y?id=104378487
‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens
https://www.theonion.com/no-way-to-p...s-r-1850961776
Mike Pence baffled as to why he couldn't get any Hang Mike Pence party voters to support him.
Vice President is out of the race and a back bench house member is speaker entirely because one didn’t go along with the Trump coup and the other did. The only GOP litmus test.
https://twitter.com/Timodc/status/1718336168423469404
So chronologically speaking...
Trump calls Pence a pussy for basically not going along with the January 6th Capitol riot.
Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Then Trump blames Pence for what happened on January 6th.
“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with January 6, so in many ways you can blame him for January 6,” Trump told reporters on a flight to Iowa for a campaign appearance.
Now Trump says Pence should support him now that he's (Pence) dropped out of the race.
'You know, people are leaving now, and they're all endorsing me,' Trump said. 'I don't know about Mike Pence.'
'He should endorse me, you know why? Because I had a great successful presidency and he was the vice president,' the former president added. 'He should enforce me. I chose him, made him vice president. But people in politics can be very disloyal. I've never seen anything like it.'
:D
This is circus-worthy. Not to mention Trump saying all those who are dropping out are supporting him. Trump lies are like his breathing... it happens automatically and without a second thought. The dude says whatever bullshit line comes into his head.
If Pence has any dignity (which I don't think he does), he won't dignify Trump with a response. Or else he'll throw his support behind someone else... ANYBODY.
I always knew Pence was Trump's whipping boy. :rolleyes:
The new GOP Speaker of the House weighs in on mass shootings:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
From the flags here you expect Speaker Johnson to be saying something about the US/Israel relationship but he’s actually explaining that the way to end school shootings is to ban abortion.
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/sta...41810221482056
also:
https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status...14261592043877
Mitt Romney Reveals Most Republicans Didn’t Impeach Trump Because They Feared Violent Attacks from His Supporters
Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) revealed to biographer McKay Coppins that the threat of physical violence effectively kept many elected Republicans from voting to impeach or convict President Donald Trump, even though they wanted to.
Coppins is doing the media rounds to promote his new biography Reckoning and chatted with Brian Stelter for a thoughtful interview, which Vanity Fair published on Thursday.
NYU Journalism professor Jay Rosen flagged one particular passage on social media, writing: “Read this paragraph and tell me that the 2024 election can be responsibly reported using the same tools and terms in use for every national election.”
The passage in question reveals that many Republican members of Congress wanted to vote to impeach or convict the former president but that the threat of political violence by Trump supporters effectively kept them from doing what they thought was right. Stelter writes:
“One of the biggest revelations to me in my conversations with Romney was just how important the threat of political violence was to the psychology of elected Republicans today,” said Coppins, who recalled Romney telling him “story after story about Republican members of Congress, Republican senators, who at various points wanted to vote for impeachment—vote to convict Trump or vote to impeach Trump—and decided not to, not because they thought he was innocent, but because they were afraid for their family’s safety. They were afraid of what Trump supporters might do to them or to their families.” That “raises a really uncomfortable question,” Coppins said, which is “how long can the American project last if elected officials from one of the major parties are making their political decisions based on fear of physical violence from their constituents?”
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/mi...is-supporters/
Mike Pence should be forced to carry his Presidential campaign to term.
https://twitter.com/DarrigoMelanie/s...39430245662800
The Ron De Santis Louboutin scandal is growing legs. Stop the video at eight or ten seconds when he has his leg bent and knee fully extended. Look at it. Just look at it:
https://twitter.com/reedgalen/status...72462818590798
Then he gets destroyed about it by some talk show person and there's video:
https://twitter.com/RealDylanMO/stat...78451699695827
https://i.ibb.co/GTKzH1d/c6b.jpg
This man claims to be five feet ten.
This fucker is spending his life hobbling round Iowa talking to tiny numbers of people at any place that will have him and is now basically in third place. His campaign is circling the drain and he's going to be forever known as the guy wearing lifts in his shoes. No fun being Ron right now.
"tiny little baby steps" a certain someone will say..... But anyhow I have never made any secret of the several reasons why I hate Donald Trump so here is my next pronouncement:
DONALD TRUMP IS A CUNT FOR SUPPORTING ISRAEL AND FOR MOVING THE US EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM
Vivek Ramaswamy was on Piers Morgan the other day and is a mini Trump who will probably be a really serious contender after this election. He thinks his ideas are new and innovative but they are frighteningly naïve and ill considered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-i2mJM4xm8
Vivek is getting extremely popular with the Southeast Asian communities in California and New York but he has no chance in this upcoming election as he is pulling somewhere around 7or 8%Quote:
Originally Posted by Master