Surfer 1,547 Posted October 17, 2019 Well that was quite a day for the President’s remaining supporters .... what’s next? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Apples 1,314 Posted October 17, 2019 Looks like only the fiercest of supporters are standing by Trump now...from the Daily Mash. 🤣 Everyday pr*cks distance themselves from Trump SOME of Britain’s most unbearable pr*cks have confirmed that they find Donald Trump’s level of d*ckishness excessive. Pr*cks who normally rejoice in such qualities as arrogance, bigotry and needless pig-headed aggression have distanced themselves from the US president. Tom Booker, who owns 400 buy-to-let properties and drives a Jaguar with a customised hood ornament, said: “I am a pr*ck. I have a number of blinkered views and am generally hostile towards the underdog in any situation. “However Trump is taking pr*ck behaviour too far, something I never thought was possible. “I’ve always rejoiced in being a pr*ck. Only last week I d*cked a single mum out of her deposit by claiming she had damaged a radiator, but it appears I have my limits.” Advertising executive Norman Steele said: “I’d f*ck anyone over at the drop of a hat, but I don’t want to be lumped in with this guy." 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rock The Boat 1,290 Posted October 17, 2019 18 hours ago, Hoola Han Solo said: Or maybe the actions of an insecure man baby? I assume you can relate to that, mate? Are you sure you want to get into a discussion with me about insecurity? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoola Han Solo 448 Posted October 17, 2019 10 minutes ago, Rock The Boat said: Are you sure you want to get into a discussion with me about insecurity? That’s a good point, you could probably go on for ages about all your problems. PS, assume Jools is doing well? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keelansgrandad 6,679 Posted October 17, 2019 Meanwhile, two Britons who alledgedly entered the USA illegally are in prison. Whereas, a woman allegedly accused of manslaughter carries on her normal life with no prospect of ever being punished. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herman 9,584 Posted October 17, 2019 The man is a danger to his country, his countrymen, his armed forces and any ally of the US. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 17, 2019 (edited) Meanwhile: while Turkey and Ukraine are distracting everyone's attention, the White House just announced that the next G7 Summit that is to be hosted by the USA will be held at .... (drum roll) .....Trump National Doral Miami in Florida. There is an item in the constitution called the "emoluments" clause such an act may violate, there is already a case in the US Courts challenging US government activities and foreign government staff staying at the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. Some reaction: Senator Jeff Merkley (D) " This G-7 announcement is corrupt. It's a violation of the Constitution. It's an abuse of power. And Congress can shut it down. I'm introducing a bill first thing next week to stop this corruption in its tracks"" Edited October 17, 2019 by Surfer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rock The Boat 1,290 Posted October 17, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Herman said: The man is a danger to his country, his countrymen, his armed forces and any ally of the US. Brett Mcgurk is a policy hawk who wants to keep American troops in Syria. I'm surprised you support such people, Herman. Mcgurk resigned from the administration in December 2018 citing the Presidents decision to withdraw US troops from Syria as the reason. SO for Mcgurk to claim that the president made the decision on Sunday evening is a lie. He is trying to stay relevant in something in which he is no longer involved. Perhaps you and Brett could go over there and fight alongside the Kurds. Edited October 17, 2019 by Rock The Boat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) So much happened in the past 48 hours, we'll have to take it one piece of news at a time .. Re: Ukraine issue: "defense money for political help" allegations: As rumored, Energy Dept. Secretary Rick Perry has resigned. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/rick-perry-resign-trump-ukraine-giuliani-energy-secretary-a9160811.html " Energy Secretary Rick Perry has announced his resignation shortly after the White House confirmed that Donald Trump had asked him to work with his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in investigating alleged Ukrainian corruption. " Edited October 18, 2019 by Surfer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 18, 2019 Acting Chief of White House Staff had a "you bet I called a code red" moment when he admitted the defense money was held back in order to pressure Ukraine to conduct an investigation into debunked conspiracies about the Democratic National Committee server. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/17/20919430/mulvaney-trump-ukraine-quid-pro-quo-conspiracies But he now is trying to walk that comment back. https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/mick-mulvaney-is-now-denying-the-quid-pro-quo-he-admitted-to-in-white-house-briefing/#.Xajm4Os_NRM.twitter On Thursday, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney attempted to argue he never claimed there was a quid pro quo in President Donald Trump’s diplomacy with Ukraine: Just hours before, Mulvaney openly admitted that the White House made foreign aid conditional on helping Trump investigate his political opponents — stunning the president’s legal team and drawing criticism even from Republicans like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). His new denial directly contradicts what he said on camera. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keelansgrandad 6,679 Posted October 18, 2019 RTB, I have to ask you why you are so willing to defend Trump when his administration has been blighted by scandal, fraud and misogony and racism from the start. They cannot all be lying. There is evidence that the US is performing well, on paper at least, but now seems to be over the bubble of a completely new and unpolitical President. And that surely is the only defence the man has as to why he should still be President. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thirsty Lizard 3,085 Posted October 18, 2019 "He earned his spurs from a doctor". A withering put-down for the cowardly, draft dodging Trump. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill 1,788 Posted October 18, 2019 3 hours ago, keelansgrandad said: RTB, I have to ask you why you are so willing to defend Trump when his administration has been blighted by scandal, fraud and misogony and racism from the start. it's only hand crank, with one of his many names, trying to provoke a reaction all very sad, really Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rock The Boat 1,290 Posted October 18, 2019 5 hours ago, keelansgrandad said: RTB, I have to ask you why you are so willing to defend Trump when his administration has been blighted by scandal, fraud and misogony and racism from the start. They cannot all be lying. There is evidence that the US is performing well, on paper at least, but now seems to be over the bubble of a completely new and unpolitical President. And that surely is the only defence the man has as to why he should still be President. KG, Donald Trump is not a politician, he is a businessman, an outsider, and because of this he is loathed by the political establishment. They seek to destroy him by innuendo and fake news. He has been President for almost four years now and so far the political establishment has been unable to pin a single thing on him, despite their continuous and daily attempts to thwart the running of the country. As an outsider he is beholden to nobody, and so is disliked by all those who depend on the pork barrel. Barak Obama left office having enriched himself to the tune of $40m net worth, greater even than George Bush who comes from a long family line of extremely wealthy people. Trump on the other hand has come to the office of President without the need to enrich himself The scandal has all been manufactured by the political establishment and the media. Just like the present Biden-Ukraine so-called scandal which when you strip away the fake stuff the real story of Joe Biden's cronyism to install his son into a Ukrainian engineering company, for which he has no qualifications, and has made $4m to-date, while Biden senior was VP, comes to light. Remember it was Biden Snr. who first asked the Ukranian president to sack an investigator looking into the Biden affair, which he did, in a quid-pro-quo agreement which kicked off this business. It is noteworthy that the media did not go after the initial Biden story during Obama's tenure, but they are all over the follow up when Trump asked the Ukrainian President for information on the backstory. And it has been like this ever since Trump was elected, starting with fake news about his inauguration rally and has continued relentlessly ever since. As you point out yourself, Trump is never attacked over his record in the economy because the truth is the economy has done exceedingly well over the past three years. You can describe Trump as being a disruptor. His way of working is to never take things at face value but to challenge the status quo. He is in a very strong position to act in this way, and as a result is able to act decisively if necessary, and because of this he is loathed by those operators who are more used to a compromise personality. Well, the US voted for a disruptor, just as the UK voted for Brexit as a disruption mechanism, because they were fed up with the developing drift of a political class increasingly distant and out-of-touch with the lives of regular people. And while you may not like Trump or Farage they are the people who are the most attuned to what regular people feel and think. If you want to get rid of Trump, it isn't him or the people who have to change, it is the political class who have to change and become properly accountable to people like us. Until that happens I will always vote for the disruptors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 18, 2019 41 minutes ago, Rock The Boat said: If you want to get rid of Trump, it isn't him or the people who have to change, it is the political class who have to change and become properly accountable to people like us. Until that happens I will always vote for the disruptors. I'll give you credit for being consistent on that position across US and UK politics. As for the "facts" quoted, I'll not bother to correct it as like many a Trump supporter I don't think you actually care what is true ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) Meanwhile: the political cancer is metastasizing; We have the impeachment inquiry based the Ukraine "withhold military aid for political dirt" scandal. We have new scandal brewing that affects money laundering of Iranian funds through a Turkish bank where the allegation is the President leaned on the Department of Justice to drop the US case into that bank. That may tie into the capitulation to Turkish demands in northern Syria that is causing Kurdish deaths Plus we have the selection of the President's own Doral Resort as the location for the next G7 meeting. The economy is doing O.K, but it was also doing O.K before DT became President. Edited October 18, 2019 by Surfer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keelansgrandad 6,679 Posted October 18, 2019 Thing is RTB, do you believe that business is any different from the political classes. They are all cut from the same tree. It is just the objective that remains different. And if Trump is to leave a legacy for the World not the US then he has a lot of making up to do. And if Obama made a mint then so be it. Nobody seems to mind if its a sportsperson or musician who makes money but as soon as a politician, the people meant to make life better for the rest of us, dips his beak, then he is seen as corrupt and a liar. Trump doesn't need the money but he needs a lesson in manners and appreciation of the other persons opinion. The only thing I have agreed with him is that the US is not the police force of the World. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, keelansgrandad said: Trump doesn't need the money .... It may turn out that he does, and it may be the root problem of why he's doing a lot of what he is doing. It's why Congress wants to see his tax returns, but he continues to fight that in the courts. Edited October 18, 2019 by Surfer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rock The Boat 1,290 Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, keelansgrandad said: Thing is RTB, do you believe that business is any different from the political classes. They are all cut from the same tree. It is just the objective that remains different. And if Trump is to leave a legacy for the World not the US then he has a lot of making up to do. And if Obama made a mint then so be it. Nobody seems to mind if its a sportsperson or musician who makes money but as soon as a politician, the people meant to make life better for the rest of us, dips his beak, then he is seen as corrupt and a liar. Trump doesn't need the money but he needs a lesson in manners and appreciation of the other persons opinion. The only thing I have agreed with him is that the US is not the police force of the World. They all have their objectives, KG, as do we the people. It is an oversimplification to say that sometimes our objectives coincide and and sometimes they don't, it's obviously more complex than that, but we, the people have to exist as a strong and independent force to act as a balance between both the political classes, and big business - and I would add the technocrat class as another group who have their own set of values and objectives, that have to be included in the discussion. So what I see going on it a lot of pushes and pulling between these different groups, sometimes working in tandem, sometimes in opposition, alliances made and alliances broken as the groups compete for what they believe in. To give you an example as someone like yourself who worked in the TU movement will know, much of your effort was in standing up to the claims of the business classes and at times the political classes would work with you and sometimes against you. When it comes to the subject of climate change the the technocrat classes might seek alliances with the political classes to promote a certain view point to the people. What I think has been happening over the past forty years is the weakening influence of the people as a collective group. One could write chapters on examples of this, but a few examples would be how politicians no longer have careers in business or public service before they enter politics but nowadays they have a separate career stream separated from the rest of society. On the original Brexit thread, I posted a chart which showed that in 1970, more than 80% of MPs had a previous career outside of politics. In the current Parliament about 25% of MPs had non-political careers before entering Parliament. The upshot being, according to the authors of the report, that Parliamentarians are less inclined to act for the public good and more like to act to uphold a given ideology. The actions of MPs in Brexit seems to confirm this. The influence of people is weakened in other ways. Forty years ago, we were a culturally homogeneous group. We all used to watch the same TV programmes, listened to the same music, ate the same food, spoke the same language. Today, we have far more choices in what we can do, watch, listen to and think, which are all good things in themselves, but the price to be paid is the weakening of a cultural and social identity, which has now reach a point where people are becoming unsure of what their identity is. One of the reasons for the debate on gender is a reaction to the splintering and fragmentation of identity. And people who do not know who they are, are not strong people. And if you are not strong you cannot have much influence in this battle of competing interests between people, politicians, business and technocrats. Which brings to Brexit and Trump. Both of which, I believe are examples of the pushback from people against politicians and business. In the case of Trump it more against politicians than business, but as business becomes more global and more 'woke' they will start to feel the pushback, too. Reference Gillette and their woke adverts which saw a big drop in sales. Silicom Valley tech companies - an alliance between technocrats and business - such as Facebook, Amazon, Uber, Airbnb, are all beginning to take the heat for what folks are seeing as unacceptable practices and unfair business models. The pushback continues elsewhere. In Catalonia, in Hong Kong, in France there is a rising sense of injustice against the political classes and those that align with them. Well, when you and I were young men and faced with perceived injustices - Vietnam, Human Rights, it was the left that stood up to the politicians. But it seems to me that today the left have got themselves tied up in this battle over social and cultural identity and they've allowed themselves to become disengaged from the need to pushback against the other groups. They have become part of the process of weakening people. Universities that forty years ago were hotbeds of student debate and centres of revolt against the ruling classes have become places of de-platforming of free speech, havens of safe spaces for the easily offended, and centres of authoritarian intolerance. As a result it has been the right - by electing Trump, forming Brexit Party and UKIP, Five Star in Italy, the rise of populism - who have been the force to oppose the status quo and the vested interests of the other groups. And what I think we need to do now is to continue the fight that began eight hundred years ago to take away the power of sovereignty from the monarch, and to get sovereignty into the hands of the people - and not parliament. That should be the ultimate goal of brexit. Edited October 18, 2019 by Rock The Boat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herman 9,584 Posted October 19, 2019 I don't think you can put someone as corrupt and kleptocratic as Trump in the same bracket as the Hong Kong and Catalonian movements. They are fighting for democracy and independence. He is using people's genuine grievances against job losses, poor governance and being forgotten about to engorge himself and his very wealthy friends. (Ukip had honest intentions in the first place but they and the brexit movement have been taken over by the same greedy people that fund Trump and other populists). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rock The Boat 1,290 Posted October 19, 2019 54 minutes ago, Herman said: I don't think you can put someone as corrupt and kleptocratic as Trump in the same bracket as the Hong Kong and Catalonian movements. They are fighting for democracy and independence. He is using people's genuine grievances against job losses, poor governance and being forgotten about to engorge himself and his very wealthy friends. (Ukip had honest intentions in the first place but they and the brexit movement have been taken over by the same greedy people that fund Trump and other populists). Evidence of Trump engorging himself? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herman 9,584 Posted October 19, 2019 G7 at his failing golf course the latest. His hotels being used for government business?! Wake up RTB. It's not even hidden. On 17/10/2019 at 18:21, Surfer said: Meanwhile: while Turkey and Ukraine are distracting everyone's attention, the White House just announced that the next G7 Summit that is to be hosted by the USA will be held at .... (drum roll) .....Trump National Doral Miami in Florida. There is an item in the constitution called the "emoluments" clause such an act may violate, there is already a case in the US Courts challenging US government activities and foreign government staff staying at the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. Some reaction: Senator Jeff Merkley (D) " This G-7 announcement is corrupt. It's a violation of the Constitution. It's an abuse of power. And Congress can shut it down. I'm introducing a bill first thing next week to stop this corruption in its tracks"" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rock The Boat 1,290 Posted October 20, 2019 On 19/10/2019 at 09:23, Herman said: G7 at his failing golf course the latest. His hotels being used for government business?! Wake up RTB. It's not even hidden. Peanuts. Anyway you completely miss the point of my post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Surfer 1,547 Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) The phrase you should use is not "peanuts" it is "corrupt". It’s such an obvious requirement that as a public office holder you do not award yourself a (no-bid too) contract ... and "I won't make a profit" is also no defense, awarding yourself the contract to avoid usual financial losses because your resort has very few bookings at that time of year is still a financial benefit. I can’t believe you think it’s OK. Edited October 21, 2019 by Surfer 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herman 9,584 Posted October 21, 2019 6 hours ago, Rock The Boat said: Peanuts. Anyway you completely miss the point of my post No, no I didn't. I can't think of the right word but it all seems to be someone desperately trying to persuade himself that he is doing the right thing but knows he isn't. In crude terms you're putting gold leaf on to a turd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A Load of Squit 5,066 Posted October 21, 2019 @susie_dent Word of the day is 'bayard' (1600s): someone with an unshakeable self-confidence that is rooted in ignorance. 😀 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill 1,788 Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Rock The Boat said: Trump offered his resort to the G7 for FREE you stupid pr!ck. He also forgoes $400k Presidential salary, donated to charity. No more fake news from you oh dear, hand crank you do give yourself away when you get all 'sweary' like this it's not good for your health you know all this anger 😡 look what happens whe fellow bigots getn similarly over excited Edited October 21, 2019 by Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Herman 9,584 Posted October 21, 2019 He offered it for no profit and he doesn't need to take a salary when the tax payer pays the tab for his golfing weekends at HIS golf courses. He's corrupt you gullible fool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kick it off 1,927 Posted October 21, 2019 2 minutes ago, Bill said: oh dear, hand crank you do give yourself away when you get all 'sweary' like this it's not good for your health you know all this anger 😡 Very generous of him to offer his failing hotel for nothing as a publicity stunt. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the hotel's income falling 70% since 2015 and the fact it desperately needs some good press... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites