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American politics

https://twitter.com/x/status/832485537034309634


Apart from a couple of extra bits in the above, I have only seen what was on the News here last night. It's frightening really that he has so little self-awareness of the damage he is doing to the presidency, himself, his administration etc. every time he speaks. He badly needs to get a director of communications appointed,,and quickly. That sort of press conference, whilst entertaining to watch, in a cringe-making kind of way, just would not happen with a comms director worth his/her salt.
Having said that, it would be one heck of a challenging job having to rein him in and control all the outbound communications.
 
r-u-s-x01 said:
Democratic though? They have more power and influence than the electorate, come on.
Click to expand...
They don't get to choose red or blue, they don't get to vote on the big issues (as Americans see them). They just get to control the narrow part of the legislature that involves them.

Much like in the UK where I pay £x to have a breakfast with an MP, or I bang on the door of my local MP and tell them that some legislation is bad. If they're doing their job then they campaign against the legislation or arrange for my company to get a derogation.

That's only sensible because your average voter doesn't give a brick about some obscure environmental law and doesn't have the capacity to realise that it would make 100 people redundant in my factories if enacted.
 
Glenda's Legs said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/832485537034309634


Apart from a couple of extra bits in the above, I have only seen what was on the News here last night. It's frightening really that he has so little self-awareness of the damage he is doing to the presidency, himself, his administration etc. every time he speaks. He badly needs to get a director of communications appointed,,and quickly. That sort of press conference, whilst entertaining to watch, in a cringe-making kind of way, just would not happen with a comms director worth his/her salt.
Having said that, it would be one heck of a challenging job having to rein him in and control all the outbound communications.
Click to expand...

Ho Lee Fuk, that's pillow TV for you right there!

Love how the journo lady begs for some sort coherent answer to her question: "Can you give us some info on next week's executive order? Even its broad outlines?" The Donald, of course, shoots her down with his ramblings.
 
scaramanga said:
They don't get to choose red or blue, they don't get to vote on the big issues (as Americans see them). They just get to control the narrow part of the legislature that involves them.

Much like in the UK where I pay £x to have a breakfast with an MP, or I bang on the door of my local MP and tell them that some legislation is bad. If they're doing their job then they campaign against the legislation or arrange for my company to get a derogation.

That's only sensible because your average voter doesn't give a brick about some obscure environmental law and doesn't have the capacity to realise that it would make 100 people redundant in my factories if enacted.
Click to expand...

Where as you & the corporations don't seem to give a brick about the 1000 people downstream or downwind whose health is being protected by that "obscure environmental law" or the free environmental services being provided by 'nature' that will be trashed if you are allowed , lets say to dump coal waste into streams again, as long as you don't have to pick up the bill on clearing it all up.
 
scaramanga said:
They don't get to choose red or blue, they don't get to vote on the big issues (as Americans see them). They just get to control the narrow part of the legislature that involves them.

Much like in the UK where I pay £x to have a breakfast with an MP, or I bang on the door of my local MP and tell them that some legislation is bad. If they're doing their job then they campaign against the legislation or arrange for my company to get a derogation.

That's only sensible because your average voter doesn't give a brick about some obscure environmental law and doesn't have the capacity to realise that it would make 100 people redundant in my factories if enacted.
Click to expand...
Ok just corrected the below for you.

"It's a pretty good democracy really - even if you don't like it's outcomes.

It has an elected executive branch, held to account by an elected house (with offset elections to reduce the power of both, that's elected on non democratic gerrymandered basis ), all held to account by a judiciary. All of this based on a pretty good and balanced constitution for which amendments require an overwhelming majority. Big companies and Rich are rightly allowed undue influence over the whole process."
 
Reporter: Mr. President, you mentioned Russia. Let's talk about some serious issues that have come up in the last week that you had to deal with as president of the United States.

Trump: Okay.

Reporter: You mentioned the spy vessel off the coast of the United States.

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: There was a ballistic missile test that many interpreted as...

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: ...a violation of an agreement between the two countries and a Russian plane buzzed a U.S. Destroyer.

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: I listen to you.

Trump: Excuse me, when did it happen? It happened when, if you were Putin, right now, you would say, hey, we're back to the old games with the United States. There's no way Trump can ever do a deal with us because the public — you have to understand, if I was just brutal on Russia right now, just brutal, people would say — you would say — oh that's wonderful, but I know you well enough, then you would say, oh, he was too tough, he shouldn't have done that. Look.

Reporter: I'm just trying to find out your orientation to those.

Trump: Excuse me.

Reporter: I'm just trying to find out what you'll do about it, Mr. President.

Trump: All the things you mentioned are recent because probably Putin assumed he cannot make a deal with me because it's politically not popular for me to make a deal, so Hillary Clinton tries to reset. It failed. They all tried.

But I'm different than those people, go ahead.

Reporter: How are you interpret those moves and what do you intend to do about them? Have you asked Rex Tillerson for any advice or counsel how to deal?

Trump: I have. I have and I'm so beautifully represented, I'm so honored that the senate approved him. He's gonna be fantastic.

Reporter: Is Putin testing you, do you believe, sir?

Trump: No I don't think so. I think Putin probably assumes that he can't make a deal with me anymore because politically it's unpopular for a politician to make a deal.

I can't believe I'm saying I'm a politician, but I guess that's what I am now. Look, it'd be much easier for me to be tough on Russia but then we're not going to make a deal. Now, I don't know that we're going to make a deal. I don't know. We might. We might not.

But it would be much easier for me to be so tough, the tougher I am on Russia, the better, but you know what? I want to do the right thing for the American people, and to be honest, secondarily, I want to do the right thing for the world. If Russia and the United States actually got together and got along, and don't forget, we're a very powerful nuclear country, and so are they.

There's no upside. We're a very powerful nuclear country and so are they. I've been briefed. I can tell you one thing about a briefing, that we're allowed to say because anybody that ever read the most basic book can say it, nuclear holocaust would be like no other. They're a very powerful nuclear country, and so are we. If we have a good relationship with Russia — believe me — that's a good thing, not a bad thing.

Reporter: So when you say they are not good, do you mean…

Trump: Who did I say is not good?

Reporter: No when I read off the three things that have recently happened each one of them you said are not good…

Trump: No, it's not good but they happen…

Reporter: Do they damage the relationship, undermine this country's ability to work with

Trump: They all happened recently, I understand what they are doing because they are doing the same thing.

Now, again, maybe I'm not going to be able to do a deal with Russia, but, at least, I will have tried, and if I don't, does anybody really think that Hillary Clinton would be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump? Does anybody in this room really believe that?
Okay. But I'll tell you one thing, she tried to make a deal. She had the reset. She gave all that valuable uranium away. She did other things. You know, they say I'm close to Russia. Hillary Clinton gave away 20% of the uranium in the United States. She's close to Russia. You know what I gave to Russia? You know what I gave? Nothing.

Reporter: Can we conclude there will be no response to these particular provocations?
Trump: I'm not going to tell you anything about what response I do. I don't talk about military response.

I don't say I'm going in Mosul in four months. "We are going to attack Mosul in four months." Then three months later, "we are going to attack Mosul in one month." "Next week, we are going to attack Mosul." In the meantime, Mosul is very very difficult.

You know why? Because I don't talk about military, and I don't talk about certain other things. You're going to be surprised to hear that. And, by the way, my whole campaign, I'd say that, so I don't have to tell you.

Reporter: Right, so there will be a response?

Trump: I don't have to tell you. I don't want to be one of those guys that says, "yes, here's what we're going to do." I don't have to do that. I don't have to tell you what I'm going to do in North Korea...

Reporter: In other words, there will be a response.

Trump: Wait a minute, I don't have to tell you what I'm going to do in North Korea. And I don't have to tell what I'm going to do with Iran. You know why? Because they shouldn't know.

And eventually, you guys are going to get tired of asking that question. So when you asked me, what am I going to do with the ship, the Russian ship as an example, I'm not going to tell you. But hopefully I won't have to do anything, but I'm not going to tell you. Okay.

Reporter: Thanks.

Next reporter: Let me just ask you...

Trump: Where are you from?

Reporter: BBC

Trump: Huh, there's another beauty.

Reporter: It's a good line. Impartial free and fair. Uh, Mr. President...

xRXz5oHpfRpfi.gif
 
Lost Mango said:
Where as you & the corporations don't seem to give a brick about the 1000 people downstream or downwind whose health is being protected by that "obscure environmental law" or the free environmental services being provided by 'nature' that will be trashed if you are allowed , lets say to dump coal waste into cat videos on youtube again, as long as you don't have to pick up the bill on clearing it all up.
Click to expand...
I care if they're shareholders.
 
r-u-s-x said:
Ok just corrected the below for you.

"It's a pretty good democracy really - even if you don't like it's outcomes.

It has an elected executive branch, held to account by an elected house (with offset elections to reduce the power of both, that's elected on non democratic gerrymandered basis ), all held to account by a judiciary. All of this based on a pretty good and balanced constitution for which amendments require an overwhelming majority. Big companies and Rich are rightly allowed undue influence over the whole process."
Click to expand...
Fixed it back ;)
 
Rock Strongo said:
Reporter: Mr. President, you mentioned Russia. Let's talk about some serious issues that have come up in the last week that you had to deal with as president of the United States.

Trump: Okay.

Reporter: You mentioned the spy vessel off the coast of the United States.

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: There was a ballistic missile test that many interpreted as...

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: ...a violation of an agreement between the two countries and a Russian plane buzzed a U.S. Destroyer.

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: I listen to you.

Trump: Excuse me, when did it happen? It happened when, if you were Putin, right now, you would say, hey, we're back to the old games with the United States. There's no way Trump can ever do a deal with us because the public — you have to understand, if I was just brutal on Russia right now, just brutal, people would say — you would say — oh that's wonderful, but I know you well enough, then you would say, oh, he was too tough, he shouldn't have done that. Look.

Reporter: I'm just trying to find out your orientation to those.

Trump: Excuse me.

Reporter: I'm just trying to find out what you'll do about it, Mr. President.

Trump: All the things you mentioned are recent because probably Putin assumed he cannot make a deal with me because it's politically not popular for me to make a deal, so Hillary Clinton tries to reset. It failed. They all tried.

But I'm different than those people, go ahead.

Reporter: How are you interpret those moves and what do you intend to do about them? Have you asked Rex Tillerson for any advice or counsel how to deal?

Trump: I have. I have and I'm so beautifully represented, I'm so honored that the senate approved him. He's gonna be fantastic.

Reporter: Is Putin testing you, do you believe, sir?

Trump: No I don't think so. I think Putin probably assumes that he can't make a deal with me anymore because politically it's unpopular for a politician to make a deal.

I can't believe I'm saying I'm a politician, but I guess that's what I am now. Look, it'd be much easier for me to be tough on Russia but then we're not going to make a deal. Now, I don't know that we're going to make a deal. I don't know. We might. We might not.

But it would be much easier for me to be so tough, the tougher I am on Russia, the better, but you know what? I want to do the right thing for the American people, and to be honest, secondarily, I want to do the right thing for the world. If Russia and the United States actually got together and got along, and don't forget, we're a very powerful nuclear country, and so are they.

There's no upside. We're a very powerful nuclear country and so are they. I've been briefed. I can tell you one thing about a briefing, that we're allowed to say because anybody that ever read the most basic book can say it, nuclear holocaust would be like no other. They're a very powerful nuclear country, and so are we. If we have a good relationship with Russia — believe me — that's a good thing, not a bad thing.

Reporter: So when you say they are not good, do you mean…

Trump: Who did I say is not good?

Reporter: No when I read off the three things that have recently happened each one of them you said are not good…

Trump: No, it's not good but they happen…

Reporter: Do they damage the relationship, undermine this country's ability to work with

Trump: They all happened recently, I understand what they are doing because they are doing the same thing.

Now, again, maybe I'm not going to be able to do a deal with Russia, but, at least, I will have tried, and if I don't, does anybody really think that Hillary Clinton would be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump? Does anybody in this room really believe that?
Okay. But I'll tell you one thing, she tried to make a deal. She had the reset. She gave all that valuable uranium away. She did other things. You know, they say I'm close to Russia. Hillary Clinton gave away 20% of the uranium in the United States. She's close to Russia. You know what I gave to Russia? You know what I gave? Nothing.

Reporter: Can we conclude there will be no response to these particular provocations?
Trump: I'm not going to tell you anything about what response I do. I don't talk about military response.

I don't say I'm going in Mosul in four months. "We are going to attack Mosul in four months." Then three months later, "we are going to attack Mosul in one month." "Next week, we are going to attack Mosul." In the meantime, Mosul is very very difficult.

You know why? Because I don't talk about military, and I don't talk about certain other things. You're going to be surprised to hear that. And, by the way, my whole campaign, I'd say that, so I don't have to tell you.

Reporter: Right, so there will be a response?

Trump: I don't have to tell you. I don't want to be one of those guys that says, "yes, here's what we're going to do." I don't have to do that. I don't have to tell you what I'm going to do in North Korea...

Reporter: In other words, there will be a response.

Trump: Wait a minute, I don't have to tell you what I'm going to do in North Korea. And I don't have to tell what I'm going to do with Iran. You know why? Because they shouldn't know.

And eventually, you guys are going to get tired of asking that question. So when you asked me, what am I going to do with the ship, the Russian ship as an example, I'm not going to tell you. But hopefully I won't have to do anything, but I'm not going to tell you. Okay.

Reporter: Thanks.

Next reporter: Let me just ask you...

Trump: Where are you from?

Reporter: BBC

Trump: Huh, there's another beauty.

Reporter: It's a good line. Impartial free and fair. Uh, Mr. President...

xRXz5oHpfRpfi.gif
Click to expand...

Reading that made my head hurt
 
You know what uranium is, right? A thing called nuclear weapons and other things like lots of things that are done with uranium including some bad things. Nobody talks about that.

Glad he cleared that one up.
 
Rock Strongo said:
Reporter: Mr. President, you mentioned Russia. Let's talk about some serious issues that have come up in the last week that you had to deal with as president of the United States.

Trump: Okay.

Reporter: You mentioned the spy vessel off the coast of the United States.

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: There was a ballistic missile test that many interpreted as...

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: ...a violation of an agreement between the two countries and a Russian plane buzzed a U.S. Destroyer.

Trump: Not good.

Reporter: I listen to you.

Trump: Excuse me, when did it happen? It happened when, if you were Putin, right now, you would say, hey, we're back to the old games with the United States. There's no way Trump can ever do a deal with us because the public — you have to understand, if I was just brutal on Russia right now, just brutal, people would say — you would say — oh that's wonderful, but I know you well enough, then you would say, oh, he was too tough, he shouldn't have done that. Look.

Reporter: I'm just trying to find out your orientation to those.

Trump: Excuse me.

Reporter: I'm just trying to find out what you'll do about it, Mr. President.

Trump: All the things you mentioned are recent because probably Putin assumed he cannot make a deal with me because it's politically not popular for me to make a deal, so Hillary Clinton tries to reset. It failed. They all tried.

But I'm different than those people, go ahead.

Reporter: How are you interpret those moves and what do you intend to do about them? Have you asked Rex Tillerson for any advice or counsel how to deal?

Trump: I have. I have and I'm so beautifully represented, I'm so honored that the senate approved him. He's gonna be fantastic.

Reporter: Is Putin testing you, do you believe, sir?

Trump: No I don't think so. I think Putin probably assumes that he can't make a deal with me anymore because politically it's unpopular for a politician to make a deal.

I can't believe I'm saying I'm a politician, but I guess that's what I am now. Look, it'd be much easier for me to be tough on Russia but then we're not going to make a deal. Now, I don't know that we're going to make a deal. I don't know. We might. We might not.

But it would be much easier for me to be so tough, the tougher I am on Russia, the better, but you know what? I want to do the right thing for the American people, and to be honest, secondarily, I want to do the right thing for the world. If Russia and the United States actually got together and got along, and don't forget, we're a very powerful nuclear country, and so are they.

There's no upside. We're a very powerful nuclear country and so are they. I've been briefed. I can tell you one thing about a briefing, that we're allowed to say because anybody that ever read the most basic book can say it, nuclear holocaust would be like no other. They're a very powerful nuclear country, and so are we. If we have a good relationship with Russia — believe me — that's a good thing, not a bad thing.

Reporter: So when you say they are not good, do you mean…

Trump: Who did I say is not good?

Reporter: No when I read off the three things that have recently happened each one of them you said are not good…

Trump: No, it's not good but they happen…

Reporter: Do they damage the relationship, undermine this country's ability to work with

Trump: They all happened recently, I understand what they are doing because they are doing the same thing.

Now, again, maybe I'm not going to be able to do a deal with Russia, but, at least, I will have tried, and if I don't, does anybody really think that Hillary Clinton would be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump? Does anybody in this room really believe that?
Okay. But I'll tell you one thing, she tried to make a deal. She had the reset. She gave all that valuable uranium away. She did other things. You know, they say I'm close to Russia. Hillary Clinton gave away 20% of the uranium in the United States. She's close to Russia. You know what I gave to Russia? You know what I gave? Nothing.

Reporter: Can we conclude there will be no response to these particular provocations?
Trump: I'm not going to tell you anything about what response I do. I don't talk about military response.

I don't say I'm going in Mosul in four months. "We are going to attack Mosul in four months." Then three months later, "we are going to attack Mosul in one month." "Next week, we are going to attack Mosul." In the meantime, Mosul is very very difficult.

You know why? Because I don't talk about military, and I don't talk about certain other things. You're going to be surprised to hear that. And, by the way, my whole campaign, I'd say that, so I don't have to tell you.

Reporter: Right, so there will be a response?

Trump: I don't have to tell you. I don't want to be one of those guys that says, "yes, here's what we're going to do." I don't have to do that. I don't have to tell you what I'm going to do in North Korea...

Reporter: In other words, there will be a response.

Trump: Wait a minute, I don't have to tell you what I'm going to do in North Korea. And I don't have to tell what I'm going to do with Iran. You know why? Because they shouldn't know.

And eventually, you guys are going to get tired of asking that question. So when you asked me, what am I going to do with the ship, the Russian ship as an example, I'm not going to tell you. But hopefully I won't have to do anything, but I'm not going to tell you. Okay.

Reporter: Thanks.

Next reporter: Let me just ask you...

Trump: Where are you from?

Reporter: BBC

Trump: Huh, there's another beauty.

Reporter: It's a good line. Impartial free and fair. Uh, Mr. President...

xRXz5oHpfRpfi.gif
Click to expand...
If I was American I'd be hoping Trump really is the puppet he appears to be.

Why is he still harping back to the election and Clinton? It is irrelevant at this stage.
 
Last edited:
Rorschach said:
If I was American I'd be hoping Trump really is the puppet he appears to be.

Why is he still harping back to the election and Clinton? It is irrelevant at this stage.
Click to expand...
That's all he ever talks about, it seems. Bragging about the electoral votes, how he is so much better than his predecessors, telling the world how huge things are and how tremendously his administration is going. That and fake news.

I'm all for a system where anyone can become president, but this whole Trump business makes me rethink that. He seems so ridiculously unfit for office - how the hell did he end up in the White house? It's as absurd as George Weah's "cousin" signing for Southampton (?) years ago.

I do wonder if republicans will increasingly turn on him though, becuse he surely can't be doing the party any good. 2017 will be interesting...
 
r-u-s-x said:
huge issue with Gerrymandering, huge issue with Lobbying & a huge issue with the amount spent on elections.
Click to expand...

This. Plus the fact no-one gets to hear you unless you can start the election bidding with a personal warchest of 20-30 million. For starters! Just to get heard.
 
scaramanga said:
...

How do you think Niloufar Ardalan feels about Iran's treatment of women? Or anyone who wants to go out without a headscarf? Or anyone gay? Isn't apostasy still punishable by death there?...
Click to expand...

The mullahs in Iran are awful, terrible. However, IF you know your history, you will see EXACTLY how they came to power in modern Iran, and it revolves SQUARELY around the interference (regime changes twice over three decades) initiated and performed by the US with British complicity.

Your other major error here, is assuming that fundamentalist Islam is representative of all Islam. It clearly isn't, otherwise the world would be over. It remains a small minority, a mad faction who I think ALL of us agree are dangerous and highly undesirable. The important thing is not to get into generalization. We are edging into a previous conversation we had, but it is vital not to alienate people. FWIW not only am I not Muslim, I'm not anything, I respect everyone's right to believe what they wish as long as they don't bother me. I do, however, I reserve deep disregard for 'creationists' (none of whom have ben able to explain why ol' beardy created the Duckbilled Platypus on the 8th Day).
 
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