NPR

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:38 pm With the apparent discourse around the crime mainly seeming to concentrate between "I get it" and "What a hero", I'm not sure he'll be allowed to make it to trial lest it give him a platform for an apparent philosophy the establishment would prefer didn't exist.

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:42 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:38 pm With the apparent discourse around the crime mainly seeming to concentrate between "I get it" and "What a hero", I'm not sure he'll be allowed to make it to trial lest it give him a platform for an apparent philosophy the establishment would prefer didn't exist.

They'll offer him a plea deal of course; but if he has decent legal representation, & I'm sure he will, then the lawyer will tell him he stands a very good chance of walking

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:48 pm

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:42 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:38 pm With the apparent discourse around the crime mainly seeming to concentrate between "I get it" and "What a hero", I'm not sure he'll be allowed to make it to trial lest it give him a platform for an apparent philosophy the establishment would prefer didn't exist.

They'll offer him a plea deal of course; but if he has decent legal representation, & I'm sure he will, then the lawyer will tell him he stands a very good chance of walking

I was more thinking that he's not going to be brought in alive.

dpedin wrote: ↑Fri Dec 20, 2024 11:03 am Unless Muskie has bought the kompromat from Putin or has his own 'golden shower' videos of Trump with prostitutes then I reckon the bromance will dissolve in a matter of weeks. Musk increasingly looks like the pathetic character played so brilliantly by Rylance in the 'Don't Look Up' film.

dpedin wrote: ↑Fri Dec 20, 2024 11:03 am Unless Muskie has bought the kompromat from Putin or has his own 'golden shower' videos of Trump with prostitutes then I reckon the bromance will dissolve in a matter of weeks. Musk increasingly looks like the pathetic character played so brilliantly by Rylance in the 'Don't Look Up' film.

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:30 pm What the fuck is Trumps game saying that he wants to take over Greenland again and also now the Panama Canal. I don’t understand it, is it just his mental decline continuing?

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:30 pm What the fuck is Trumps game saying that he wants to take over Greenland again and also now the Panama Canal. I don’t understand it, is it just his mental decline continuing?

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 11:07 pm

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:30 pm What the fuck is Trumps game saying that he wants to take over Greenland again and also now the Panama Canal. I don’t understand it, is it just his mental decline continuing?

Yes !

Instead of just taking the MSM's commentary at face value, I recommend listening to the odd snippet from his, "Speeches", on YT from critical sources.

If you actually listen to him slurring his words, & pissmorncing his bowels, & going back to crap he was spouting years ago, because it's what pops into his scrambled, boiled cabbage of a brain, you realize just how fucked we all are.

A Presidential campaign will destroy a normal healthy human being, & the Traitor has none of those attributes, & now, once the adrenaline, (& dog knows what else), that was sustaining him for it is gone, he's ready for the rocking chair & reminiscing about when he was ogling teenagers at his pagents.

Guy Smiley wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 2:34 am

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 11:07 pm

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:30 pm What the fuck is Trumps game saying that he wants to take over Greenland again and also now the Panama Canal. I don’t understand it, is it just his mental decline continuing?

Yes !

Instead of just taking the MSM's commentary at face value, I recommend listening to the odd snippet from his, "Speeches", on YT from critical sources.

If you actually listen to him slurring his words, & pissmorncing his bowels, & going back to crap he was spouting years ago, because it's what pops into his scrambled, boiled cabbage of a brain, you realize just how fucked we all are.

A Presidential campaign will destroy a normal healthy human being, & the Traitor has none of those attributes, & now, once the adrenaline, (& dog knows what else), that was sustaining him for it is gone, he's ready for the rocking chair & reminiscing about when he was ogling teenagers at his pagents.

Fair points but that's just the latest paint job over the rust. This blustering is his technique... fill the space with noise and get everyone on the back foot, then strike the deal. The perfect deal. The best deal you ever saw.

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 3:19 pm It will be like last time, but worse.

Him out front, giving campaign speeches and settling scores, whilst in the background absolutely horrific shit is put in place by the utter cunts who have ridden his coat tails. And this time they have the benefit of four earlier years of seeing how the machinery works, rather than just sticking their fingers in the gears to try and change things.

Slick wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 3:23 pm

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 3:19 pm It will be like last time, but worse.

Him out front, giving campaign speeches and settling scores, whilst in the background absolutely horrific shit is put in place by the utter cunts who have ridden his coat tails. And this time they have the benefit of four earlier years of seeing how the machinery works, rather than just sticking their fingers in the gears to try and change things.

Interesting that there has already been a bit of pushback though.

The Party Line wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:12 pm Does anyone else think that Elon will be the next Republican nominee for president in 4 years time.

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:30 pm What the fuck is Trumps game saying that he wants to take over Greenland again and also now the Panama Canal. I don’t understand it, is it just his mental decline continuing?

Enzedder wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 5:32 pm Does he meet the residency requirements to be nominated?

Niegs wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 4:53 pm I mean, he's clearly a moron and a bully, but it's wild that he can't just sit down with leaders and say "Look, I won the election on our people wanting to bring cost of living down and not spending so much on foreign wars. We're going to scale back and as per our NATO alliance, you need to be spending more. Let's look at ways you can make a better contribution..."

Hugo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 5:56 pm

Niegs wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 4:53 pm I mean, he's clearly a moron and a bully, but it's wild that he can't just sit down with leaders and say "Look, I won the election on our people wanting to bring cost of living down and not spending so much on foreign wars. We're going to scale back and as per our NATO alliance, you need to be spending more. Let's look at ways you can make a better contribution..."

To be fair Obama was bringing this up when he was in office and he wasn't able to move the needle.

Trump is being aggressive because of the inertia of NATO members to being fully committed to partners.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/n ... -it-alone/

Biffer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:37 pm

The Party Line wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:12 pm Does anyone else think that Elon will be the next Republican nominee for president in 4 years time.

Not a natural born US citizen. Trump would need to get congress to change the constitution. Not going to happen.

Guy Smiley wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 6:02 pm

Hugo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 5:56 pm

Niegs wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 4:53 pm I mean, he's clearly a moron and a bully, but it's wild that he can't just sit down with leaders and say "Look, I won the election on our people wanting to bring cost of living down and not spending so much on foreign wars. We're going to scale back and as per our NATO alliance, you need to be spending more. Let's look at ways you can make a better contribution..."

To be fair Obama was bringing this up when he was in office and he wasn't able to move the needle.

Trump is being aggressive because of the inertia of NATO members to being fully committed to partners.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/n ... -it-alone/

When you're running the country that is the biggest arms dealer in the world and your whole economic set up revolves around maintaining that military strength, then you've got a vested interest in persuading others to spend more on your goods and services.

With Putin presenting a very real and present threat to Europe's doorstep, Nato probably sees greater value in increasing spending anyway, regardless of US posturing, and that posturing from the US is going to become more bellicose, irrational and problematically aligned with Putin's interests regarding Ukraine, which Europe has doggedly moved to support.

Donnie risks alienating the US here and paradoxically strengthening NATO and Europe's own arms industry.

geordie_6 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 8:31 pm

Biffer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:37 pm

The Party Line wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:12 pm Does anyone else think that Elon will be the next Republican nominee for president in 4 years time.

Not a natural born US citizen. Trump would need to get congress to change the constitution. Not going to happen.

Not that long ago since we couldn't imagine any of this shit happening...

Guy Smiley wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 6:02 pm

Hugo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 5:56 pm

Niegs wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 4:53 pm I mean, he's clearly a moron and a bully, but it's wild that he can't just sit down with leaders and say "Look, I won the election on our people wanting to bring cost of living down and not spending so much on foreign wars. We're going to scale back and as per our NATO alliance, you need to be spending more. Let's look at ways you can make a better contribution..."

To be fair Obama was bringing this up when he was in office and he wasn't able to move the needle.

Trump is being aggressive because of the inertia of NATO members to being fully committed to partners.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/n ... -it-alone/

When you're running the country that is the biggest arms dealer in the world and your whole economic set up revolves around maintaining that military strength, then you've got a vested interest in persuading others to spend more on your goods and services.

With Putin presenting a very real and present threat to Europe's doorstep, Nato probably sees greater value in increasing spending anyway, regardless of US posturing, and that posturing from the US is going to become more bellicose, irrational and problematically aligned with Putin's interests regarding Ukraine, which Europe has doggedly moved to support.

Donnie risks alienating the US here and paradoxically strengthening NATO and Europe's own arms industry.

Hugo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:50 pm Tbh I don't think Europe has been proactive about this at all. It's four years since Trump was last in office and predictably it seems like this NATO Trump standoff is rearing it's ugly head again. This has been a bone of contention for over a decade.

Guy Smiley wrote: ↑Thu Dec 26, 2024 12:53 am

Hugo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:50 pm Tbh I don't think Europe has been proactive about this at all. It's four years since Trump was last in office and predictably it seems like this NATO Trump standoff is rearing it's ugly head again. This has been a bone of contention for over a decade.

I think the situation in Ukraine has had something of a galvanising effect on military spending within Europe and by extension, NATO. Spain and Finland have been sending gear to Ukraine, for instance along with the big hitters like Germany and France.

Trump his just going to rattle the same cages he has before and will shout much of the same sort of bullshit. He's already had a go at Mexico and Canada over immigration and drugs, for instance. His bluster will wear thin, everyone has seen it before and knows how he operates. Europe is pretty defiant about the threat Putin presents... if Donnie gets too blustery AND shows support for Putin he's going to be offside with Europe very quickly and he'll lose leverage. I don't think he'd understand that, he's too much invested in the greatest country on earth bullshit.

Hugo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 26, 2024 5:55 am

Guy Smiley wrote: ↑Thu Dec 26, 2024 12:53 am

Hugo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:50 pm Tbh I don't think Europe has been proactive about this at all. It's four years since Trump was last in office and predictably it seems like this NATO Trump standoff is rearing it's ugly head again. This has been a bone of contention for over a decade.

I think the situation in Ukraine has had something of a galvanising effect on military spending within Europe and by extension, NATO. Spain and Finland have been sending gear to Ukraine, for instance along with the big hitters like Germany and France.

Trump his just going to rattle the same cages he has before and will shout much of the same sort of bullshit. He's already had a go at Mexico and Canada over immigration and drugs, for instance. His bluster will wear thin, everyone has seen it before and knows how he operates. Europe is pretty defiant about the threat Putin presents... if Donnie gets too blustery AND shows support for Putin he's going to be offside with Europe very quickly and he'll lose leverage. I don't think he'd understand that, he's too much invested in the greatest country on earth bullshit.

He's definitely a blowhard that is for sure. Foreign policy wise I think Trumps primary thinking is to avoid getting the US involved in unnecessary wars where there is no benefit for the average American in doing so. It's why he has trashed the Bush family, Liz Cheney etc any chance he gets. In fact he explicitly called out Liz prior to the election when he was saying something along the lines of "it's easy for you to advocate for war when you sit in a nice office in Washington DC and it's someone elses kid who is going to do the fighting". That was the jist of it anyway.

The US spent $30 million a DAY in Afghanistan and after 20 years walked away with pretty much nothing to show for it. That's the type of stuff that influences his foreign policy outlook and why people like Bill Kristol and John Bolton hate him.

Trump has lots of flaws of course but I think he gets that this provides little value for money to the average US taxpayer and that at the end of the day it's the average American kids who are the ones doing the fighting and the dying.