Random Politics Thread

[Virtual ghost]

Does Trump want to annex Canada?

‘The president was teasing,’

 

[Virtual ghost]

Trump lawyers call on judge to dismiss hush money case

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Yes, you did.
But as I pointed out there weren't any guarantees that he will actually listen to the parliament. Luckily he will (probably since he realized that he doesn't have the support to pull it off). Therefore it is better to stop before things go too far.


However in a sense it is almost morbidly funny how basically the whole world saw Trump in what happened today (judging by the comments).

Again, it's just like Game of Thrones. Power lies where people believe it lies.

Now, the real problem here is that the American people are probably nothing like the South Koreans. I can't imagine us doing anything like this unless we threatened the supply of Szechuan sauce or something like that. Good luck getting us to do anything like this. This is the thing that will actually damn us, if I'm right, which I hope I'm not.

Even after the election, many of us are pretty complacent, and a lot of people probably maintain the belief that on this anointed soil, this hallowed ground upon which we stand, our exceptional qualities will somehow protect us.

This is the nice, mild version of this post, lol

 

[Totenkindly]

Such drama from the guy who spoke out both sides of his mouth to steal a SCOTUS seat, lol... Are these people for real?

McConnell cries foul after 2 Democratic judges cancel retirement after Trump victory

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vented his displeasure Monday after two Democratic-appointed federal judges reversed their decisions to retire in what appear to be efforts to stop President-elect Trump from nominating their successors. McConnell called the unusual decisions to...

www.yahoo.com

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Such drama from the guy who spoke out both sides of his mouth to steal a SCOTUS seat, lol... Are these people for real?

McConnell cries foul after 2 Democratic judges cancel retirement after Trump victory

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vented his displeasure Monday after two Democratic-appointed federal judges reversed their decisions to retire in what appear to be efforts to stop President-elect Trump from nominating their successors. McConnell called the unusual decisions to...

www.yahoo.com

This was pretty rich:

McConnell called the unusual decisions to forgo retirement following Trump’s sweeping victory last month a “partisan” gambit that would undermine the integrity of federal courts.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Again, it's just like Game of Thrones. Power lies where people believe it lies.

Now, the real problem here is that the American people are probably nothing like the South Koreans. I can't imagine us doing anything like this unless we threatened the supply of Szechuan sauce or something like that. Good luck getting us to do anything like this. This is the thing that will actually damn us, if I'm right, which I hope I'm not.

Even after the election, many of us are pretty complacent, and a lot of people probably maintain the belief that on this anointed soil, this hallowed ground upon which we stand, our exceptional qualities will somehow protect us.

This is the nice, mild version of this post, lol

The key element of this story from what I understand was that South Korean parliament unanimously voted down the marshal law. In other words I am pretty sure that in US this situation wouldn't end like this. There perhaps would be a majority for voting it down but there is no way that it would be unanimously. So yes, I can see the difference.

 

[The Cat]

Again, it's just like Game of Thrones. Power lies where people believe it lies.

Now, the real problem here is that the American people are probably nothing like the South Koreans. I can't imagine us doing anything like this unless we threatened the supply of Szechuan sauce or something like that. Good luck getting us to do anything like this. This is the thing that will actually damn us, if I'm right, which I hope I'm not.

Even after the election, many of us are pretty complacent, and a lot of people probably maintain the belief that on this anointed soil, this hallowed ground upon which we stand, our exceptional qualities will somehow protect us.

This is the nice, mild version of this post, lol

Not just like Game of Thrones, though I do think its success is part of what's wrong here rn. The Rich really got into the wrong lessons of that show.

 

[Totenkindly]

This is like one of those "Can you circle all the mistakes in this picture?" puzzles...

 

[The Cat]

This is like one of those "Can you circle all the mistakes in this picture?" puzzles...

View attachment 31940

Is that the mother fucking Paramount mountain? lol

 

[Virtual ghost]

If he wanted the whole Greenland I don't see why he wouldn't take Canada as well. Together this would make nice and round up territory. Plus Alaska wouldn't be so isolated anymore.


:sarcasm:

 

[Totenkindly]

Is that the mother fucking Paramount mountain? lol

It looks like a mix of that + the Matterhorn but none of it is on the mf'ing border of Canada and USA...

I'm reading now some people have tinfoil-hatted the Paramount logo to have satanic reference. Lol

 

[Virtual ghost]

Yes, it looks kinda like Matterhorn.
But truth to be said that shape of the mountain can be found all over the world.


Contrast of Trump and Canada's flag is much more visible "glitch".

 

[The Cat]

 

[Totenkindly]

If he wanted the whole Greenland I don't see why he wouldn't take Canada as well. Together this would make nice and round up territory. Plus Alaska wouldn't be so isolated anymore.


:sarcasm:

That's true! "FREE ALASKA! DON'T LET CANADA COME BETWEEN US!"

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Not just like Game of Thrones, though I do think its success is part of what's wrong here rn. The Rich really got into the wrong lessons of that show.

I'd argue that the best prediction for where we're headed is Dune, if we make it, with cyberpunk dystopia on the interim.

The problem with Star Wars is that Jedi can never be real.

I suppose Star Trek could be possible if at some point people actually manage to learn from the past at some point in the future, but we would never live to see it.

 

[Totenkindly]

Oh boy, another finance guy who doesn't need or understand Social Security. Buckle up.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/04/congress/trumps-social-security-pick-00192741

President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has picked Frank Bisignano, the CEO of fintech and payments company Fiserv, to run the Social Security Administration.

Bisignano previously was chief operating officer at JPMorgan Chase and held a number of executive positions at Citigroup.

“Frank is a business leader, with a tremendous track record of transforming large corporations,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “He will be responsible to deliver on the Agency’s commitment to the American People for generations to come!”

From Wiki:

Bisignano is consistently rated as one of the highest-paid CEOs in the United States. In 2017, The New York Times reported that his compensation exceeded $100 million.[17] His compensation was rated at approximately $40 million in 2019.[18] In December 2022 Bisignano signed a new contract with Fiserv to remain as president and CEO until 2027.[19] In 2023, Bisignano's total compensation from Fiserv was $27.9 million, up 57% from the previous year and representing a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 380-to-1[20]

Under Bisignano's tenure, hundreds of First Data and FiServ locations have closed, resulting in the termination of thousands of employees. Employees who previously had remote positions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other legacy reasons have reportedly been particularly targeted.[21]

 

[Totenkindly]

So was Trump's pool of "crazy Cabinet picks" an actual strategy, to get people who obsessed over Gaetz and a few others to completely overlook less extreme picks and/or making them look more "normal" and thus more easily confirmed? "Well, normally we'd think this guy wouldn't be great for the position, but he's at least palatable and we're sick of all the arguing at this point."

I mean, in what world do you hire finance guys to run service organizations? They aren't corporations. They are service orgs with different goals.

I didn't agree with everything O'Malley did, and some of that was simply not prioritizing concerns well (you can't just keep dumping on staff to fix EVERYTHING at once, you'll burn out your staff, you need to prioritize), but I think in general his heart and head were in the right place and he was concerned about the claimants. He was mission-oriented.

This was the same problem when Andrew Saul came in. Man that guy... And he was old, and non-tech-oriented as well... almost seeming to brag that he was still using a blackberry instead of new phone tech, the very tech some claimants might be using to request services.

 

[ceecee]

So was Trump's pool of "crazy Cabinet picks" an actual strategy, to get people who obsessed over Gaetz and a few others to completely overlook less extreme picks and/or making them look more "normal" and thus more easily confirmed? "Well, normally we'd think this guy wouldn't be great for the position, but he's at least palatable and we're sick of all the arguing at this point."

I mean, in what world do you hire finance guys to run service organizations? They aren't corporations. They are service orgs with different goals.

I didn't agree with everything O'Malley did, and some of that was simply not prioritizing concerns well (you can't just keep dumping on staff to fix EVERYTHING at once, you'll burn out your staff, you need to prioritize), but I think in general his heart and head were in the right place and he was concerned about the claimants. He was mission-oriented.

This was the same problem when Andrew Saul came in. Man that guy... And he was old, and non-tech-oriented as well... almost seeming to brag that he was still using a blackberry instead of new phone tech, the very tech some claimants might be using to request services.

Obviously Trump is a criminal and this presidency is just a jewelry store smash and grab for him and his family. But I do think they'll fuck shit up enough that Dems will spend the next several years having to clean it up like they always do (Congress, not a Dem president) and won't be able to do much else. Which will get Republicans elected again. Which they will fuck up.....

I do admit that the Gaetz outcome is pretty awesome tho.

 

[Totenkindly]

I do admit that the Gaetz outcome is pretty awesome tho.

Along with him being simply gone, it's also kind of amusing today to watch Pete Hegseth getting roasted all over the Internet for his mom interceding with Congress to get him confirmed (as well as his pledge to not drink alcohol if confirmed, as if the need to make such a pledge is honorable in the first place).

 

[SensEye]

So was Trump's pool of "crazy Cabinet picks" an actual strategy, to get people who obsessed over Gaetz and a few others to completely overlook less extreme picks and/or making them look more "normal" and thus more easily confirmed? "Well, normally we'd think this guy wouldn't be great for the position, but he's at least palatable and we're sick of all the arguing at this point."

It's hard to say with Trump. Does he actually have some sort of cunning strategy (he might at times when it comes to manipulating people) or does he just pull things out of his ass and throw them at the wall to see what sticks?

Like his whole plan to fix every economic woe is "tariffs". It won't work, but he'll just react to fires as they pop up I suspect (i.e. tariffs go up, tariffs go down, tariffs go away on some things, not on others, some countries yes, some countries no. etc. etc.)