nickie on 16/8/2022 at 10:22
I don't know what will eventually see the light of day but I'm very intrigued by the 'Info on Macron' noted on the property list. I can't help thinking that there's no good reason for Trump holding on to 'info' except for nefarious purposes. Has anyone heard anything about said 'info'?
Cipheron on 16/8/2022 at 11:12
Quote Posted by nickie
I don't know what will eventually see the light of day but I'm very intrigued by the 'Info on Macron' noted on the property list. I can't help thinking that there's no good reason for Trump holding on to 'info' except for nefarious purposes. Has anyone heard anything about said 'info'?
Only people hinting, for example an ex-Clinton aide, that it might dirt on Macron that Trump could give to Putin, but the way it's written I suspect it's completely speculative. If so, maybe he was holding onto this grab-bag of stuff in case he could any of it in a 2024 reelection bid.
I personally think that Trump saw holding onto the document as an asset, that would keep the feds at bay, since they couldn't be sure he wouldn't leak whatever is in the documents. So ... the value might not even be what's in the documents, but that someone else wanted the documents and didn't want Trump to have them, so to him, THAT is an asset - it's power. He would have seen their initial polite requests to get the documents back as a sign of weakness, and that he still held the upper hand.
I think he saw "you say i got your documents, oh you want them back. let me get back to you on that" as a stance he could play indefinitely, that would keep the carrot dangled on the stick and keep him in the driver's seat of the situation. Basically, a "negotiator" wants to have all the cards, even if he's gotta steal your cards. Then the first thing you have to do is ask for your cards back, which puts him at an advantage. He probably didn't even want the documents and whatever is in them is going to be assembled almost at random, which is why people trying to make any sort of rhyme or reason out of the collection of documents will be confused.
Cipheron on 17/8/2022 at 10:39
BTW big news on the bill they just passed through the senate.
Health:
Medicare can now negotiate drug prices, much to the ire of Big Pharma
Medicare Part D pharmacy costs capped at $2,000 per year
Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes insulin costs are capped at $35 for a month's supply.
15% minimum corporate tax on corporations making $1 billion
1% tax on stock buybacks
A stack of climate initiatives.
... etc ...
Estimates are that this bill actually reduces federal debt by about 300 billion within a decade.
It's just a shame there's nothing in here about paid leave, sick leave etc :( however, the act does enact higher minimum wage requirements and apprenticeship rules for the emerging clean tech sector to receive the climate-related incentives.
Some people are also suggesting that the Democrats faked the Republicans out by making it look like they wouldn't pass anything until after the mid-terms then pulling this win out. Previously Biden passed the CHIPS act supporting semi-conductor manufacture in the USA.
They're suggesting that Republicans were fuming about these two bills passing, and that's why a bunch of them voted against the health care bill for Iraq/Afghanistan veterans injured in toxic "burn pits". So they voted against Veteran health care to try and score points by denying Biden a "hat trick" of passed legislation. Which seems like a weird self-own there, really.
Here's Hank from SciShow on Youtube explaining the bill's climate stuff:
[video=youtube;qw5zzrOpo2s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw5zzrOpo2s[/video]
OMG, so full of sneaky Democrat tricks that are going to ruin life for Americans.
Nicker on 18/8/2022 at 03:21
T***p's Bucket List.
Well done but there's a few missing.
Cipheron on 18/8/2022 at 03:44
Quote Posted by Nicker
T***p's Bucket List.
Well done but there's a few missing.
I think the point is that all those are supposed to be non-events. However plenty of other people associated with Trump are in prison or convicted of stuff related to things on the list. The arrested people faced real consequences. But MAGA throw people under the bus and pretend they didn't exist, as long as Trump isn't affected.
Also things like the children in cages, africa is a shithole, and drink bleach. No consequences for Trump? So he must have won his re-election in 2020 then? A President isn't legally liable for doing or saying those things, the consequences are at the ballot box.
I was actually going to write a post about ANOTHER Trump guy who got convicted the other day, but then this even bigger one happened:
(
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/allen-weisselberg-guilty-plea-trump-organizations-criminal-trial-1398303/)
Quote:
Donald Trump's chief financial officer is expected to plead guilty to tax violations in a deal that would require him to testify about illicit business practices at the former president's company.
Allen Weisselberg is charged with taking more than $US1.7 million in off-the-books compensation from the Trump Organisation over several years, including untaxed perks like rent, car payments and school tuition.
The plea deal would require Weisselberg to speak in court on Thursday about the company's role in the alleged compensation arrangement and possibly serve as a witness when the Trump Organisation goes on trial in October on related charges, the people said.
Another one bites the dust. I'm expecting Rudy Giulliani to take a fall some day soon, too.
Starker on 18/8/2022 at 04:11
It's telling that in lieu of actual accomplishments the point of pride has become that he has been able to get away with with literal crimes. Which is y'know, the tradition in the US. Bush got away with launching a disastrous invasion under false pretenses, leading to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths. Clinton got away with lying under oath and abusing his position in the workplace. Reagan got away with Iran-Contra and the people involved got pardoned by his vice president. Hell, even Nixon who came closest to actually facing any consequences was immediately pardoned.
demagogue on 18/8/2022 at 05:09
Michael Cohen (Trump's old fixer) just said that Trump is already setting Guiliani up to be his next fall guy, which would fit the old Roy Cohn playbook.
The funniest part about the recent brouhaha, if he's going to be convicted for anything, is the poetic justice of being prosecuted for the mishandling of classified information which he made such a big deal out of going into his presidency, enough to bump the penalty up to a felony just to Lock Her Up. It's a satisfying way to wrap up the story if it plays out that way.
