U.S. Politics

[villakram]

Daily show team in top form.

 

[Davkaus]

SNL isn't going to be the same.

[HanoiVillan]

6 hours ago, villakram said:

I kinda hope Trump does away with the press briefings

No President should have these press briefings, they are absolute garbage and totally toxic to political culture IMO. 

[HanoiVillan]

Away from the Trump circus, 43 senators have sponsored a bill that would make it a criminal offence, punishable by 20 years in prison and a fine of between $250,000 - $1,000,000 to boycott goods made in Israel. That includes 14 Democrats, by the way, in case you thought they might be immune from this idiocy:

'. . . some American citizens and businesses have decided to avoid purchasing goods that are produced by Israeli companies in the West Bank, in the hope that such a boycott might nudge the Jewish state into compliance with international law. Others avoid conducting business with entities located anywhere in Israel for similar reasons.

Reasonable people can object to this tactic. They may deride it as counterproductive, or disproportionate; or defend the occupation, itself, as a tragic necessity that safeguards the Middle East’s only advanced democracy.

Alternatively, if such people are U.S. senators, they can try to make avoiding the purchase of Israeli goods for political reasons a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Forty-three senators, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have decided to take the latter route.'

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/senate-bill-would-make-it-a-federal-crime-to-boycott-israel.html

You might wonder if these senators have fully considered the implications of this idea, but no worries, they have considered it very carefully:

'Meanwhile, some co-sponsors seemed not to have any idea what they co-sponsored — almost as though they reflexively sign whatever comes from AIPAC without having any idea what’s in it. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, for instance, seemed genuinely bewildered when told of the ACLU’s letter, saying, “What’s the Act? You’ll have to get back to me on that.”

A similar exchange took place with another co-sponsor, one of AIPAC’s most reliable allies, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who said: “I’d want to read it. … I’d really have to look at it.”

[. . .]

'Perhaps most stunning is our interview with the primary sponsor of the bill, Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin, who seemed to have no idea what was in his bill, particularly insisting that it contains no criminal penalties.'

https://theintercept.com/2017/07/19/u-s-lawmakers-seek-to-criminally-outlaw-support-for-boycott-campaign-against-israel/

 

[Tegis]

5 hours ago, HanoiVillan said:

20 years in prison and a fine of between $250,000 - $1,000,000

Should be for not reading whatever horseshit bill you sign your name on. Nincompoops!

[LondonLax]

There are some cracking replies

[HanoiVillan]

Also from the same source:

 

[mjmooney]

11 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

Also from the same source:

 

Evolved? I thought that was just a theory? 

[StefanAVFC]

What about this one?

Scaramucci outs Trump as anonymous source disputing Russian hack intel

Quote

Anthony Scaramucci, the recently named White House communications director, on Sunday outed President Trump as the anonymous source who had expressed doubt to him that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election.

“There’s a lot of disinformation out there,” Scaramucci told Tapper. “Somebody said to me yesterday — I won’t tell you who — that if the Russians actually hacked this situation and spilled out those emails, you would have never seen it, you would have never had any evidence of them.” 

Scaramucci's remark came after Tapper pushed back on Scaramucci's vague claim that "somebody" claimed to him that Russian hackers are so sophisticated they never would have been detected if they had hacked the election. 

“How about it was the president, Jake?” Scaramucci told host Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union."

“I talked to him yesterday, he called me from Air Force One, and he basically said to me: ‘Hey you know, maybe they did it, maybe they didn’t do it.’ ” 

 

[Xann]

[dAVe80]

 

[chrisp65]

Evil guy disguised as straight guy in generic comic book super hero movie

 

[StefanAVFC]

Donny Moscow's latest trick.

Whinging to a bunch of boy scouts (35,000 of them) about how victimised he is and inciting them to boo Obama

Quote

The size of the crowd

A familiar point of contention for the president, who was lambasted in the media over his estimation of the numbers at his inauguration address.

"Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it's about 200 people. (Draws laughter.) It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a record today."

"Fake media, fake media," he says, to boos and cheers.

Boy Scout credentials

Mr Trump says he has 10 ex-boy scouts in his cabinet and in the White House and turns on Barack Obama.

"By the way, just a question: did President Obama ever come to a Jamboree?" Mr Trump asks. The audience shouts "No!". Mr Obama did address the Jamboree by video link in 2010. He was also a former boy scout, unlike Mr Trump.

The election victory

Mr Trump decries the electoral college system but goes through his victories, mentioning state after state to various cheers. He then says he worked hard in Michigan, adding "my opponent didn't work hard there" which draws boos from the audience.

Obamacare and the veiled threat

The audience of youngsters is introduced to former boy scout Tom Price, the health secretary.

He tells Mr Price he had "better get senators to vote" when a showdown on healthcare comes up on Tuesday.

Mr Trump says: "He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better - otherwise, I'll say 'Tom, you're fired!' I'll get somebody". More applause.

The "sewer"

"You know, I go to Washington and I see all these politicians and I see the swamp and it's not a good place," says Mr Trump.

"In fact, today I said we ought to change it from the word 'swamp' to the word 'cesspool' or perhaps to the word 'sewer'."

Scout values

Mr Trump says: "As the scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal. We could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that."

A nod, perhaps, to the James Comey affair. The sacked FBI chief claimed Mr Trump had demanded loyalty from him, something the president denies.

Just **** creepy.

[peterms]

24 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Donny Moscow's latest trick.

Whinging to a bunch of boy scouts (35,000 of them) about how victimised he is and inciting them to boo Obama

Just **** creepy.

It sounds like pantomime.

Actually he looks a bit like a comedy dame.  I could see him as one of the wicked sisters or something.

[itdoesntmatterwhatthissay]

3 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

Donny Moscow's latest trick.

Whinging to a bunch of boy scouts (35,000 of them) about how victimised he is and inciting them to boo Obama

Just **** creepy.

Pretty shocking really. Who the hell turns up to a rally and spends all their time forming a political narrative. 

It would be like Corbyn turning up to a Peoples Assembly event and exclusively talking about the Tories instead of realistic solutions to failed policy. America clearly needs our new kind of politics 
Tongue in cheek because it's not exactly the same, but sadly it's not that dissimilar. 

Edited July 25, 2017 by itdoesntmatterwhatthissay

[StefanAVFC]

It's the boy scouts jamboree; children, not a political rally.

No other President went there and made it political.

Crap comparison.

Edited July 25, 2017 by StefanAVFC

[peterms]

Oops.  It seems some of the parents didn't appreciate it.

Quote

Donald Trump faced criticism on Tuesday for a speech to the annual Boy Scouts of America jamboree in West Virginia in which he urged his audience of 12- to 18-year-olds to boo Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, pitched for Republican healthcare reform and bragged, again, about the size of his electoral college victory.

The US president addressed the Boy Scouts at their jamboree, but amid the scripted praise of scouting values, there were some familiar ad libs.

While national voices criticised Trump’s injection of politics into a notionally apolitical event, parents of scouts responded with unadorned scorn.

One user of the Boy Scouts of America Facebook page posted: “As a Cub Scout den leader and mom of 2 scouts, I am livid … Make my boys and I proud to be part of Boy Scouts instead of embarrassed!”

Early in his remarks, Trump seemed poised to follow tradition and remain nonpartisan and upbeat.

“Tonight we put aside all of the policy fights in Washington DC you’ve been hearing about,” he said, before a crowd of more than 40,000. “Who the hell wants to speak about politics?”

But his rhetorical detente didn’t last long, as Trump seemingly couldn’t resist the temptation of going through some of the greatest hits from the raucous rallies he held on the campaign trail and has continued to stage while in office. By early Tuesday morning, it was clear this was deeply unpopular with parents, leading some to question their continued association with the organization.

“Son was in Cub Scouts and my husband was a den leader,” wrote one Facebook user. “It’s going to hurt to explain to those Cub Scouts why I can’t support their troop this year … but I’ll do it.”

Highest on the list of grievances among parents seemed to be Trump having told a rambling story about parties thrown by “New York’s hottest people” and the segregationist builder William Levitt, and his encouragement of booing of Clinton and Obama – the latter once a Boy Scout himself.

“I was horrified that Trump would address the scouts at jamboree with inappropriate stories and booing – booing! – a past president,” wrote the mother of an Eagle Scout, the organization’s highest rank.

Trump is the eighth president to attend the National Scout Jamboree, which is typically held every four years. Obama did not attend a jamboree but he did address a 100th anniversary event in 2010 by video. Each president serves as honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America.

The organization said in a statement that it does not promote any political candidate or philosophy.

Regardless of that stance, Trump used his soapbox to attempt to rally support for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the signature legislative achievement of his predecessor on which many West Virginia residents have come to depend for access to health insurance.

Trump jokingly threatened to fire his health secretary, Tom Price, another former Boy Scout, if an impending vote to repeal the act was not successful.

“Hopefully he’s going to get the votes tomorrow to start our path toward killing this horrible thing known as Obamacare,” Trump said, before turning to Price.

“He better get ’em,” Trump said, before reprising the catchphrase from his one-time reality TV hit, The Apprentice: “Otherwise, I’ll say: ‘Tom, you’re fired.’”

Trump also singled out the West Virginia senator Shelley Moore Capito, who has expressed reservations about the Republican healthcare bill.

“You better get Senator Capito to vote for it,” he said, in remarks directed towards Price. “You gotta get the other senators to vote for it. It’s time.”

Later, as he recited parts of the Scout oath, Trump paused at the word “loyalty”.

“We could use some more loyalty, I’ll tell you that,” mused the man who reportedly demanded such from James Comey, the FBI director he fired.

 

[itdoesntmatterwhatthissay]

1 hour ago, StefanAVFC said:

It's the boy scouts jamboree; children, not a political rally.

No other President went there and made it political.

Crap comparison.

That's why I said it wasn't exactly the same but just so you're clear, the creation of the US boy scouts was a direct response to social problems, much like the Peoples Assembly....though I don't know the difference between the PA and the PA Against Austerity. Seem to be different.

Having spoken to very many of the PA as they patrolled the streets of Brighton during the election, a majority I spoke to felt the issues were not actually being discussed and it was descending into political rhetoric.
Their own website says they are not affiliated to any political party and encourage a wide debate........just not at the rally's when they have the most impact! 

Trump showed an overwhelming lack of class (and I left some of that in the quote below) but he also said 'scout' or 'scouting' 54 times in that speech. I wonder whether the things he said about scouts will get much of a report?...apart from in- one can assume - a delighted 'Scout Monthly'!

Quote

Each of these leaders will tell that you their road to American success -- and you have to understand -- their American success, and they are a great, great story, was paved with the patriotic American values and traditions they learned in the Boy Scouts. And some day, many years from now, when you look back on all of the adventures in your lives you will be able to say the same, I got my start as a Scout, just like these incredibly great people that are doing such a good job for our country. So that's going to happen.
(APPLAUSE)
Boy Scout values are American values. And great Boy Scouts become great, great Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
As the Scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal -- we could use some more loyalty I will tell that you that.

http://time.com/4872118/trump-boy-scout-jamboree-speech-transcript/

Edited July 25, 2017 by itdoesntmatterwhatthissay

[PompeyVillan]

36 minutes ago, itdoesntmatterwhatthissay said:

Trump showed an overwhelming lack of class (and I left some of that in the quote below) but he also said 'scout' or 'scouting' 54 times in that speech. I wonder whether the things he said about scouts will get much of a report?...apart from in- one can assume - a delighted 'Scout Monthly'!

http://time.com/4872118/trump-boy-scout-jamboree-speech-transcript/

Why would the rest of his address be reported on while he overshadowed it by politicising in a distasteful way?

A president praising the boy scouts is hardly newsworthy. 

#fakenews?

[LondonLax]

5 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

Donny Moscow's latest trick.

Whinging to a bunch of boy scouts (35,000 of them) about how victimised he is and inciting them to boo Obama

Just **** creepy.

The best bit was the long reminiscence about the guy with the yacht who went to fancy parties and who got up to things he couldn't tell Boy Scouts about.