Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
"Rueing their decision"?

Wishfull thinking.

OK, "many" is probably an overstatement, but I like to think some people voted for Trump in a stupid 'what the hell!' moment and are now wishing they hadn't. No doubt they're greatly outnumbered by true believers who think everything is going just great, sure - but even those people must be willfully forgetting Trump's promise to 'drain the [Washington] swamp' or ignoring the unprecedented concentration of big-business insiders in his cabinet? Or maybe to most that's just immaterial next to the Wall, the Muslim ban, the crippling of Planned Parenthood and all the rest.
 

droid

Well-known member
Some productive phone calls yesterday. Threatened to invade Mexico, hung up on the Australian prime Minister.

The AUSTRALIAN prime minister.
 

luka

Well-known member
i really really dont want to go to war with china. im not into the idea one bit.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item...merica_first_world_nuclear_holocaust_20170201
Republican Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told CBS News, “I am worried about the National Security Council. … The appointment of Mr. Bannon is a radical departure from any National Security Council in history.” McCain added that the “one person who is indispensable would be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in my view.”

Here’s the big worry. Trump is unhinged and ignorant. Bannon is nuts and malicious. If not supervised by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, their decisions could endanger the world.
 

droid

Well-known member
C3lhmeCXAAETNuR.jpg
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
lol

trumps black history month speech

“Last month, we celebrated the life of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, whose incredible example is unique in American history,” he said. “You read all about Dr Martin Luther King a week ago when somebody said I took the statue out of my office, and it turned out that that was fake news ... The statue is cherished. It’s one of the favorite things in the – and we have some good ones. We have Lincoln and we have Jefferson and we have Dr Martin Luther King, and we have – but they said the statue, the bust of Dr Martin Luther King was taken out of the office. And it was never even touched. So I think it was a disgrace, but that’s the way the press is. Very unfortunate. I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Reverend King, so many other things.”
 

droid

Well-known member
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/liberals-on-the-edge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-214727

This has been going on for a while now: During the campaign, it was almost impossible to publicly laugh at his latest hammy and ludicrous tweet without someone coming along to tell you that actually, this is all just a distraction, he’s hogging the headlines to divert your attention from whatever serious allegation was about to sink his presidential bid on that particular week. (As if any allegation, his pussy-grabbing, his tax returns, could halt a Donald Train screaming toward Washington on rails greased with malice and revenge.) But now, with Trump sprawling lugubriously all over the White House, it’s gone into overdrive. As thousands blockade airports and fill up city streets, a new generation of amateur Kremlinologists is coming forward with its hastily assembled theories, assembled from bureaucratic signifiers, to say that by trying to stop the harm he’s actually doing, all we’ve done is play into his tiny, tiny hands.

In the last few days, two Medium posts that quickly seeped through the cloistered know-it-all sector of the internet have exemplified this weird form of politics. The first, “Trial Balloon for a Coup?,” is by one Yonatan Zunger; the second, more forceful piece, comes from Jake Fuentes, and is titled “The Immigration Ban is a Headfake, and We’re Falling For It.” Both tread largely the same ground: They argue that the chaos and indeterminacy surrounding Trump’s ban on travel to the United States by anyone from seven Muslim-majority nations was actually a devious ploy. This is done through some very familiar techniques. Which positions are still unfilled at the State Department? Why did Trump’s statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day not make any mention of Jews? And why, of all people, was it Reince Priebus who defended that decision, when it’s not part of his usual job? And, like with the old Russia-watchers, these questions lead us to the idea that nothing is irrelevant, but that something monstrous is afoot.
 

Leo

Well-known member
why is it so hard to believe that throwing a ton of shit against the wall all at once and saying numerous outrageous things a day is an intentional, conscious attempt at distraction and reducing the likelihood/ability to forcefully oppose all of the administration initiatives at once? that seems really obvious. it's not sophisticated, it's not kremlinology. it's a simple, basic ploy: use chaos to get some of what you want.

also, approval/disapproval ratings actually do matter to congress members, particular those up for re-election. a large part of how they decide to support or oppose administration measures is based on how their constituents back at home feel about those proposed measures.
 

droid

Well-known member
Sure, overwhelm the enemy, Ive no problem with that. Its also in keeping with trumps approach to everything.

The issue I have is the assertions that this is a machiavellian plot to draw out protests and therefore this resistance is somehow playing into his hands, that nothing can be done that they haven't already thought of. That they are 20 steps ahead.

I see bullish reactionaries using power to aggressively pursue their goals in a very direct fashion.

In many ways its a weakness.
 

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
why is it so hard to believe that throwing a ton of shit against the wall all at once and saying numerous outrageous things a day is an intentional, conscious attempt at distraction and reducing the likelihood/ability to forcefully oppose all of the administration initiatives at once? that seems really obvious. it's not sophisticated, it's not kremlinology. it's a simple, basic ploy: use chaos to get some of what you want.

also, approval/disapproval ratings actually do matter to congress members, particular those up for re-election. a large part of how they decide to support or oppose administration measures is based on how their constituents back at home feel about those proposed measures.

distraction or not, it all deserves opposition, even if opposing everything can reduce the effectiveness.

i think just as before, when we all under estimated trump, its happening again, and people cant possibly entertain the idea that there might be some strategy behind it all.
 

Leo

Well-known member
The issue I have is the assertions that this is a machiavellian plot to draw out protests and therefore this resistance is somehow playing into his hands, that nothing can be done that they haven't already thought of. That they are 20 steps ahead.

so i think this is were we have a basic disconnect: i'm not aware of many people who are actually making this assertion or believe it to be true. perhaps a few pundits have made this point, but i really haven't heard it from people here.
 

Leo

Well-known member
lol

trumps black history month speech

oh man, it gets even better:

In which Trump discovers some guy named Frederick Douglass

President Trump is capable of many a miracle. On Wednesday, after just 12 days on the job, he raised the dead.

Addressing a small group of African American aides and supporters to kick off Black History Month, the new president not only offered pro forma praise for the usual suspects — Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr. — but also singled out somebody who recently caught his attention.

“Frederick Douglass,” Trump said, “is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice.”

Amazing job, Frederick! Great work!

It’s unlikely anybody could recognize Douglass today, because he died in 1895. And though Trump may not have noticed it previously, Douglass has long occupied a revered place in American history: escaped slave, iconic abolitionist, world-renowned author and publisher and counselor to presidents.

But Trump’s awkwardness was not limited to placing Douglass in the present perfect tense. He also declared: “During this month, we honor the tremendous history of the African Americans throughout our country — throughout the world, if you really think about it, right?”

Well, if you really think about it, being African American is, by definition, limited to Americans. But no matter. He was on a roll.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...-card-b:homepage/story&utm_term=.e715e7f8b056
 

droid

Well-known member
so i think this is were we have a basic disconnect: i'm not aware of many people who are actually making this assertion or believe it to be true. perhaps a few pundits have made this point, but i really haven't heard it from people here.

Sure, Im reacting to the tech wonks and their widely shared coup articles.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
I think the purposefulness is a side issue. They probably didn't purposefully see if federal agents would pick sides between the executive and the judiciary, but we have now found out that they will.

Likewise, they're not encouraging protests, yet it's not hard to imagine how they can fit the protests into their narrative.

So I'd agree with droid that the conspiratorial components of these articles are silly, but they're raising good points despite the conspiracy theorising.
 

Leo

Well-known member
So I'd agree with droid that the conspiratorial components of these articles are silly, but they're raising good points despite the conspiracy theorising.

and i agree with you and droid in that these theories are silly, point of difference being i contend that almost no one here (outside of those who enjoy conspiracy theories) is even discussing them.
 
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