Trump 2017: Year Zero

[baudolino]

and all of the uber-cynic GOP fuckwits just want to please their amazingly great leader? they are already afraid of him imo. they will never dare telling him the truth even when they themselves recongnize it (highly unlikely anyway).

[xmd 5a]

Agree. It's the Trumpers who took some level of control over the GOP. The "revolutionaries" if you will. They have been building themselves since the Tea Party days. (Not that TP=Trumpers... it's a weird mix and a whole other topic)

And timing absolutely plays a part of every "revolutionary" change. That's another thing I'm pissed at the left for. There have been quite a few times, especially recently, that they could have leveraged the moment IF they had a foundation ready for it. Shit, we would have Sanders for president right now if they had even a skeleton of what I'm talking about.

You guys have the numbers. It's everything else that is lacking. It kills me to see that because I want to see people succeed in overturning establishment corruption.

+1. The "America is already great" sentiment and the strategy of trying to convert "moderate" Republicans were both facepalm-worthy fails on the Dems part. Trump barely did better than McCain or Romney in terms of votes. The Republican base seems fairly consistent in size and rusted-on. The focus going forward needs to be on bringing the disaffected / non-voters into the fold. I feel like Sanders would've had a much better shot at that. My hope is that organisations like the DSA continue to pick up steam. I also feel like this "Russian hacking" crap is going to be the new Benghazi in terms of an endless waste of political energy and media airtime.

[xmd 5a]

Agree. It's the Trumpers who took some level of control over the GOP. The "revolutionaries" if you will. They have been building themselves since the Tea Party days. (Not that TP=Trumpers... it's a weird mix and a whole other topic)

And timing absolutely plays a part of every "revolutionary" change. That's another thing I'm pissed at the left for. There have been quite a few times, especially recently, that they could have leveraged the moment IF they had a foundation ready for it. Shit, we would have Sanders for president right now if they had even a skeleton of what I'm talking about.

You guys have the numbers. It's everything else that is lacking. It kills me to see that because I want to see people succeed in overturning establishment corruption.

+1. The "America is already great" sentiment and the strategy of trying to convert "moderate" Republicans were both facepalm-worthy fails on the Dems part. Trump barely did better than McCain or Romney in terms of votes. The Republican base seems fairly consistent in size and rusted-on. The focus going forward needs to be on bringing the disaffected / non-voters into the fold. I feel like Sanders would've had a much better shot at that. My hope is that organisations like the DSA continue to pick up steam. I also feel like this "Russian hacking" crap is going to be the new Benghazi in terms of an endless waste of political energy and media airtime.

[Louie_Cypher]

everyone should stay home today when your boss calls tell him you thought it was an"ternative workday" cop pulls you over you were following the"akternative" speed-limit. drumf making america alternative again, plus nobody cares.
-louie

[Mantra]

This pic of Kerry in the marches is fucking hilarious. Like he was just taking the dog out for a morning stroll and happened to wander into an enormous protest march. This guy could be my neighbor.

[onthewall2983]

Is Twitter still a relevant thing? Lots of people I know have abandoned it in the last year or so and we were told in the business module of my music course that it's the only 'big' social media network where the membership is currently shrinking. Although, tumblr seems to be winding down as well.

I would definitely say it's relevant now because of Trump, but beyond that who knows. Maybe the shrinkage as it is now has to do with not wanting that association. I'd be interested to know how many people they are losing. I'm definitely thinking twice about continuing on there. Everything I seem to re-tweet is related to him, after swearing to myself I wouldn't after the election was over. That said I have made some nice contact with people on there, occasionally was responded to by people I admire and had more than a few laughs.

[allegate]

Actions speak louder than words.

I may not be happy about this, but going out and throwing a fit and defenestrating random Starbucks windows is fucking stupid, it's immature, and it's not going to solve any problems

As much as I wanted anyone but him to win.........I just can't help it, I've always been the Devil's Advocate....I'm pretty much the poster boy for it.

Look, if he fucks up then i'll take back everything I said, but so far.....it's just day one.

Again, the Pariah is strong, but....let's just see how it goes...i could be very wrong.

I'm just kinda tired of hearing it,

Just seeing how hopeless you are is making me more depressed then him being president is.

Someone threw a Starbucks through a window? Oh shit.

[Jinsai]

Is Twitter still a relevant thing? Lots of people I know have abandoned it in the last year or so and we were told in the business module of my music course that it's the only 'big' social media network where the membership is currently shrinking. Although, tumblr seems to be winding down as well.

Even if Trump is the last person on earth using it, it's his chosen mouthpiece, and as long as it exists it's proven to be a great format for abbreviated jabs and vague promises. I'm sure the horror of having to actually formulate coherent statements or communicate with the public regularly via a medium that doesn't insist upon brevity fills the president with waking dread.

+1. The "America is already great" sentiment and the strategy of trying to convert "moderate" Republicans were both facepalm-worthy fails on the Dems part. Trump barely did better than McCain or Romney in terms of votes. The Republican base seems fairly consistent in size and rusted-on. The focus going forward needs to be on bringing the disaffected / non-voters into the fold. I feel like Sanders would've had a much better shot at that. My hope is that organisations like the DSA continue to pick up steam. I also feel like this "Russian hacking" crap is going to be the new Benghazi in terms of an endless waste of political energy and media airtime.

I agree with most of what you're saying. I think the issue regarding Russia's interests right now is the larger point to the "possible hacking" side story, and Trump's praise and flattery of Putin is alarming.

[allegate]

Some suggest that there are an infinite number of parallel realities where each possible outcome eventually plays out in one of them. If only I could transport myself to the one where Bernie Sanders was just sworn in as President. Of course I’d have to murder the me of that universe, dispose of my corpse, and assume my identity.… Would that be considered murder or suicide? Also, would it be considered identity theft, or not?

Well considering I saw an Observer on the Inauguration parade route...

[sick among the pure]

@sickamongthepure I'm only face-palming because I'm lost for words. As much as I empathize with the statement, I can't click the 'like' button.

I understand, I only know the extent of that twitter-block because my sister made some connections with a few departments when she won the Federal Duck Stamp a few years ago.

[onthewall2983]

You know what I'm afraid of, if he loses in 2020 (provided he manages to survive that long). Losing could be so bitter for him we all would surely pay for it.

[Volband]

You know what I'm afraid of, if he loses in 2020 (provided he manages to survive that long). Losing could be so bitter for him we all would surely pay for it.

I thought having an apocalyptic meltdown before the dude even sworn into office was questioable enough, but turns out some of you are way ahead of that curve.

No offense, but were you serious when you wrote this comment, or you are just fed up and/or feeling desperate of thinking about possible things to come (which have not yet), and your mind just went ballistic?

I check back here, but observe mainly reddit, where I read r/politics/ (anti-trump) and r/the_donald/ (pro-trump) when they hit r/All/, and my observation is that both sides are in an ever growing echo-chamber, fueling off from the other side. Some of you guys are cutting the tree under you by yourselves.

[allegate]

Absolutely. Throw in a large amount of "birth certificate" while GOP treats it like Dems treated Hilary's email.

Such a massive waste of time against someone like Trump. They'd have to find a blatant smoking gun that non-Dems would accept. It's so unlikely.

Well...

I thought having an apocalyptic meltdown before the dude even sworn into office was questioable enough, but turns out some of you are way ahead of that curve.

No offense, but were you serious when you wrote this comment, or you are just fed up and/or feeling desperate of thinking about possible things to come (which have not yet), and your mind just went ballistic?

I check back here, but observe mainly reddit, where I read r/politics/ (anti-trump) and r/the_donald/ (pro-trump) when they hit r/All/, and my observation is that both sides are in an ever growing echo-chamber, fueling off from the other side. Some of you guys are cutting the tree under you by yourselves.

Probably not likely. There's a long divide here and the two sides aren't much for talking to each other right now.

[botley]

I provided links earlier to the US Code which provides that the President, Vice President and Congress are exempt from conflict of interest. Which is nuts but it is what it is.

https://www.google.com/amp/lawnewz.c...?client=safari

Except that this is in your Constitution: "no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States] shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." We'll see if this actually amounts to anything other than words in fancy 18th century handwriting.

[Your Name Here]

I have stopped by this thread many times, I read it all the time and try never to post. However the liberals and the conservatives as well as the Trump supporters you can argue all you want but it doesn't matter Washington is broken and one side obstructs the other side depending on who is in power. it is a never ending cycle on bullshit, and a thirst for power.
So let me ask everybody this more so to members that live in the United States. What do you think is going to happen? Where do you think this broken government will take us? This really started when George W Bush became president.
You may dispute my speculation or prediction but Texas has been talking about it for decades and now California is talking about it. SUCCESSION. You may laugh and say that will never happen but in 1999 you would probably laugh at planes flying into buildings but after 9/11 that wasn't funny anymore. I know there is a big difference between a terrorist act and individual states breaking off to form their own countries, but it might not be as out there as you think. I live California and nobody in California can understand why Trump is president and I bet you can go to a mid west state and they are glad Trump is president.
My point is as a nation we have become so different and have so little in common that politically maybe it is time to part ways. Texas is a very conservative state and has wanted to be its own country for a long time.
People are tired of the political discourse and not getting anywhere. I for one am embarrassed Trump is the president of the United States. I can very easily see the state of Washington, Oregon and California breaking off from the rest of the country because we are very liberal out here and we don't understand what the fuck is going on with the rest of this country. These three states don't even matter during elections a lot of it has been decided before our polls even close. I am fucking sick of hearing some conservative mouthing off and interrupting a conversation only to interject some opinion that isn't even based on any facts. We are living in an age where opinion wins out over fact, and that is an indirect quote of guest on Bill Mahers show the other night. I agree with it and all this bullshit about fake news FOX NEWS has been doing fake news for 20 years so who gives a fuck.

The west coast doesn't need the rest of this country so I am all for succession. I might not happen in the near future but if the liberals and conservatives continue in this direction it will be inevitably.

[slave2thewage]

I check back here, but observe mainly reddit,

Your biggest mistake was trying to find reasonable discourse on Reddit.

[BRoswell]

Secession sounds good to people until they realize what they would lose in the process.

[allegro]

Except that this is in your Constitution: "no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States] shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." We'll see if this actually amounts to anything other than words in fancy 18th century handwriting.

Right, I mentioned that in my prior post, and that his lawyers claim he is donating all foreign profits in order to skirt that (as this article also mentions). His lawyers are pretty heavy-hitters. He has teams of lawyers to get away with shit. It's why people here in Cook County are pissed at how he keeps getting huge property tax reductions at his Trump building in Chicago without including profit valuation in the property assessment (which is customary for everybody else) and has politicians in his pocket, even DEMS.

See this

@DigitalChaos , what alarms me are all the labor union members and states and areas in the Midwest inhabited by strong labor unions that have shifted to supporting REPUBLICANS. Never in my LIFE would I DREAM that any labor union or any of its members NOT be Democrat. The level that Dems have totally fucked up in supporting big business and their own pockets has led to their own demise. This is no longer only about "conservative vs. liberal," it's about people losing their jobs and their bargaining power and they're pissed off and they feel ignored. Some Republicans like Scott Walker in WI divided and conquered, screwing the teachers' union but supporting the police and fire unions. People are saying fuck the social issues, just lower my taxes and let me make more money without giving more to the Government. The unions aren't even socialist brotherhoods, anymore; it's all about money.

[Jinsai]

it'll be like another 8 years under Bush to the left.

There is no way in hell he will be reelected. It is not going to happen. In two years, the democrats will take back the house and senate. If he isn't impeached and removed from office, in four years he will safely lose to the most extreme version of far-left you've ever hypothetically considered.

In the mean time, we need to pressure the ACLU to act, donate actual money to their cause, and start actually signing petitions instead of lazily sharing them on social media. We need to insist that Trump deliver his tax returns, and it's at least somewhat less maddening to hear that Wikileaks is on board with that (fucking finally).

[allegro]

In the mean time, we need to pressure the ACLU to act

If you join the ACLU, you'll find that they have been doing stuff, already (you'd get regular emails plus their "Stand" magazine).

See this.

Here's the latest cover of Stand, mine arrived a few days ago:

[allegro]

@allegro - is there new data showing this about Unions? I mean, it doesn't surprise me considering how much the Dems outright insulted the working class, but I didn't realize unions had visibly started to turn like that. Thats serious shit for Dems if so... Well, MORE serious shit.

I know CHICAGO COPS who voted for Trump. Chicago Cops were always strict Democrats. For THEM to vote for Trump, there's some serious shit going on and it's not just hating Hillary. (Although, that was a big part of it.) They also hate the Democratic Mayor, Rahm Emanuel.

See this.

See also this.


I'm from Detroit, and in that whole area you still get a lot of pissed-off looks for driving a foreign car. I mean, seriously pissed-off.

[Jinsai]

If you join the ACLU, you'll find that they have been doing stuff, already (you'd get regular emails plus their "Stand" magazine).

I've been following and offering meager donations as I go to the ACLU.

[Mantra]

what alarms me are all the labor union members and states and areas in the Midwest inhabited by strong labor unions that have shifted to supporting REPUBLICANS. Never in my LIFE would I DREAM that any labor union or any of its members NOT be Democrat. The level that Dems have totally fucked up in supporting big business and their own pockets has led to their own demise. This is no longer only about "conservative vs. liberal," it's about people losing their jobs and their bargaining power and they're pissed off and they feel ignored.

Yeah, exactly, although it's technically not the first time a Republican managed to win a bunch on union votes. If I recall correctly, Reagan managed to get somewhere around 45% of the union vote, which is pretty close to what Trump got. Reagan was even officially endorsed by the PATCO, and then he turned around and stabbed them in the back, completely destroying that union. That's why most unions will NEVER trust Republicans. When push comes to shove, they always show their true allegiances. It's stuff like that, plus an overall pro-management, pro-offshoring mentality that has driven the unions away from the Republicans and made them almost unanimously Democrat.

Then the Democrats turned into a bunch of fucking idiots and decided they wanted to play ball with banks and wall street and corporations. They've basically just been taking the union support for granted. Come election time they throw some nice slogans out there, and they're forever blessed with the "lesser evil" status, but beyond that they've been seriously neglecting their roots. All this NAFTA, TPP horseshit, they should have NEVER been fucking around with that shit. They had no business there. It was a stupid game to play, given how much their support comes from unions. It's biting the hand that feeds you. So now Trump has been able to come along and steal large chunks of their base because of their poor choices.

Ugh, every time I think about this shit I get so worked up and irritated. Dems better start SHAPING UP. Fucking idiots.

[allegro]

Reagan was even officially endorsed by the PATCO, and then he turned around and stabbed them in the back, completely destroying that union. That's why most unions will NEVER trust Republicans.

Except we know a SHITLOAD of NATCA members who vote Republican. So, not true. Bottom line is that the more money these people make, the more Republican they become. NATCA has a PAC that contributes over $80,000 annually to Republican members who are in favor of the National Right to Work Act; the NATCA top elected officials claim they are simply being bi-partisan, but that's just stupid. On the other hand, they can't be a closed shop, by law, and so NRWA doesn't really affect them. But the NATCA elected President and VP voted to be on board with REPUBLICAN Bill Shuster to PRIVATIZE National Air Traffic Control, in affect making ATC function as a non-Government job and handing over millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded equipment over to a board owned by private airlines. And they didn't hand it over to the rank and file for a vote, they just voted Yes. So, of course, this shows that NATCA brass only cares about NATCA brass, even shutting down a proposal to change the NATCA charter at the most recent convention, preventing any future possibility of privatization (the President and VP did that), so the members are pretty sure the President and VP were promised cushy jobs and some kickbacks. And Shuster is claiming that this all needs to be privatized because Government isn't moving fast enough to institute changes like NextGen; except the reason WHY it isn't happening is due to budget cuts PUT IN PLACE BY REPUBLICANS. Doesn't matter, again, the more people make, the more they drink the Republican Kool-Aid, because they want to hold onto every last nickel they earn.

The only candidate who had strong union MEMBER support was Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Clinton may have had Union BRASS support but, really, that doesn't mean shit. There is a huge difference between elected brass and the actual members in the last several years, as I have seen with my own eyes. Once they are elected into power, they lose all perspective of their union brethren or their purpose. Power corrupts everywhere.

Final caveat: My husband is laughing at the moron NATCA members who voted for Trump, as Trump signed -- on his first day in office -- a Federal pay freeze. Yeah, good luck with that, assholes. Like they didn't learn enough during the HORRORS of the GW Bush administration (who HATED NATCA).

But, yes, the Dems need to fucking shape up. They have been losing support consistently, and they just don't seem to get it. The City of Chicago Dems have had control for DECADES; OVER 5 DECADES; and the City is fucking BROKE, has a terrible crime problem in certain areas, due to the terribly ignored drug sale problem in certain areas, but no Democratic Mayor has really done anything substantial to change that other than to support further coverups and corruption, which just leads to more people questioning the validity of the Democratic party's true motives.


And you know what REALLY FUCKING PISSES ME OFF? WHAT PROBABLY GOT TRUMP ELECTED? THE LACK OF DEMOCRATIC BACKBONE AGAINST LOBBYISTS.

LIKE, LOOK AT THIS FUCKING SHIT: BERNIE SANDERS SLAMS DEMOCRATS FOR LACKING 'GUTS' TO FIGHT BIG PHARMA

Even alleged Progressive Cory Booker VOTED AGAINST THAT BILL. WHAT IN THE LIVING FUCK.

A DOZEN REPUBLICANS VOTED IN FAVOR OF BERNIE'S BILL! BUT THIRTEEN SENATE DEMOCRATS VOTED AGAINST IT! They chose BIG PHARMA over HUMAN BEINGS, claiming faulty BULLSHIT logic like "safety concerns." LIARS.

[october_midnight]

lol @ bozo the clown tweeting a pic of the giant crowd for his inauguration with the wrong date...shows Jan 21st, the date of the marches.

[aggroculture]

There is no way in hell he will be reelected. It is not going to happen. In two years, the democrats will take back the house and senate. If he isn't impeached and removed from office, in four years he will safely lose to the most extreme version of far-left you've ever hypothetically considered.

In the mean time, we need to pressure the ACLU to act, donate actual money to their cause, and start actually signing petitions instead of lazily sharing them on social media. We need to insist that Trump deliver his tax returns, and it's at least somewhat less maddening to hear that Wikileaks is on board with that (fucking finally).

What makes you think that? I thought there was no way the clown GWB could win in 2004, and yet it happened.

Also, nothing Assange can ever do will atone for helping Trump win.

[GulDukat]

Triumph, The Insult Dog, speaks to Trump supporters:

[elevenism]

Triumph, The Insult Dog, speaks to Trump supporters:

it was KIND of funny until the end, the end made me laff my ass off

[Your Name Here]

Yeah I posted that in the things that cheer you up thread, the end is funny but at the same time the reality of the joke is sad.

[theimage13]

There is no way in hell he will be reelected.

2015: I'm announcing my candidacy for President of the United States.
There is no way in hell he'll make it through the primaries.
2016: I accept the party's nomination as their candidate for President of the United States.
There is no way in hell he'll be elected.
2017: Congratulations, Mr. President.
There is no way in hell he will be reelected.

Yeah, about that...............