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Trump's first year as a president

<+)O Robido O(+> said:
You think democrats winning all over the place in special elections isn't fortelling a slaughter in in 2018 and 2020? You think that all the dummies that were foolish enough to sit out in 2016 because Hillary wasn't good enough aren't mobilized now because they let that shitshow win the presidency by mere thousands of votes? lol.
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Don't be so sure. Taking over the senate is all but a mathematical impossibility for the Democrats in 2018, and midterm turnout is ALWAYS low (and low turnout typically favors Republicans). We'll see if anti-Trump rage is enough to change that. The "Muslim ban" wasn't ever actually a Muslim ban, rightfully or wrongfully the transgenders in the military thing isn't a major issue for many people (and the military seems to be ignoring that anyway), and the tax plan is fattening a lot of peoples' wallets at least in the short term. Treat 2018 as a slam dunk at your peril.
 
I read something on tax cut savings, 43% is used on stock buy backs, 19% to acquisitions, and 13% on wage increases (one-time bonuses are scraps compared to what executives will get), and the rest is other. So business as usual rather than trickle down.

The Democrats winning special elections in GOP strongholds its very interesting though. Mid-terms will have drama. There's no reason for any side to be confident about it.
 
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prag16 said:
Don't be so sure. Taking over the senate is all but a mathematical impossibility for the Democrats in 2018, and midterm turnout is ALWAYS low (and low turnout typically favors Republicans). We'll see if anti-Trump rage is enough to change that. The "Muslim ban" wasn't ever actually a Muslim ban, rightfully or wrongfully the transgenders in the military thing isn't a major issue for many people (and the military seems to be ignoring that anyway), and the tax plan is fattening a lot of peoples' wallets at least in the short term. Treat 2018 as a slam dunk at your peril.
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Yeah I gotta agree with this. Trump rage may not be enough for people to just change parties so easily, especially when the left keeps doubling down on the bullshit that got them to lose in the first place...

They may just vote 3rd party even... I know I will continue to do that as long as I can...
 
ssolitare said:
I read something on tax cut savings, 43% is used on stock buy backs, 19% to acquisitions, and 13% on wage increases (one-time bonuses are scraps compared to what executives will get), and the rest is other. So business as usual rather than trickle down.

The Democrats winning special elections in GOP strongholds its very interesting though. Mid-terms will have drama. There's no reason for any side to be confident about it.
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Yes, business are gonna do what businesses always do, which is whatever benefits the shareholders the most. Thankfully, the rest of the tax cut also gave me an effective 5% pay increase regardless of what my company does with their corporate tax savings.
 
Intelligence Chief today = No the President hasn't given me direction or authority to do anything about the continued Russian meddling = WTF???
 
The investigations will deliver some type of information.

It's mighty suspicious, Trump's behavior around regulations, and not giving orders against Russian hacking. But on hacking Trump wouldn't know what to do himself, and his team is weak (so that has an impact ). Collusion could be inaction. We'll see one day.
 
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rokkerkory said:
What does that have to do with anything I posted? Russia continues to meddle, do you think that's ok?
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I think its foolish to think you can stop foreign meddling, its something that has been happening for a VERY long time. I don't think they should but they and many other nations including the US do it too. Also not much solid evidence of it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/...y-one-meddling-in-elections-we-do-it-too.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_electoral_intervention
 
TrainedRage said:
I think its foolish to think you can stop foreign meddling, its something that has been happening for a VERY long time.
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So the answer is to...ignore it and let it go unpunished or responded to in any way?

It's never happened at this scale before.

TrainedRage said:
Also not much solid evidence of it.
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Not sure how you can say that with a straight face at this point.

We have evidence Russia was behind the DNC, RNC and Podesta hacks and email releases.

We have evidence of the money spent, ads purchased, and bot farms used on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.

We have evidence that Russia compromised state election networks and systems, and in the case of several states were able to access copies of voter registration data.

Mueller just indicted 13 Russians involved in the effort.

And that's just what the public knows. Congress and our intelligence agencies have access to classified information that we don't, and Mueller hasn't finished his investigation.

What more could you possibly be looking for?
 
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TrainedRage said:
I think its foolish to think you can stop foreign meddling, its something that has been happening for a VERY long time. I don't think they should but they and many other nations including the US do it too. Also not much solid evidence of it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/...y-one-meddling-in-elections-we-do-it-too.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_electoral_intervention
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So you're ok with an adversary country messing with your rights? Haha it's come to this. So let's just welcome any country to meddle in our most sacred right.
 
rokkerkory said:
So you're ok with an adversary country messing with your rights? Haha it's come to this. So let's just welcome any country to meddle in our most sacred right.
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I think it's more eye-rolling that this only become something people get super-up-in-arms about when it can be blamed on Trump, moreso than being "okay" with it. Though he may be downplaying it more than I personally would (and I also wouldn't be raving about it as much as most hardcore Trump opponents are).
 
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prag16 said:
I think it's more eye-rolling that this only become something people get super-up-in-arms about when it can be blamed on Trump.
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But it's not just regular people who perhaps don't like Trump that are "up in arms". It's our entire intelligence community.

Unless you're lumping them into that group as well and consider them to be overreacting?
 
prag16 said:
I think it's more eye-rolling that this only become something people get super-up-in-arms about when it can be blamed on Trump, moreso than being "okay" with it. Though he may be downplaying it more than I personally would (and I also wouldn't be raving about it as much as most hardcore Trump opponents are).
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We used to respond to these things, but Trump has been missing the boat.
 
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prag16 said:
I think it's more eye-rolling that this only become something people get super-up-in-arms about when it can be blamed on Trump, moreso than being "okay" with it. Though he may be downplaying it more than I personally would (and I also wouldn't be raving about it as much as most hardcore Trump opponents are).
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Trump supporters brushing it off as nothing just because they fear trump may be in on it is scary. I don't care who was involved but would like to know the truth.
 
Naudi said:
Trump supporters brushing it off as nothing just because they fear trump may be in on it is scary. I don't care who was involved but would like to know the truth.
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Same here, cause frankly a possible scandal like this is once in a life time thing.
 
prag16 said:
Don't be so sure. Taking over the senate is all but a mathematical impossibility for the Democrats in 2018, and midterm turnout is ALWAYS low (and low turnout typically favors Republicans). We'll see if anti-Trump rage is enough to change that. The "Muslim ban" wasn't ever actually a Muslim ban, rightfully or wrongfully the transgenders in the military thing isn't a major issue for many people (and the military seems to be ignoring that anyway), and the tax plan is fattening a lot of peoples' wallets at least in the short term. Treat 2018 as a slam dunk at your peril.
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They are going to get bowled over. Any amazing that I got an extra 500 bucks yearly talk is going to be overshadowed by talking about what corps and rich people made paired with huge deficit projections.

In 20 years we will look back at Donald Trump as the true ending of he Republican Party. They are toast and post mid-terms the pivots that they make will be hilarious. When has desperately clinging to the past ever worked out in the true long run?
 
Being across the ocean we only get some selected Trump news (as there are so many that we needed a whole channel to report them all).
It this Russian specific case, what exactly are the allegations of their involvement? Did they tamper the results? I'm guessing if that was the case something would've been done by now.
Are the american votes electronic? Or crosses on pieces of paper?

Thanks in advance
 
*rips mask off Kim Yo-Jong, revealing Bernie Sanders*

"And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling Russians!"
 
WinterIsComing said:
Being across the ocean we only get some selected Trump news (as there are so many that we needed a whole channel to report them all).
It this Russian specific case, what exactly are the allegations of their involvement? Did they tamper the results? I'm guessing if that was the case something would've been done by now.
Are the american votes electronic? Or crosses on pieces of paper?

Thanks in advance
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Just Asking Questions I see. This shit is transparent as fuck.
 
prag16 said:
wat
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It's the alt-right playbook.

Pose as a neutral party or an outsider, then ask questions about politics phrased in a way that makes the right wing agenda seem like the logical conclusion that a neutral party would come to. Commonly referred to as "just asking questions" or "JAQing off"
 
MazeHaze said:
It's the alt-right playbook.

Pose as a neutral party or an outsider, then ask questions about politics phrased in a way that makes the right wing agenda seem like the logical conclusion that a neutral party would come to. Commonly referred to as "just asking questions" or "JAQing off"
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Look at his post history. He's not some alt-right sleeper agent. And accusing everyone of shit like this with no basis doesn't help your case. THAT is straight out of the old-gaf playbook.
 
MazeHaze said:
It's the alt-right playbook.

Pose as a neutral party or an outsider, then ask questions about politics phrased in a way that makes the right wing agenda seem like the logical conclusion that a neutral party would come to. Commonly referred to as "just asking questions" or "JAQing off"
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Ok buddy, thanks anyway for nothing i guess.
 
WinterIsComing said:
Being across the ocean we only get some selected Trump news (as there are so many that we needed a whole channel to report them all).
It this Russian specific case, what exactly are the allegations of their involvement? Did they tamper the results? I'm guessing if that was the case something would've been done by now.
Are the american votes electronic? Or crosses on pieces of paper?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

I answered a similar question earlier in this thread:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/trumps-first-year-as-a-president.1460055/page-7#post-253150901

Since then, Mueller has indicted 13 Russians on charges related to their activities leading up to and during the election.

There's overwhelming support from the public and both parties in Congress to enforce sanctions against Russia based on all of the above, but the president won't move forward with it for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
404Ender said:
There's overwhelming support from the public and both parties in Congress to enforce sanctions against Russia based on all of the above, but the president won't move forward with it for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Prolly cause the US does this kinda shit all day every day to every other country around the globe and perusing this would just be opening up a can of worms...
 
Thanks for the link @404Ender that does shed a light on the whole scandal.
If you already know for sure who you want to vote, you can get a ton of fake news and/or paid ads on your facebook that it won't change your vote intention, but to someone on the fence, i can see how it can help influence a decision.
 
BANGS said:
Prolly cause the US does this kinda shit all day every day to every other country around the globe and perusing this would just be opening up a can of worms...
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It's pretty shitty when we interfere with other free democracies too, yes. But how exactly does it open up a can of worms? That can is already open. Everyone knows about previous US activities, it's not a secret. It's also no excuse to ignore it when it happens to us.

But sure, even though another full branch of government is totally fine with moving forward, I'm sure that's Trump's rationale 🙄

WinterIsComing said:
Thanks for the link @404Ender that does shed a light on the whole scandal.
If you already know for sure who you want to vote, you can get a ton of fake news and/or paid ads on your facebook that it won't change your vote intention, but to someone on the fence, i can see how it can help influence a decision.
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Also keep in mind that we just don't have enough concrete evidence yet (and maybe ever) that any of the activities actually swung the election one way or the other. But the hacking of US government networks, cyberattacks, and the attempts at propaganda and media manipulation alone warrant concern and some sort of response.
 
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404Ender said:
But how exactly does it open up a can of worms? That can is already open. Everyone knows about previous US activities, it's not a secret.
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Because perusing Russia any meaningful way would be a savage hypocrisy. It would only leave us open to being attacked by all the other countries we do this kinda shit too...

As far as Trump vs Congress, I mean it's pretty obvious why he personally would not want to pursue something that would basically admit his illegitimacy as an elected official while they would be looking for just that...
 
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404Ender said:
I answered a similar question earlier in this thread:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/trumps-first-year-as-a-president.1460055/page-7#post-253150901

Since then, Mueller has indicted 13 Russians on charges related to their activities leading up to and during the election.

There's overwhelming support from the public and both parties in Congress to enforce sanctions against Russia based on all of the above, but the president won't move forward with it for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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So sanctions against Russia would stop interference? All that would do is hurt trade between both nations. My question is how has Russia affected our election? Like did they give Trump votes? Or were they just gathering information and pushing advertising?
 
rokkerkory said:
Intelligence Chief today = No the President hasn't given me direction or authority to do anything about the continued Russian meddling = WTF???
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This reeks of a set up by the media to get the soundbite they wanted. Did anyone follow-up with him to see if the president ordered him not to do anything? Considering the political climate, news climate, and alleged intelligence he has access to, I fail to see why said chief would need specific direction from the president to do his job on this issue.

I also wouldn't be shocked to find out he was told to do something by someone else who was not technically the president. Did anyone ask that question?
 
CatsHateDogs said:
This reeks of a set up by the media to get the soundbite they wanted. Did anyone follow-up with him to see if the president ordered him not to do anything? Considering the political climate, news climate, and alleged intelligence he has access to, I fail to see why said chief would need specific direction from the president to do his job on this issue.

I also wouldn't be shocked to find out he was told to do something by someone else who was not technically the president. Did anyone ask that question?
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This was a congressional hearing not anything made up by media lol

The hearing is public and available for your viewing pleasure.
 
I'm not American, but as an interested observer I'll give an opinion anyway - it went kind of the way I expected it to (i.e. bad for everyone but not as bad as doomsayers thought). Severe difficulty in getting legislation passed because Trump's priorities and those of the rest of his party (and its donors) do not align except on a few issues (tax cuts being the obvious), and the rest of your "check and balances" seem to be working as intended as far as the travel ban etc goes.

It only really deviated from my predictions in that Trump has used a lot of executive orders to get what he wants. This was really just lack of imagination on my part - I thought "you can't send a 'Dear Colleague' memo to get a wall built". Executive power was expanded under Bush and Obama, so of course a CEO would exercise it as much as possible.
 
BANGS said:
Because perusing Russia any meaningful way would be a savage hypocrisy.
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So what? We bomb and use drones against other countries and cause civilian casualties all the time too. Didn't stop us from responding to 9/11.

BANGS said:
It would only leave us open to being attacked by all the other countries we do this kinda shit too...
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We're already open to those kinds of attacks. If anything, doing nothing emboldens other actors.

BANGS said:
As far as Trump vs Congress, I mean it's pretty obvious why he personally would not want to pursue something that would basically admit his illegitimacy as an elected official while they would be looking for just that...
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There's no evidence (yet, anyway) that his election was illegitimate. Not sure how pursuing sanctions is an "admission" of any kind, other than hurting his ego a bit for insisting for so long that it might've been China or some 400 lb dude in his bedroom or whatever.

It makes him more suspicious that he's sitting on his hands over this.

TrainedRage said:
So sanctions against Russia would stop interference?
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Short of wiping Russia off the map, nothing can stop them. Doesn't mean you don't punish them. If it were a "physical" attack like a bomb or chemical weapon, would you feel the same way?

TrainedRage said:
My question is how has Russia affected our election? Like did they give Trump votes? Or were they just gathering information and pushing advertising?
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I answered that pretty comprehensively in the post of mine from earlier in the thread that I linked to. Also, why are you limiting your focus to how they did or did not "affect the election"? That's just one piece of the puzzle.
 
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That NRA sure is powerful, aren't they, getting a politician to spew something like this regardless if it's possible or not.



But this was a good exchange:
 
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Another day another scandal. Kushner getting loans (totally 500m +) after having meetings with companies in the WH while not have full security clearance as well.

Playing both sides of the street. SMH
 
WinterIsComing said:
Thanks for the link @404Ender that does shed a light on the whole scandal.
If you already know for sure who you want to vote, you can get a ton of fake news and/or paid ads on your facebook that it won't change your vote intention, but to someone on the fence, i can see how it can help influence a decision.
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You also have to consider the FUD spread to make Democrats throw up their hands and not vote. It was a sophisticated propaganda campaign.
 
Reading about the new tariffs it's pretty clear the Russian plan to help get Trump elected is working. The US is going to be a mess economically with very little relations left and Russia can do whatever the fuck they want undetected.
 
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