US Elections and post-election V: A Trump that won't leave the room

[Dog Botherer]

never could wrap my head around Trump, the notorious perver upon of teenage beauty queens, being held up as this saviour of abused kids.

[bgmnts]

Trump is a fucking bell, to be fair.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

fuck me, children in cages

QAnon REACT

[phantom_power]

Trump is a fucking bell, to be fair.

So much for the so-called tolerant left

[Ignatius_S]

A rather vacuous article on the BBC site about Trump's financial woes (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55652310) includes this:
Of course there's no citation for that $200m but it does make it look like he should have no problem raising the funds to pay off all the bank loans he has outstanding. If it's true.

The $200 million figure was raised by the Trump campaign and the RNC - there are a lot of conditions about how that money can be spent; these two articles are worth a look: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-save-america-pac-is-raking-in-donations-what-can-that-money-be-spent-on/ and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/19/trump-raised-200m-from-false-election-claims-what-happens-to-the-money-now

Forbes has done a lot of articles on Trump's finances and it's suggested that he owes more than $1 billion (and would be liable to pay back $900m during his second term if he had been reelected).

In other news.... https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-presidential-library-museum-florida-2-billion-fundraising-gop-2021-1?r=US&IR=T

[JaDanketies]

The fixation on paedophilia is interesting and reminds me of the UK far-right's obsession with it.

Once they have made everyone believe that only fascists aren't evil paedophiles it will be their turn.

Politics can feel very complicated. If you frame it as nonces Vs anti nonces it becomes very simple.

[Blumf]

Trump can't even win at being the most unpopular world leader:

https://morningconsult.com/form/global-leader-approval/

Trump currently on -21, but France's Macron is on -25 (actually a good score for him!), and Japan's Suga floors it with -29 (Johnson is a mediocre -14)

Loosing at loosing, sad.

[popcorn]

The fixation on paedophilia is interesting and reminds me of the UK far-right's obsession with it.

Once they have made everyone believe that only fascists aren't evil paedophiles it will be their turn.

I was just talking about this with an American pal of mine - how Britain's been mad for paedos for 20-30 years now but it's a new fixation in the US. He thinks it comes from Epstein.

[thugler]

The fixation on paedophilia is interesting and reminds me of the UK far-right's obsession with it.

It's all just reheated protocols of zion/blood libel stuff. It's more about blood/adrenochrome harvesting than actual sexual abuse stuff.

[Dog Botherer]

Yanks were mad for the pedes during the Satanic Panic

[Paul Calf]

Someone who knows about the US civil / secret service: is this as terrifying as it looks?

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/17/politics/michael-ellis-nsa-general-counsel/index.html

CNN)The National Security Agency said Sunday it was installing Trump National Security Council staffer Michael Ellis as its general counsel, after acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller ordered NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone to place the Trump loyalist into the role.

[Ferris]

Not really. Biden can't fire him without incurring backlash and possible lawsuits, but can reassign Ellis to a field office overseeing water drainage rates in northern Idaho if he wants. Biden is the head of the executive branch and most of the federal government (eventually) reports to him. There's not much he can't do.

That's my understanding anyway.

[checkoutgirl]

never could wrap my head around Trump, the notorious perver upon of teenage beauty queens, being held up as this saviour of abused kids.

Apparently Trump Models Inc was a front for Trump to approach teens in Trump Tower and places like that and say "Hey you should be a model, I own a modelling company and am not a paedophile, here's my card". Big mates with Epstein who was essentially his protege. It's 50/50 whether Trump will do a Savile and die Scot free or do a Cosby and spend his 80s in jail.

Dozens of women are on record complaining and fuck knows how many aren't on the record yet. Maybe Weinstein is a better parallel as his cash and influence smothered all sorts of allegations for decades, just like Trump. Not sure if Weinstein openly and publicly perves on his own daughter though.

[ajsmith2]

New Radicals reform to perform at Biden inauguration:

https://pitchfork.com/news/new-radicals-reuniting-after-22-years-to-perform-at-biden-inauguration-event/

[Gulftastic]

New Radicals reform to perform at Biden inauguration:

https://pitchfork.com/news/new-radicals-reuniting-after-22-years-to-perform-at-biden-inauguration-event/

Wise of them not to announce that was on the cards before the election day.

[QDRPHNC]

Hopefully they'll change the lyrics to their hit song, You Get What You Give, to deliciously send up Trump rofl

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

I was just talking about this with an American pal of mine - how Britain's been mad for paedos for 20-30 years now but it's a new fixation in the US. He thinks it comes from Epstein.

Certainly not new here either. Even Chris Morris couldn't have predicted a wildly popular reality "news" show premised on the audience gawping at weird paedo's lives being ruined (To Catch a Predator). The weird obsession and conspiracy theories about Epstein are in a way just the left-wing (or bipartisan) corollary to QAnon.

My theory is that the people most obsessed with this stuff are overcompensating for some dark shameful paedo impulse within themselves. ("Of course the rich and powerful, who can do anything the want, would be active paedophilic sex cultists")

[petril]

gunishment etc

[BritishHobo]

What's happening with the impeachment trial then? Googling around isn't much help, most news outlets I've read seem incredibly vague and uncertain. Is it likely to proceed tomorrow, or will it definitely be after he's gone?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

You Get What You Give

A prescient 90s hit on the theme of viral aerosol transmission in public spaces.

[DrGreggles]

I always thought that the New Radicals were one bloke, so I was rather surprised to learn that he'd split up 20 years ago.

[Alberon]

What's happening with the impeachment trial then? Googling around isn't much help, most news outlets I've read seem incredibly vague and uncertain. Is it likely to proceed tomorrow, or will it definitely be after he's gone?

After he's gone. Democrats will control the Senate and can run the trial in parallel with approving Biden's cabinet.

[Mister Six]

My theory is that the people most obsessed with this stuff are overcompensating for some dark shameful paedo impulse within themselves. ("Of course the rich and powerful, who can do anything the want, would be active paedophilic sex cultists")

I think it's simply that child abuse is horrible and calling someone a child abuser is easier than grappling with political issues you're too thick/disinterested to understand.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

So, Bernie Sanders, Chair of the Senate Budget Committee...any glimmer that might lead to something or is it just a carriage clock and a commemorative pen to a retired nightwatchman?

Presumably the centrists know they've taken a hit with the appointment, so I'm just wondering what the strategy is here...

[kngen]

So, Bernie Sanders, Chair of the Senate Budget Committee...any glimmer that might lead to something or is it just a carriage clock and a commemorative pen to a retired nightwatchman?

Presumably the centrists know they've taken a hit with the appointment, so I'm just wondering what the strategy is here...

I think the $15 minimum wage as part of the stimulus bill more than likely was his doing. Hopefully it's the first of many moves on his part.

[Sin Agog]

So, Bernie Sanders, Chair of the Senate Budget Committee...any glimmer that might lead to something or is it just a carriage clock and a commemorative pen to a retired nightwatchman?

Presumably the centrists know they've taken a hit with the appointment, so I'm just wondering what the strategy is here...

It could be about as powerful as a Blue Peter badge, but publicly making a gesture like that to a progressive suddenly demarcates the Dems from Labour to quite a degree in my mind.  From what I hear, though, it's actually arguably more of a significant role than something like Veep.  I mean, the world runs on money, and being one of the last people to put a stamp on who's taxed and what that tax is used for isn't nothing.  The dem majority is tiny, though, so Sanders' form when it comes to enlisting republicans on side may prove especially useful.

[Paul Calf]

Probably NSFW

https://twitter.com/OseKry/status/1351309108583010309

[Buelligan]

I think that's a pretty shitty thread.  Obviously, if she was a raging beauty, no one would be smirking.  And I'm sure there are plenty of people clutching their porn in their cold dead hands whilst tutting about a woman who isn't badged-up as perfect showing her body shamelessly.  Just makes me ashamed of some of the people who despise Trump, so that's nice.

[Paul Calf]

I think that's a pretty shitty thread.  Obviously, if she was a raging beauty, no one would be smirking. 

Yeah, I think they would be.

[Endicott]

They'd be multitasking.