Donald Trump

[stevebrooks]

According to news reports the bullet didn't cause the injury to his ear, it was a glass fragment from the Teleprompter, whether this is true or not remains to be seen, fact is though ears bleed a lot from even minor injuries. The hospital should be able to tell what exactly injured Trump, if they are allowed to reveal their findings that is. It seems to me it would be more advantageous to him for the injury to be caused by the bullet, so if it wasn't we may never see the report/

[pipbarber]

I heard a republican on the radio, i didn't catch his name, claiming that Trump's survival was a divine miracle. Given the man's diet and lack exercise, his survival is more medical miracle, than divine...but when half your MPs believe the earth is 6000 years old i guess anything is possible.

I find it bizarre that this election is so completely devoid of policy debate. Outside of immigration and grandiose statements about Ukraine, i've not really heard any actual plans or policies. I may have missed them of course, and the states have more power in the US than they do here but still. Really brings to the fore just how vacuous electoral politics in the US is.

[stevebrooks]

I find it bizarre that this election is so completely devoid of policy debate. Outside of immigration and grandiose statements about Ukraine, i've not really heard any actual plans or policies.

One of the problems is the main news sites ignore Biden's plans and put Trump's basically zero plans up. Cease aid to Ukraine, let Russia take over, leave the Paris Climate accord....again, remove environmental regulations put in place by Biden/Obama, release National Parks to development companies, expand oil exploration in the Arctic, these are Trumps plans, which actually consist of nothing except removing existing plans and controls. His actual plans focus on, basically, revenge and retribution as laid out in Project 2025.

Meanwhile Biden: expand healthcare, support reproductive rights, reduce student debt, remove book bans, plans to reduce carbon by 50% by 2030, make US power production carbon free by 2035, expand environmental protection in Alaskan wild areas etc. Don't hear much about that though.

[stevebrooks]

Well, this is going to raise some eyebrows, no doubt about that, appeals court incoming! Question is, does she even have the power to do that?

A judge in the United States has sensationally dismissed the criminal case against former president Donald Trump for allegedly stealing sensitive government documents and storing them, illegally, at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Mr Trump in 2020, issued the ruling on Monday morning, local time, after a petition from the former president’s legal team to have the charges against him dropped.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-ame ... fa626a6079

[pipbarber]

Well, this is going to raise some eyebrows, no doubt about that, appeals court incoming! Question is, does she even have the power to do that?

A judge in the United States has sensationally dismissed the criminal case against former president Donald Trump for allegedly stealing sensitive government documents and storing them, illegally, at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Mr Trump in 2020, issued the ruling on Monday morning, local time, after a petition from the former president’s legal team to have the charges against him dropped.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-ame ... fa626a6079

The case is effectively dead as the appeal has zero chance of ending in court prior to the election. Assuming Trump wins, the case is finished. That's my not legal interpretation. Trump is beyond the law at this point, but then again, so are most billionaires. By contrast i read about a black man in a southern state that got 10 years for cannabis possession. Justice matters not.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/art ... e-election

JD Vance? I actually read his book when it came out. Someone gave it to me as a present, i think. Hillbilly Elergy. It was a little on the conservative side but my feeling memory was that it was very human and empathetic work that highlighted the struggles of poor white rural communities. He's clearly drunk the cool-aid since then.

[stevebrooks]

Well, this is going to raise some eyebrows, no doubt about that, appeals court incoming! Question is, does she even have the power to do that?

A judge in the United States has sensationally dismissed the criminal case against former president Donald Trump for allegedly stealing sensitive government documents and storing them, illegally, at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Mr Trump in 2020, issued the ruling on Monday morning, local time, after a petition from the former president’s legal team to have the charges against him dropped.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-ame ... fa626a6079

The case is effectively dead as the appeal has zero chance of ending in court prior to the election. Assuming Trump wins, the case is finished. That's my not legal interpretation. Trump is beyond the law at this point, but then again, so are most billionaires. By contrast i read about a black man in a southern state that got 10 years for cannabis possession. Justice matters not.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/art ... e-election

JD Vance? I actually read his book when it came out. Someone gave it to me as a present, i think. Hillbilly Elergy. It was a little on the conservative side but my feeling memory was that it was very human and empathetic work that highlighted the struggles of poor white rural communities. He's clearly drunk the cool-aid since then.

He's essentially a political opportunist who will change his tune to whatever he thinks makes him popular with the party, in this case Trump and his base, so his espoused views have become more extremist and conservative to match the far right swing. He used to be a fierce Trump critic, probably when he though Trump was a political nothingburger, now he sucks up like anything.


For instance;

Vance had previously supported a national abortion ban, and voted in favor of a ban on in-vitro fertilization while in the Senate. He has recently softened those views to bring them more in line with former President Trump’s platform, that the issues should be left to state legislatures.

No, I keep seeing this bullshit, he has not softened his views, they are exactly the same, he is just sitting on them and pretending, he has softened what he is saying to people find him more acceptable. No doubt the moment he senses a swing in party politics to a national abortion ban they will just pop out again like they were never gone.

And here;

The senator also denied that he said people in abusive relationships should stay in them. Vance made the comments in a 2021 speaking engagement.

“Both me and my mom actually were victims of domestic violence,” Vance said. “When they say that, you know, Vance has supported women staying in violent marriages. I think it’s shameful for them to take a guy with my history, my background and say that that’s what I believe it’s not what I believe it’s not what I said.”

Typical Trump behavior, deny what he said even when there are recordings of him saying it! Honestly it seems a good match for Trump, lying is all there, he can't just up and say, "yes I said that but have changed my mind," no sir, got to blame someone else for what he said!

“Democrats have completely twisted my words here,” Vance said of criticism over his past beliefs, later reiterating his support for Trump’s platform, which he called a “reasonable compromise.”

Ah compromises, Conservative compromises are short hand for "we will say this to get elected then do whatever we really want afterwards." Why do people not get this?

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4 ... e-updates/

[stylofone]

JD Vance? I actually read his book when it came out. Someone gave it to me as a present, i think. Hillbilly Elergy. It was a little on the conservative side but my feeling memory was that it was very human and empathetic work that highlighted the struggles of poor white rural communities. He's clearly drunk the cool-aid since then.

Now that he's all in for the Dear Leader, Vance's Hillbillies can play the role of poor victimised Aryans. No doubt said hillbillies all voted for Hollywood elitist Ronald Reagan, who opened the floodgates of neoliberalism and started the decay of the American rust belt. I note also that Vance got rich in cahoots with uber tech oligarch Peter Thiel. Them hillbillies really needs themselves a swig of that grand ole Paypal from the golden days to make America great again.

[pipbarber]

JD Vance? I actually read his book when it came out. Someone gave it to me as a present, i think. Hillbilly Elergy. It was a little on the conservative side but my feeling memory was that it was very human and empathetic work that highlighted the struggles of poor white rural communities. He's clearly drunk the cool-aid since then.

Now that he's all in for the Dear Leader, Vance's Hillbillies can play the role of poor victimised Aryans. No doubt said hillbillies all voted for Hollywood elitist Ronald Reagan, who opened the floodgates of neoliberalism and started the decay of the American rust belt. I note also that Vance got rich in cahoots with uber tech oligarch Peter Thiel. Them hillbillies really needs themselves a swig of that grand ole Paypal from the golden days to make America great again.

They are obviously being exploited by Vance and maga but i might point out that things do actually seem pretty shit for many of these communities. No healthcare, working homelessness, pharmaceutical drug addiction, unemployment and general shitness. It is shit for them! Things are shitty for the rump of the maga movement and now they're being hoodwinked into fascism. It's tragic.

Perhaps this is what Neoliberalism produces in the end, Farage and Le Pen along with all the other autocrats. There's a voting public that are pissed off and disillusioned. If left adjacent parties refuse to articulate the problems of capitalism, the right adjacent parties do so by going all fascist and autocratic, which of course is not in any way a critique of capitalism but rather a much worse re-framing of it. Does seem to be something of a pattern. And here i was thinking that nothing could be worse than neoliberalism....hahaha....

[wolty]

So many similarities to pre-war Nazi Germany and late Roman empire.......

Trump can't lose now.

I've felt for a long time now that the USA is irredeemable. Nothing that is happening is changing my mind. It's a third world country run by oligarchs and authoritarians...

Fun fact, I was in the USA 3 days ago, have friends and family there. They are all thinking about what to do.

[stevebrooks]

They are obviously being exploited by Vance and maga but i might point out that things do actually seem pretty shit for many of these communities. No healthcare, working homelessness, pharmaceutical drug addiction, unemployment and general shitness. It is shit for them! Things are shitty for the rump of the maga movement and now they're being hoodwinked into fascism. It's tragic.

Yeah it's bizarre isn't it. According to research by economists Trump's tax plan will increase taxes on the average family by around $5000, maybe more, yet a lot of people think they will be better off under Trump, it's all lies and smoke and mirrors and ti will be to late if he gets in, because you are even more fucked than you were before.

Fun fact, I was in the USA 3 days ago, have friends and family there. They are all thinking about what to do.

I would suggest being out of the country during the election, preferably somewhere that if things go bad really quickly they can apply for refugee status, but of course that's not something a lot of people can afford to do.