All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Plus if he backs out now, whether the allegations are true or not, everyone will assume they are and he'll be stigmatized for the rest of his life.

Like that hasn't happened already? I would imagine the court of public opinion hasn't been all that kind to him.

I'm curious to see what Avenatti's got. Like him or not he usually is right. There's no doubt he's got ambtions beyond this but IMO I wish some Democrats would get a little of his attitude and stop being nice to the GOP. Guys like the spineless Lindsay Graham, or jerks like McConnell, Nunes, are allowed to run amok and no one among the Dems really stands up to them.

Democrats still seem to think that by being genteel, they'll own the so-called moral high ground, as if that's the most important thing in the world to them. Hell, if anything, they're hellbent on playing nice, firmly (and foolishly) believing that partisanship still exists when everyone knows it's dead and buried. Republicans happily crawled into the sewer long ago to play endless dirty tricks and never left, to them, it's all about power, nothing else matters, and they'll break any and all rules to obtain power and keep it. Dems need to understand if they're going to balance the scales, they have no choice but to jump down into the mudpit and kick the bejesus out of the GOP.

[zinderel]

I've been watching DS9 again recently, and just got to the season 3 two-parter, "Past Tense", in which Sisko, Bashir and Dax get caught in a transporter accident and wind up in San Francisco, 2024. I didn't remember the episode at all - I was a hardcore Babylon 5 guy - but, man...this exchange in the first part, and a later exchange in the second really struck me.

Bashir, walking with Sisko through a ravaged district filled with destitute, desperate people: "What is this place...?"
Sisko: "A sanctuary district."
Bashir: "21st century history isn't one of my strong points. Too depressing."
Sisko: "It's been a hobby of mine. They made some ugly mistakes, but they also paved the way for a lot of things we now take for granted."

And later:

Doctor Bashir: It's not your fault that things are the way they are.

Lee: Everybody tells themselves that... and nothing ever changes.

Later, Dax talks to a man who assumes her Trill spots are tattoos, like the Maori sleeve he got in high school, in the 90's, and laments that he had to have it removed in order to fit into corporate wage slave culture and wonders when he became a sellout. A hostage situation erupts, Dax makes an impassioned plea for freedom of information and people's right to be heard, and the trio find themselves caught up in a riot with enormous historical importance...all while trying to save lives, make the world a LITTLE better, and avoid screwing too badly with the timeline.

The class struggle presented in the show is fantastically relevant today, particularly since the episode carries such a dire vision of the near future, when it aired during a time of prosperity under Clinton. Its view of America in the early 21st century as a depressing, violent, ignorant, unequal shithole where people have just given in to despair and given up on themselves and everyone else, too...it was almost eerie in it's prescience. And while the 'sanctuary districts' it envisions are based around class disparity, it's hard to ignore how we have cities that call themselves 'sanctuary cities'.

That line from the first part, though..."They made some ugly mistakes, but they also paved the way for a lot of things we now take for granted." Man, do I want this all...all the fear, the hate, the anger and grief and embarrassment and daily trauma and ignorance that we are living through to end up leading to something good...

[JCAll]

Like that hasn't happened already? I would imagine the court of public opinion hasn't been all that kind to him.

The benefit of the doubt is a difficult thing to earn. Most people with ties to the Bush administration cashed theirs in a long time ago.

[PaulBullion]

Romney might fill that role.

I wonder, do the Democrats have anyone in elected office who places integrity above partisanship, and would be willing to go after party leaders when they're in the wrong (and not just in the context of going after party members who aren't "pure" enough on issues)?

I mean, they totally let Al Franken get away with everything, just because he was one of their most popular and media savvy senators.

[Kirby101]

I mean, they totally let Al Franken get away with everything, just because he was one of their most popular and media savvy senators.

As well as Eliot Spitzer and Eric Schniederman.

Nice try Mets, but this is pretty pathetic.

[ZombieHavoc]

Remember when Jason Chaffetz wouldn't be able to look his daughter in the eye if he endorsed Trump after the grab 'em tape. Whoops.

[Kirby101]

Remember when Jason Chaffetz wouldn't be able to look his daughter in the eye if he endorsed Trump after the grab 'em tape. Whoops.

You mean this Jason Chaffetz?



The GOP is such a moral upstanding Party.

[PaulBullion]

Within one month, Quinnipiac has the Florida senate race move from a tie to Nelson leading Scott by 7 points.

Maybe the red tide left Rick Scott high and dry.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

You mean this Jason Chaffetz?



The GOP is such a moral upstanding Party.

What are the chances Jackass Jason actually wrote that book?

[ZombieHavoc]

You mean this Jason Chaffetz?



The GOP is such a moral upstanding Party.

I'm not going to lie, I kinda want to read that book.

The fact that the book is an Amazon bestseller is proof that there will never ever be any semblance of a unified united states of america.

If Trump is in fact impeached or forced to resign or even just loses in 2020, I can only imagine the insane books that are going to be written.

[BeastieRunner]

I'm not going to lie, I kinda want to read that book.

The fact that the book is an Amazon bestseller is proof that there will never ever be any semblance of a unified united states of america.

If Trump is in fact impeached or forced to resign or even just loses in 2020, I can only imagine the insane books that are going to be written.

"Killing the Deep State" was an Amazon best seller. Chaffetz's "Deep State" was an Amazon best seller in US and government.

But your point still stands.

[Tami]

Trump urges world to reject globalism in UN speech that draws mocking laughter

Donald Trump urged other nations to reject globalism and embrace patriotism at a speech to the United Nations that was interrupted by derisive laughter from other world leaders.

In the course of the bombastic address, Trump highlighted the achievements of his presidency, lashed out at enemies – Iran foremost among them – and railed against multilateralism in its spiritual home, the UN general assembly (UNGA).

In one of the more remarkable moments in the history of the annual UN summit, the chamber broke out in spontaneous laughter at Trump’s claim that “in less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country”.

Clearly taken aback, Trump said: “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”

The president arrived late for the summit, only leaving Trump Tower at the time he was due to speak. His turn in the running order was taken by his counterpart from Ecuador. When he arrived at the green marble podium, Trump expounded on his visceral dislike of multilateral institutions, which he portrayed as inherent threats to US sovereignty.

“America is governed by Americans,” Trump said. “We reject the ideology of globalism and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism.”

Oh boy......what a dufus.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Trump urges world to reject globalism in UN speech that draws mocking laughter





Oh boy......what a dufus.

So basically the UN people told Trump to go **** HIMSELF in laughing at his speech of "screw everyone , we got ours". Good move.

[Raiders]

Bill Cosby in prison
Clarence Thomas on SCOTUS

Harvey Weinstein going to prison
Brett Kavanaugh going to SCOTUS

WTF!!!!!

[Tami]

So basically the UN people told Trump to go **** HIMSELF in laughing at his speech of "screw everyone , we got ours". Good move.

My husband thinks that Trump secretly wants to be a stand up comic and was trying out his act in front of the UN.