All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[InformationGeek]

Ummm... well this is something.

Donald Trump Jr. asked a Russian lawyer at the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting whether she had evidence of illegal donations to the Clinton Foundation, the lawyer told the Senate Judiciary Committee in answers to written questions obtained exclusively by NBC News.

The lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, told the committee that she didn't have any such evidence, and that she believes Trump misunderstood the nature of the meeting after receiving emails from a music promoter promising incriminating information on Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump's Democratic opponent.

Once it became apparent that she did not have meaningful information about Clinton, Trump seemed to lose interest, Veselnitskaya said, and the meeting petered out.

"Today, I understand why it took place to begin with and why it ended so quickly with a feeling of mutual disappointment and time wasted," Veselnitskaya wrote. "The answer lies in the roguish letters of Mr. Goldstone."

She was referring to Rob Goldstone, a music promoter who worked for the Agalarov family. They are Russian oligarchs with Kremlin connections who had business and social ties to the Trump family. Goldstone's emails to Trump Jr. arranging the meeting on behalf of the Agalarovs called Veselnitskaya a "Russian government lawyer" who had dirt on Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help Trump. Goldstone has since said he exaggerated.

In her 51-page statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Veselnitskaya said she did not work for the Russian government and was not carrying any messages from government officials. She said her motive was to get the Trump team to examine what she argues is a fraud that led the U.S. to impose sanctions on Russia known as the Magnitsky Act.

Her ultimate goal was a congressional investigation into that matter, she said. She has long argued that U.S.-born hedge fund investor Bill Browder lied about the circumstances of the death of his accountant, Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Russian jail, and that the U.S. government imposed Magnitsky Act sanctions on Russia, which are named after the accountant, based on a fraud. Browder and American officials dismiss that allegation, calling it part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

[BeastieRunner]

Word coming out that Romney as restarted his campaign team with the intent to primary Hatch.

We'll see if that happens.

[Tazirai]

Wonder how far this is going to go...

The corruption continues.

Leaked Memo: Democratic Campaign Committee Demands “Unity” of 2018 Candidates

https://tytnetwork.com/2017/12/05/le...18-candidates/

[Dalak]

Wonder how far this is going to go...

The corruption continues.

Leaked Memo: Democratic Campaign Committee Demands “Unity” of 2018 Candidates

https://tytnetwork.com/2017/12/05/le...18-candidates/

I understand you are a fan, but I'm not inclined to trust them until they actually post the proof they claim. Unless there's major issues with it, a few black boxes would protect their source.

[Mister Mets]

From what I have read here, you are a registered Republican and a relatively conservative person, yes? Based on your defense of Republican politicians, tactics, and beliefs, I think it's safe to make that assumption, but please, correct me if I am wrong.



That is a mighty fine strawman of the Left's arguments against Trump that you erect there, Mets. However, speaking as a leftie who associates with many others, I know of no one 'on the left' who dislikes Trump SOLELY because of his political affiliation. EVERY leftie I know, read, watch or listen to agrees that Trump is a unique, unprecedented danger to America's security and standing in the world. We ALSO recognize that he would never have come to power without the Republican Party selling out to - and in the process, becoming the party of - racists, homophobes, misogynists, rapists, domestic abusers, Christian terrorists, thieves, liars and now, apparently, child molesters. Only one modern party would have - and did - given a bloviating racist 'billionaire' who bragged about sexual assault a platform, much less the presidency. Only one party would - and did - welcome the Christian Taliban into their ranks with open arms. Only one party would - and did - fight against any and all regulations on corporations. Only one party would - and did - openly and proudly align itself with the elite who would drain the world dry and watch it burn if it meant making another grubby dollar.

Your party.

It literally does not matter that you, personally, say that you didn't vote for him and do not support him or other 'bad' Republicans. It's WONDERFUL that you recognize that he is a threat. But you STILL align yourself with a party that routinely apologizes for or defends literal Nazis. You STILL align yourself with a party that blatantly pushes bills that LITERALLY steal money out of hard working American's hands to give it to the people who least need more money. You STILL align yourself with a party that repeatedly shows a belief that women are a commodity, and not a particularly valuable one at that. You STILL align yourself with a party that views LGBT+ people and people of color as 'less than' and does everything in it's power to make the country straight, white, and Christian at the expense of everyone else.



Whether or not you support individual Republican politicians (and, despite the overall tone of my reply, I hope you know that I appreciate what you do to prevent the worst of the worst of the (R) from getting power), if you continue supporting a party that sees nothing wrong with stealing from workers, demeaning women who come forward about assault, dehumanizing Muslim/Black/Latinx/LGBT+ people, then you support the party when they do those things. It doesn't matter if you yourself support mocking, threatening and belittling rape victims, your party does. It doesn't matter if you yourself don't like seeing people forced to choose between feeding their kids or paying for their kids' health care, your party does. You support a party that is demonstrably corrupt at the core, and has a leadership that BRAGS ABOUT IT. You cannot be a Republican, but turn around and say 'Well, I give them my time/money/vote; I spend time online defending them and their policies, but they don't represent me!!' when you feel like it! As long as you associate with a party that knowingly and deliberately covers for child molesters, neo-nazis, and Christian terrorism, then you will bear their stink on you, no matter how you try to deny it's there.



There is no rescuing the soul of the Republican party. If there is any hope for genuine conservatism to survive, it has to divest itself of the (R) and allow the Republican Party to die the undignified death it has earned. You say that people like Trump and Roy Moore and countless others brought up here don't represent you? Then stop aligning with the Republican party, get your friends and family to stop aligning with them. Start over and show your fellow Americans (You know, those gross, poor liberals) that your claims of moral integrity means something by ACTUALLY TAKING A STAND against the monstrous actions your party has been part of for DECADES, not just the last year. Because right now, no one will believe you, not when you carry the stink of the vile horrors your party calls it's base. Guilty by association, Mets. Who you associate with colors peoples perceptions of who you are. You don't have to like it, but that's how it is.

I wrote a lengthy response to this, and accidentally deleted it earlier, so I'm trying again.

I am a registered Republican. Whether I'm relatively conservative is up for grabs. I do hold some moderate views on drug decriminalization and gay marriage, although I'm to the right of Trump on some free market questions.

I disagree with much of your take on the party (Say what you will about Trump; he's probably not a religious nutjob) but I'll focus on the idea that the party has to be abandoned.

I don't know if it will do any good. In a two party system that is relatively balanced, Republicans will win some of the time, so I'd still want to have a voice in that.

The current system is set up to make it very hard for a third party to compete (the political conventions which officially designate major party nominees come after ballot access deadlines) and it's significantly easier to change one of the major parties through primaries. Trump and Sanders basically ran independent campaigns for President, and got around 45 percent of the primary vote.

Wonder how far this is going to go...

The corruption continues.

Leaked Memo: Democratic Campaign Committee Demands “Unity” of 2018 Candidates

https://tytnetwork.com/2017/12/05/le...18-candidates/

This isn't unusual. There are similar pledges of Republican nominees, and the truth is, that these will be very difficult and painful to enforce. But it is kinda dumb, and suggests that party affiliation is all that matters.

I understand you are a fan, but I'm not inclined to trust them until they actually post the proof they claim. Unless there's major issues with it, a few black boxes would protect their source.

Have they ever faked a memo?

John Conyers is resigning.

Good.

And endorsing his son.

Meanwhile, while all you people are complaining and moaning about that stuff, the Republicans have reinstated their support for Roy Moore. Just, you know, FYI and so you don't get distracted.


Meanwhile, rape apologist and man who thinks semen cures depression (no seriously), Mike Cernovich got Sam Seder of MSNBC canned.



Funny how all of this stuff is happening around the same time, ain't it?

The issue here should be what Seder said rather than who pointed it out.

The focus on Cernovich probably isn't helping Seder since it's a weaker argument than a look at what he actually said, when he discussed his hypothetical reaction to his daughter being raped by a man with a strong sense of mise en scene, a comment on the absurdity of Polanski defenders.

This reminds me a bit of a discussion on the Politically Reactive podcast with Kamua Bell, which is pretty left-wing. They were upset that someone criticized the Women's March twitter account for wishing happy birthday to a woman who was convicted of killing a police officer, and escaped jail to go to Cuba, because they felt the comment fed an alt-right narrative, because the story was popular in those circles. That ignored the question of whether the Women's March account should be wishing convicted cop killers living in Cuba a Happy Birthday, and whether others who weren't alt-right might not care for it either.

[Tazirai]

I understand you are a fan, but I'm not inclined to trust them until they actually post the proof they claim. Unless there's major issues with it, a few black boxes would protect their source.

It's at the bottom of the page...

[Dalak]

It's at the bottom of the page...

And the line directly above the link is:

"Full text of memo, which TYT is not publishing in its original form in order to protect the source, can be found here:"

It's simple to protect the source with a few black boxes over names unless they've scrawled identifying information all over the thing.

[WhichDrWhowins]

and speaking of movies, religious politics and Hollyweird ... the stories keep coming

on AsiaArgento's tweet wall
https://twitter.com/cedricbixler_/st...67855072210945

My wife is one of Danny Masterson’s rape victims. Of course Danny being the scumbag he is outed her by name a while ago with the help of his ding bat publicist Jenni Weinman. The Church of Scientology has been harassing us since last year when she pressed charges

[Malvolio]

Dylan Howard, top editor for the National Enquirer, Us Weekly and other major gossip publications, accused of sexual harassment.

An editor for Trump cheerleader rag the National Enquirer accused of sexual harassment? The hell you say!

[Tami]

I'm posting this because it is so ridiculous. He would have us believe that he has some special insight into the Muller Investigation. All he has ia the delusional insistence by Trump that the investigation is almost over and that he will be exonerated. As if.

The quest for collusion is over as the desperate shriek for impeachment begins

[TheInvisibleMan]

wasting time trying to impeach is stupid unless Mueller finds a legit smoking gun

not enough votes for it in either House or Senate

[Darkspellmaster]

I understand why he phrased it that way. The girl who was assaulted by Polanski was someone's daughter....she was only 13. So he was slamming those in Hollywood that thought Polanksi should get a break because he's a talented director. In any case, some people are sure on a search and destroy mission dredging up this old stuff. That tweet was 7 or 8 years ago.

Yeah I get what he was saying, and I agree with his sentiments, but you have to at least remember how done doesn't work online all that well. He needed to at the very least add something there that could be seen as a mocking thing. Although regardless, someone would have gotten offended any way.

That was a far back tweet but those things stay forever, and that's why you need to think before you tweet.

[Darkspellmaster]

I was wondering, in the past, like I don't know when exactly, but like has it always been that the two sides of the main political spectrum thought the country should be run completely differently and on two polar opposite sides of the spectrum.

Like, right now, I cannot imagine how we move forward as a country that is "united" in anyway, ever again. The left, as far as people on the ground go, is getting more and more left, and the right, same thing. More and more to the right. So each election cycle there is just going to be a big group of people, whichever group is not in office, feeling like the country is being destroyed or the president hates them and their ideas/beliefs, whatever.

The idea of representative government is pretty much dead. So what the hell do we do? Do you really think there's anyway forward for the country? I know that when someone actually equipped for the job of president is in office, some things will get better in that way. But as a people of this country--I mean, there is no working together any more.

To answer the first, yes and no. Yes there has always been a two sides ting since Jefferson and Adams back in the day. No, it was still divided and big time only the division was different. There has never been a moment in history where we were truly united. Even during WWI and WWII and the Revolution, there were people that wanted us to stay out of the wars.

We start by insisting that students get a stronger civics education so that they understand what politics means. We reform campaigns so that people can't use large downers. We fund a way to simplify the process to becoming political, and explain it in layman's terms. We get churches to pull out of politics. Make it so that if you want to run you need some form of political and law degree and write out a real application for being president.

That's a start at least.

[Darkspellmaster]

Some big players in the European Union are suggesting the GOP Tax gift to corporations would amount to tax dumping, which could lead to sanctions from the EU and a trade war.

Go for it. Sanction us. Let the US feel the burn a bit from where our stuff goes to.

[Darkspellmaster]

SMH in both instances. I have this nutty idea that some of these people are also very rabid sports fans. They're the kind that would attack their kid's little league coach or throw batteries at ballplayers of the opposing team.

I have a feeling a lot of them see this as a sports thing in general. Also I have to wonder if dome are gamblers as well.