"They are politicians!" – the Politics thread

Everything’s quite quiet at the moment I think, not much happening.

New Marina Hyde article.

Yet again, Boris Johnson swears blind he’s going to withdraw on schedule. A promise an unspecified number of single mothers have heard before.

But what technology? The Conservatives couldn’t even update their conference app. Throughout the four days, it still showed a welter of what we might call ghost ship events, such as a big Q&A with Rory Stewart, who was not in Manchester on account of not being in the Conservative party any more. Guys, you know if it’s digital, you can update it at any time, yes?

A reminder that the definition of politics as the art of the possible is no substitute for wriggling through Epping Forest on your tummy dreaming of Rommel every second weekend.

That video is great. It’s funnyhow no matter how advanced society gets, clown shows are still amusing.

A fairly comprehensive EU rebuttal of Johnson’s plans for the Irish border:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/07/revealed-the-eus-point-by-point-rejection-of-johnsons-brexit-plan

It seems Trump has given approval to Erdogan to take over Kurdish held parts of Syria. That would basically turn it into a Turkish province.

Anonymous wrote:

In the spirit of this thread of old:

No, you’re wrong, this is wrong and everything about this post is wrong.

If I could vote up a small loan of times, I would.

US Envoy flees UK after fatal car accident

This appears stupid from all angles. If she hadn’t fled the country, no one would have heard of it. A car accident is not international news. Honestly, was immunity even invoked at any point? Who in the (admittedly bonkers) state department thought letting her leave and avoid questioning was a good idea. Hell, even without immunity, she wouldn’t have had to answer any questions without legal counsel.

By the way, side note, if you are in a fatal accident of any sort, do not answer any questions without legal representation. Hell, if I’m pulled over for a traffic violation, I respond as little as possible. Your mouth is your worse enemy when it comes to police questioning.

But this is the worst possible strategy. Let’s engage the US government in a mess with the UK which is just looking for something to focus all its anger upon. She should be arrested for criminal stupidity.

It’s a shitshow alright. It’s why I can only assume that this offer is designed to fail. Surely they can’t have thought this was anywhere near acceptable for the EU.

Ben wrote:

You do some work that is complete shit, you get told to redo it. You change a couple of words, make it a bit more flash and present it again, relying on total bullshitery to succeed.
That’s the Government’s strategy in a nutshell.

That’s presumably how Johnson got through Eton and Oxford.

Cummings I assume engineered his roommate’s death to get an automatic compassionate pass on most of his courses.

Anonymous wrote:

But this is the worst possible strategy. Let’s engage the US government in a mess with the UK which is just looking for something to focus all its anger upon. She should be arrested for criminal stupidity.

Trickle-down politics, starting with the Oval Office.

I’m not going to repost it because it doesn’t deserve the exposure, but the overtly xenophobic anti-German rhetoric being flung around by Leave.EU today is genuinely sickening. Britain at its worst.

It’s horrible that the UK government is actively encouraging this kind of mindset with its manoeuvres today. Playing to people’s worst instincts and trying to rekindle the kind of latent racism that has underpinned a lot of the Brexit process.

The second most senior judge in the UK is called The Master of the Rolls and the position dates back to 1296. In 1714, it was held by a man called Julius Caesar.

— Quite Interesting (@qikipedia) October 8, 2019

Sounds like Johnson is following the Trump model of not keeping his mouth shut when he should.

JRCarter wrote:

Has Johnson exhibited the unmitigated hubris that Trump has?

Not quite, he’s following a very similar playbook of making very bold claims that he’ll just get very difficult things done with no explanation how. However he’s erring on the side of saying ‘we’ can do it rather than claiming it’s all down to him like Trump does.

Trump conveniently erasing Rojava from history there, before he lets the Turks erase them from the face of the earth…

I was at a talk by Jim Fitzpatrick, an Irish artist who does a lot of work in political spheres, and he said he was collaborating with some artists from Rojava. And that the US forces collaborating with the YPG and YPK is the only intervention of theirs that he supports, and I can get behind that. Rojava is a self-determined autonomous zone that the US began to support as convenient allies against ISIS, it’s an arrangement that wasn’t borne of imperialism (outside of ISIS’ origins, of course, but we can all agree that fighting them is good). So I’d come down on the side of it being better for them to be there, it’s somewhere between an inherently good thing and the fewer of two evils.

Dave wrote:

I’m not going to repost it because it doesn’t deserve the exposure, but the overtly xenophobic anti-German rhetoric being flung around by Leave.EU today is genuinely sickening. Britain at its worst.

It’s horrible that the UK government is actively encouraging this kind of mindset with its manoeuvres today. Playing to people’s worst instincts and trying to rekindle the kind of latent racism that has underpinned a lot of the Brexit process.

I also wonder what the Turkish offensive and Trump’s betrayal of the Kurds will do for Assad’s standing. He has chided the Kurds all along for getting in bed with the US and he was right. I think the Kurds should have negotiated more seriously with Assad’s government to be part of Syria but with some kind of special status, maybe not full autonomy.

Anonymous wrote:

Does anyone believe that Giulliani might have some legitimate dirt on Hunter Biden?

Maybe im cynical, because my job partly revolves around corporate dealings, but it wouldnt surprise me if he’s not 100% clean.

It’s obviously not the issue – the issue is that Trump is requesting aid from foreign governments to interfere with the election, but because this is more about the court of public opinion than the law im dubious that the outcome will ultimately be in the democrats favour.

I’m not saying anything, I’m afraid of Lorcan and Jim.

Don’t be afraid of Lorcan and Jim.

Be afraid of Gareth.

Trump Boasted That His Border Wall Was ‘Virtually Impenetrable.’ Then an 8-Year-Old Girl Climbed a Replica

Several people have already managed to climb up the wall replica, including 8-year-old Lucy Hancock. Hancock didn’t use any ropes or other tools to climb the wall, but wore a belay, a safety device designed to catch a falling climber. An adult climber, Erik Kloeker, was up and over the wall in about 40 seconds.

I’m sure Trump will claim that motion sensors or equivalent was “always part” of the Wall plan,he just didn’t publicize it for “security reasons”

lorcan_nagle wrote:

Tim wrote:

Does anyone believe that Giulliani might have some legitimate dirt on Hunter Biden?

Maybe im cynical, because my job partly revolves around corporate dealings, but it wouldnt surprise me if he’s not 100% clean.

I’d be shocked if he wasn’t dirty by “virtue” of him being involved in US politics.

It’s obviously not the issue – the issue is that Trump is requesting aid from foreign governments to interfere with the election, but because this is more about the court of public opinion than the law im dubious that the outcome will ultimately be in the democrats favour.

Apparently there was a poll on Fox of all places that was 51% in favour of Trump being impeached and removed from office. That has to be a wakeup call for chunks of the Republican apparat.

I hope that emboldens Republican politicians to finally stand up to Trump.

Shepard Smith leaving Fox News

Recently I asked the company to allow me to leave FOX News and begin a new chapter. After requesting that I stay, they graciously obliged,” Smith said in a statement released by Fox.
“The opportunities afforded this guy from small town Mississippi have been many. It’s been an honor and a privilege to report the news each day to our loyal audience in context and with perspective, without fear or favor. I’ve worked with the most talented, dedicated and focused professionals I know and I’m proud to have anchored their work each day – I will deeply miss them.”

Anonymous wrote:

In fact, during the primaries someone pointed out that there is an old Jewish text that says that someone wants to build a fence, unless they own everything surrounding their neighbor’s property, if they demand their neighbor pays they are “as financially corrupt as the citizens of Sodom.”, so Trump would only be justified for demanding “Mexico to pay” if Mexico:Vatican as USA:Italy, which is obviously false.

Well, that’s cleared that up.

Trump says acting Homeland Security Secretary McAleenan is stepping down

Another rat flees the ship.

Some of these are pretty funny.

Brexit the horror film: billboards mock government’s ‘get ready’ campaign

The article leads on the Boris Johnson/IT poster but I think this one might be my favourite.

Dave wrote:

It’s interesting that the Telegraph article is coming out and actually saying what a lot of Tories seem to have been implying for a long time: that this is the price that they’re willing to pay for Brexit.

It’s incredibly short-sighted too, because throwing NI under the bus is basically most of the nails in the coffin of the UK. The Scottish Nationalist movement has only gotten more popular since the independence referendum, and the level of kowtowing the Tories have done to the DUP, only to then turn around and shaft them would probably lead to open calls to secede.

Of course, anyone with a modicum of knowledge of Irish politics could have told them this was going to be the end result of getting in bed with the climate-change denying, evolution-denying, anti-choice, extremists – but hey, the nation is sick of experts, right?

Dave wrote:

KalmanL wrote:

In fact, during the primaries someone pointed out that there is an old Jewish text that says that someone wants to build a fence, unless they own everything surrounding their neighbor’s property, if they demand their neighbor pays they are “as financially corrupt as the citizens of Sodom.”, so Trump would only be justified for demanding “Mexico to pay” if Mexico:Vatican as USA:Italy, which is obviously false.

Well, that’s cleared that up.

What’s your issue with my post?

JRCarter wrote:

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<p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>You wouldn’t know a joke if one raised you. https://t.co/zUV3MLkmVm

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 12, 2019

<script async=”” src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&#8221; charset=”utf-8″></script>

Was Trump a joke when Donald Jr was being raised? And if so, is it right to make an equivalency between the kind of jokes people would have made about him before 2015? Nobody would have understood a joke connecting Trump and making Mexico pay for a border wall. ?

Anonymous wrote:

Kamala is hilarious as her Tweet shows.

Kamala for President GodQueen of the Universe! All hail President GodQueen!

I’m sorry, but referencing public perception of Trump from before 2015 is stooping to his level. There are so many different things people attach to the name “Donald Trump”. Nobody would have understood “we need to build a wall”, or associating a “Muslim ban” with Trump or “grab ’em by the *****”. It’s like in the public eye, he became a different person. The things his name is associated with have changed. Even the negative stuff from before is different from now. The “joke” was different. She has enough ammo against him, this is an unfair trick that is again, stooping to his level. It’s like taking a quote from W during his race against Gore and asking “What about 9/11?” or inserting the phrase “Hanging chad” into a discussion of Gore’s Veep campaigns or mentioning the name “Monica Lewinsky” in connection with Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns: It’s anachronistic.

garjones wrote:

Are you saying Obama is Jesus-like? ;)

I know, that was the point of my winky face.

At this point, I have serious questions about Buckman and Wohl.
.
Like, do they believe this shit they’re peddling? Are they that self-unaware? Are they somehow extracting cash form even more stupid people with this string of stunts? Do they get off on public humiliation? Some or all of the above?

Tories reportedly bringing in voter ID laws, which is clearly about voter suppression, not stopping electoral fraud.

Convictions for voter impersonation at last election: 1

People turned away in just 8 council areas in trials: 819

People without photo ID: 3.5m
Without passport/driving license: 11m
(Mostly not Tory voters)

CONCLUSION:
Bring in voter ID https://t.co/OKAozv9fih

— David Schneider (@davidschneider) October 13, 2019

Hong Kong protests: President Xi warns of ‘bodies smashed’

“Anyone who attempts to split any region from China will perish, with their bodies smashed and bones ground to powder,” Mr Xi said, according to a foreign ministry statement issued on Sunday.

Johnson’s government probably isn’t going to last much longer and any election is likely to produce a coalition of some sort.

This is the latest round of preparation for that election. He’s setting out his stand for the voters; look at who I am (assuming we believe him) and vote for me because of these policies.

White House: Trump to watch violent parody, ‘condemns it’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump has yet to watch a graphically violent parody video that depicts a likeness of him shooting and stabbing opponents and members of the news media, but based on what he’s heard, he “strongly condemns” it.

Anonymous wrote:

lorcan_nagle wrote:

There’s a huge disconnect between what the American public want based on opinion polls, and what American voters want based on… well who they vote for.

To quote one Conservative observer: “There are two kinds of ‘Trump supporters’. One….likes him for his personality. The other supports his policies.”
And I’ll add that the latter class doesn’t always agree with everything Trump does. Like, I don’t agree with the border wall. In fact, during the primaries someone pointed out that there is an old Jewish text that says that someone wants to build a fence, unless they own everything surrounding their neighbor’s property, if they demand their neighbor pays they are “as financially corrupt as the citizens of Sodom.”, so Trump would only be justified for demanding “Mexico to pay” if Mexico:Vatican as USA:Italy, which is obviously false. I’m not sure how that extends to countries, but it doesn’t make the border wall look good from our point of view.

So which of his policies do you agree with?

Anonymous wrote:

Tim wrote:

Kamala is hilarious as her Tweet shows.

Kamala for President GodQueen of the Universe! All hail President GodQueen!

I’m sorry, but referencing public perception of Trump from before 2015 is stooping to his level. There are so many different things people attach to the name “Donald Trump”. Nobody would have understood “we need to build a wall”, or associating a “Muslim ban” with Trump or “grab ’em by the *****”. It’s like in the public eye, he became a different person. The things his name is associated with have changed. Even the negative stuff from before is different from now. The “joke” was different. She has enough ammo against him, this is an unfair trick that is again, stooping to his level. It’s like taking a quote from W during his race against Gore and asking “What about 9/11?” or inserting the phrase “Hanging chad” into a discussion of Gore’s Veep campaigns or mentioning the name “Monica Lewinsky” in connection with Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns: It’s anachronistic.

Trump has been a joke since the 80s. He was most known for his bankruptcies and sticking his name on multiple failed ventures.

Oh if we hadn’t had Putin to blame…

Jason wrote:

KalmanL wrote:

Was Trump a joke when Donald Jr was being raised? And if so, is it right to make an equivalency between the kind of jokes people would have made about him before 2015?

Yes.

He’s been an attention-whoring blowhard since at the least mid-80s.

Trump didn’t just come out of nowhere. He’s been a regular fixture on talk shows (including Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, and Howard Stern) since the 1980s. His book, the ghost-written “Art of the Deal” was published in 1987. Whenever a movie filmed a scene in one of his properties, it was contracted that they had to film a scene with him, though these were usually left on the cutting room floor in the editing process. He appeared in a McDonalds commercial. He had an insipid reality series, called “The Apprentice” that was sort of a “Big Brother” type of program with people competing to win a job at his company, which soon evolved in “Celebrity Apprentice” which was sort of the same thing, but it had b- and c-list celebrities competing against each other not for a job, but for attention and exposure on television.

Yes, but is that the same Trump people think of now? From the point of view of semiotics, one could argue that the public view of Trump before late 2015 is so different than after, that there are two people named “Donald Trump” in the public view: One associated with Talk Shows and The Apprentice, and the other a Far-Right Idiot in the (or trying to get into) the Oval Office. Before, nobody would have associated him with “we need to build a wall”, or a “Muslim ban” or “grab ’em by the *****”. It’s like in the public eye, he became a different person. The things his name is associated with have changed. Yes, even the negative stuff from before is different from now. The “joke” was different. She has enough ammo against him, this is an unfair trick that is stooping to his level.
Basically I’m saying that bringing up his pre-late 2015 associations to comment on him as POTUS or even as a candidate seems to me to be a very dishonest way to attack him. Democrats have enough ammo. I’m looking at it from a semiotic perspective, so I understand if people don’t get that. But I feel that in the public eye there are “two Donald Trumps”
It’s, in my view, like taking a quote from W from his debates with Gore that has nothing to do with the Middle East, and without explaining why, applying it to the Iraq War: Non-Sequitur

I posted a hilarious rejoinder to Kalman but it seems to have disappeared.

Any way it was very witty

It took me ages to find even barely passable gifs. I really needed a good Kamala one but couldn’t find it.

The gif game on this board is strong.