US Politics January 2018: "You All Just Got A Lot Richer"

that's true for me if he becomes anything other than "dead in a gasoline fire"

sounds like he is going to serve out his term though

and a second one

he's apparently joining the newly created position "Lead Benghazi Inquisitor"

Paul Ryan was on the train apparently.

Unfortunately, he's ok.

or at least, as ok as he was before.

That, but mainly (for me) the whole needless antagonizing thing

― Simon H., Wednesday, January 31, 2018 2:38 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm not sure I buy that antagonism of Russia or NK is "needless"

one's systematically & brazenly undermining representative democracies everywhere and the other is waving nukes around after two decades of the planet begging them not to seek nukes

sanctions won't make progress towards resolving these problems, but neither does pretending they don't exist. nor are they irrevocably war prelude.

fuckin idk

this timeline sucks

Feds will not retry Bob Menendez

if there really must be nukes in this world, N Korea should have some (as should Iran). but that's a debate for another thread lol

A seat on the Fourth Circuit Court, which covers South Carolina, became vacant just yesterday, and the current U.S. attorney in South Carolina is serving in an interim role

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/another-gop-chairman-to-retire-trey-gowdy-announces-hes-out

That's an insane opinion, Simon...

xp no nukes for iran

I've been after Sanders for not offering a different fp vision, but careful what you wish for, I guess. Yikes...

was russia "needlessly antagonizing" us when they fucked w/ our election? yeesh.

xp

iran's brand of revolutionary islam is extremely oppressive and shitty, and they really are supporters of terrorism

allowing them nukes would just prop up the current shitty regime and embolden them to build regional power, export their brand of islam, etc

not cool.

(I don't think anyone should be handing out nukes or advocating for them - disarmament all the way. I just don't like the USA having a monopoly on or outsized comparative capacity for force.)

the USA aren't supporters of terrorism? gimme a break.

Well well. The FBI has formally gone all out:

BREAKING: FBI on The Memo "we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” pic.twitter.com/ZAGWmu9o9o

— Ryan J. Reilly 🦅 (@ryanjreilly) January 31, 2018

(I don't think anyone should be handing out nukes or advocating for them - disarmament all the way. I just don't like the USA having a monopoly on or outsized comparative capacity for force.)

― Simon H., Wednesday, January 31, 2018 6:31 PM (one minute ago)

yeah cuz the world sure did get notably safer when the soviets got nuclear weapons, didn't it?

the USA may or may not be supporters of terrorism but why would you want more int'l supporters of terrorism?

they are, and I don't want that, but an iran with nukes seems less likely to me to get nuked by the US at some point down the line than one that doesn't, and I'd much prefer no one got nuked tbh

Iran is in a different league of terrorist supporter than the US, more comparable to the Saudis, and no, the Saudis should not have nukes either. Which they absolutely would get if Iran got them.

But there is in fact a thread for these types of questions, which is mostly used to discuss kleptocracy every half a year or so, but could def use a bump.

xp well i am not sure i agree w/ that and besides i think there are more effective ways to keep iran from being nuked w/ less unhappy side effects

I'm open to persuasion, and yeah if there's another thread we can def go there but my searches turned up nothing definitive

America needs a new foreign policy

If we were all implanted with subcutaneous nukes at birth then no one would use nukes because if they did it would be a chain reaction of little nuclear explosions that would mutually-assured destroy all of us.

Simon, the most likely cause of nuclear war always has been and always will be tragic mistake or systems malfunction, the more countries have nukes the more likely that becomes

Re Trey Gowdy: the Hill article I read said that a judicial seat in the 4th Circuit court opened up the day before his announcement, so maybe that's his plan.

ums I replied to you in the other thread

in conclusion, Grey Towdy

bengowdy :(

On Tuesday, for the first time in 80 years, the Senate confirmed a judicial nominee over the objections of a home-state senator.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/371453-senate-confirms-trump-nominee-despite-missing-blue-slip

feels like we've hit some sort of inflection point, seems like the media is now focusing disproportionately on $5 bonus checks, Trump's "gentler, bipartisan" approach, and what could possibly be in the Nunes memo, while stories about him trying to fire Mueller and raw dogging porn stars have basically dropped out of the news cycle. Meanwhile his approval rating is ticking up, the GOP is within striking distance on the generic ballot, and everything seems to be set in place for full-on voter suppression for midterms, while the Dems just shamble along aimlessly, committing to nothing except "lol Trump bad". I'm uh...starting to get a bad feeling

Yeah, nascent totalitarianism will do that to a body.

I kinda understand where the media's coming from, tbf. Trump will probably only approve a limited number of state-run outlets so they need to start making their overtures now.

(In case it's unclear, I think we're nearing a point of no return, or rather a point where the only possibility of something resembling a return is a legitimate revolution.)

i love y'all but the news itself is depressing enough without doomsaying

i may be Too Tired for a revolution, down to die like a dog tho

^^^ yes, this, x1000

Oh, yeah, I'm over the revolution hill. Getting my affairs in order as we speak.

like we've got several people from the Trump admin already arrested and Ryan & the GOP's only response has been "investigate the FBI". even as the President steadfastly refuses to implement the sanctions Congress nearly unanimously voted for against the country he's been accused of colluding with. meanwhile the President's SOTU speech is 90% made up of GOP/White Nationalist talking points and he gets overwhelming praise for being "bipartisan". I uh...don't think we can go back to 2016 anymore

Like, do I think everyone in the US is going to be rounded up and genocided? No. Do I think life in the US has probably reached peak cushiness? Probably so.

this is why I enjoy the fact that DSA has an electoral plank but does a bunch of other outreach/serve the people/community-building shit as well - reform AND revolution, baby xxp

Yes, I think there's still a lot of positive and constructive energy to be expended locally. And I think it's going to be increasingly necessary in the years to come. If you need some hope and optimism, that's where to look for it. Nationally, things are just going to go further down the shitter.

If we were all implanted with subcutaneous nukes at birth then no one would use nukes because if they did it would be a chain reaction of little nuclear explosions that would mutually-assured destroy all of us.

blockchain reaction

the Dems just shamble along aimlessly

"advantaged- / privilegedly", parents tenured / stock owners // hey don't rock the boat of your inheritance // too bad "some people" are shafted ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

JUST IN: Congressional Budget Office has issued a report advising Congress to consider raising the debt ceiling earlier than anticipated to account for the revenue loss brought upon by the GOP tax legislation.

— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 31, 2018

lol

winning!

chuds: clearly the deep state trying to undermine trump's triumphs

GOP: "sure seems that way" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

don't worry they've got a plan to get it all back

The Trump administration is poised to ask Congress for deep cuts to funding in the Energy Department’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, slashing them by 72% in fiscal 2019, according to draft budget documents obtained by WaPo. https://t.co/AGCRYvYUkd

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 31, 2018

Sorry for the drivers family, but that is some next level irony with the GOP having a literal train wreck hitting a garbage truck. Proof positive that life is stranger than fiction.

Whomp whomp

BREAKING: Peter Strzok, the FBI agent accused by GOP of having "treasonous" anti-Trump bias, supported re-opening the Clinton email investigation in fall 2016 and helped write the letter (signed by Comey) that was released days before the election. https://t.co/RkOIkZ2x6W

— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) January 31, 2018