Re "If Trump hadn’t run for president, he could likely have lived the rest of his days luxuriating in his louche lifestyle."
NO HE WOULD NOT.
Everyone here seems to miss the essential fact: Putin bailed Trump out of his massive debt in the early 2000's. Trump and his British counterpart Arron Banks (Mr. Brexit) were what the mafia calls "stooges": stupid failed businessmen over their heads in debt, who can be owned by bailing them out. Trump was compelled by his mafia boss to run for president.
That, combined with the only thing Russia is good at - the skillful use of goebbelsology to manipulate perceptions of the bottom third of any population - is why we are close to being Russia's vassal state.
Linda, I think it indicates both. The republican party is bought, especially republican leadership. Comments denouncing democracy and claiming we aren’t a democracy are propaganda intended to
confuse people and make them open to a different form of government.
A few months ago Microsoft identified “thousands of foreign social media accounts on Facebook & Xitter that were being run by the Chinese government and promoting MAGA memes. Russian trolls are all over Xitter and Facebook, trash-talking Democrats while trying to make Americans hate each other over skin color, gender identity, and religion.”
Also, “Snopes found massive evidence of foreign-based social media accounts pretending to be Americans. Democracies fail when the people no longer trust and support them. the bad actors who are abusing the system or the foreigners who are exploiting it — aren’t removed or reprimanded and thus stop their corrupt behavior.” (Substack. com, 12/27/23, Thom Hartmann)
This probably sounds dumb to a lot of people, but for some time now I’ve had the feeling that many Americans have been conditioned to jump on board with the latest “trend” whether it’s fashion or a popular, new way to get exercise, to the car you
drive. As ridiculous as it sounds I think it’s on-trend for the “right” to support Putin. Of course if I’m right, it means American culture has become
Wow! Thank you for this! Trump/republican allegiance to Putin is one of those dark truths that we hear little about from the media, yet everyone witnesses republican leaders’ open, shameful display. They truly are Gaga over Putin.
MAGA is a force here that exists possibly without dumb dumb Trump. MAGA threats have cowed any good Republicans into compliance. Death threats and primary threats keep them lined up with all the anti American propaganda, acts, and policy. Of course our own DOJ has let things get worse by not arresting DJT on Jan 6 and as of yet not prosecuting/punishing him for crimes committed. Likewise, none of the accomplices in Congress have been brought to Justice. The caldron has been boiling with all kinds of MAGA nonsense, threats and idiocy.
The wheel of justice turns slow but it does turn as evident in the courts today. Slowly but surely Trumps power is being taken away from him and day by day he is losing more supporters.
Picture if you will Kevin McCarthy living in an environment like the one Putin has created in Russia. Mr. McCarthy decides to run against one of Putin's oligarch friends, one who is a strong financial supporter of Putin. Then picture the elimination of the pesky Mr. McCarthy from not only his position, but from life itself. Without a taster, he's toast. How many pesky McCarthy's has Putin eliminated through poisoning, and now perhaps ordering that a plane that an adversary is on be "eliminated"? I guess this is the kind of government that the "new" GOP admires. One wonders whether this admiration will continue when the admirers are no longer of value. Perhaps they will be found wearing cement shoes in the Volga River.
The attempted secession of the southern states didn't actually threaten US democracy, it would have continued without them. The attempted Trump coup, on the other hand could have been a death blow.
"Putin himself hasn’t been shy about weighing in on American politics." Contrasted with the USA, who is also without an ounce of shyness about instigating reactiveness on Putin's part by promoting NATO's enlargement up to Russia's borders (against the advice of numerous august American statesmen and advisers), then blaming Putin for reacting (see Mearshiemer, Jeffrey Sachs) , then pouring infinite kill power including cluster bombs as a way to weaken Russia and ultimate China. Couldn't you say that's the USA's version of weighing in on Russian politics? As much as Mr. Rather promotes the notion of USA's innocence, the historical facts belie its veracity. We can do nothing about Russia's attitudes but we can clean up our own act instead of continuing to disown our guilty part in the whole mess. “President Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg told a joint committee meeting of the European Parliament on September 7. “That was what he sent us. And [that] was a pre-condition for not invade [sic] Ukraine. Of course we didn't sign that.”(responsiblestatecraft.org)The black and white thinking - Putin, Russia all bad - USA, NATO all good - typical, incidentally of alcoholics - makes us sheep and promotes bad international relations.
Sweet Selena you do know that Putin wanted no more enlargement of NATO so he could do exactly what he has done in Crimea and is currently doing in Ukraine….putting the Soviet Union back together without NATO interference and assistance, whether those countries want to be a part of his new world order or not! You sure seem to have a lot of “they good, we bad” inferences …….are you maybe just a Russian troll? There are a lot of those on these quorums trying to garner more mistrust of our government and I have to admit you all are doing a bang up job of it with far right media at your back pushing the “love Putin and Orban” notion…..now tell me what and who exactly are these “august American statesmen and advisors” you refer to? Very interesting……
I am curious what the resources you use to shape your thinking. And find your assumptions and the conclusions you draw from those fictions about me to be almost amusing so far off the mark they are. Suffice it here to suggest you read “To Retrieve History” by Patrick Lawrence in Scheerpost today.(scheerpost.com) and be sure to read the comments. Wolin refers to the USA as a “managed” democracy. Having witnessed the cheapening of NPR reportage over decades where expert opinions are used to make a point but the fact that expert is from the Federalist Society, or ALEC is never mentioned. Sins of omission. Producing a twisted image like those fun house mirrors. Seemingly innocent. But destructively deceptive. For the informed citizenry today, getting to the truth hinges on her his their capacity to winnow fact from propaganda, domestic propaganda. What the “managers” of our managed democracy want us to think. Patrick Lawrence describes this process quite accurately.
DO NOT GO TO THE .COM SELINA POSTED HERE….ITS A HACKER AND SO IS SHE FROM THE LOOKS OF IT…..THE LITTLE PIECE OF WORK IS A RUSSIAN TROLL OBVIOUSLY. LUCKILY I DIDN’T TRUST HER ENOUGH TO CLICK ON HER LINK IN HERE…..
The Helsinki summit. Just the mention infuriates me. By that point in his reign, Trump had
' lost the ability to shock or scandalize me, but it was members of my own family who could still stupefy me with their ability to instantly rationalize anything and everything the man said or did. It still baffles me that people who support the buffoon for religious reasons can condone every bit of immorality perpetrated by him. I was a staunch supporter of Bill Clinton but that did not enable me to say that his behavior with Monica Lewinski adhered to the tenets of Christian doctrine. My sense of good and evil was not modified by my politics. I have family members, however, who find it easy to shrug and say: "We are all fallen people. None of us is without sin.". These are the same people who practically frothed at the mouth when a few years before Helsinki heard Obama say to Putin on a hot mike: "We'll talk after the election." had no problem with the fact that the kofeefee idiot met with the former head of the KGB for 2 hours. No one else other than Putin, Trump and their interpreters met for two solid hours and the American people were never informed about what was said. While my family were praising Saint Donald's diplomatic skills I was fully expecting the Statue of Liberty being handed over to the Kremlin. To this day we have no idea what was said at or given away at that meeting and Mr. Entitled still dances around scot free and his praises are still being sung by the same rationalizers. Go figure.
Exactly!!! If we can see it and get it, don’t tell me the “big wigs” in the Republican Party didn’t know and still don’t know what he was and still is doing....maybe they just really don’t care as long as Donald can keep squeezing the cult members out of their hard earned money ....that will be shuffled out to the other “bigly” Party members .....it’s all about the money now and to Hell with the Country....they think Donald is too stupid to single handedly bring down this Country but they keep providing the support he needs to make it happen...what does that make them....?
After all this time how could anyone miss Donald’s down and dirty reason for his love affairs with Putin AND Kim....he wants to build Trump Tower Moscow and Trump Tower Pyongyang....that’s why he is STILL kissing Putin’s rump and Kim’s too....he will not give up because they keep playing him along....both laughing their backsides off at his ignorance too.....that is what the closed door meeting with Putin in Helsinki was about and what the lavish video made for and presented to Kim was about....”I can build beautiful buildings in your cities and bring you billions of dollars so you too can be a “billionaire” like me!...How they keep a straight face while wining and dining with the blowhard is something of wonder. Donald will sell this country and our democracy down the river to Putin, Kim or even China’s Xi Jinping if it will help him become THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD! If you haven’t figured out why he truly hates Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg and even Elon don’t look any further than their status as being among the richest Americans in the world.....it’s that simple folks.
You call it a partisan agenda implying Rather is pushing a false truth. There is nothing false about Dan Rather. His career speaks for itself. He’s as authentic as they come in this crazy world we now live in. Obviously Rather does not need me sticking up for him but that said, I will always stick up for the truth and this fragile democracy we all share. Dan Rather knows better than anyone how imperfect our world is. He’s seen it all and from multiple perspectives.
Re "If Trump hadn’t run for president, he could likely have lived the rest of his days luxuriating in his louche lifestyle."
NO HE WOULD NOT.
Everyone here seems to miss the essential fact: Putin bailed Trump out of his massive debt in the early 2000's. Trump and his British counterpart Arron Banks (Mr. Brexit) were what the mafia calls "stooges": stupid failed businessmen over their heads in debt, who can be owned by bailing them out. Trump was compelled by his mafia boss to run for president.
That, combined with the only thing Russia is good at - the skillful use of goebbelsology to manipulate perceptions of the bottom third of any population - is why we are close to being Russia's vassal state.
Linda, I think it indicates both. The republican party is bought, especially republican leadership. Comments denouncing democracy and claiming we aren’t a democracy are propaganda intended to
confuse people and make them open to a different form of government.
A few months ago Microsoft identified “thousands of foreign social media accounts on Facebook & Xitter that were being run by the Chinese government and promoting MAGA memes. Russian trolls are all over Xitter and Facebook, trash-talking Democrats while trying to make Americans hate each other over skin color, gender identity, and religion.”
Also, “Snopes found massive evidence of foreign-based social media accounts pretending to be Americans. Democracies fail when the people no longer trust and support them. the bad actors who are abusing the system or the foreigners who are exploiting it — aren’t removed or reprimanded and thus stop their corrupt behavior.” (Substack. com, 12/27/23, Thom Hartmann)
This probably sounds dumb to a lot of people, but for some time now I’ve had the feeling that many Americans have been conditioned to jump on board with the latest “trend” whether it’s fashion or a popular, new way to get exercise, to the car you
drive. As ridiculous as it sounds I think it’s on-trend for the “right” to support Putin. Of course if I’m right, it means American culture has become
frighteningly shallow.
Trump + Putin = TP/Toilet Paper
Wow! Thank you for this! Trump/republican allegiance to Putin is one of those dark truths that we hear little about from the media, yet everyone witnesses republican leaders’ open, shameful display. They truly are Gaga over Putin.
Please take down that photo of Trump-the-Toad shaking hands with Puke-in. I feel traumatized every time I see it.
MAGA is a force here that exists possibly without dumb dumb Trump. MAGA threats have cowed any good Republicans into compliance. Death threats and primary threats keep them lined up with all the anti American propaganda, acts, and policy. Of course our own DOJ has let things get worse by not arresting DJT on Jan 6 and as of yet not prosecuting/punishing him for crimes committed. Likewise, none of the accomplices in Congress have been brought to Justice. The caldron has been boiling with all kinds of MAGA nonsense, threats and idiocy.
The wheel of justice turns slow but it does turn as evident in the courts today. Slowly but surely Trumps power is being taken away from him and day by day he is losing more supporters.
That should give us all cause for hope.
Will the KGB muscle the election in ‘24? Why shouldn’t they?
Touché
Picture if you will Kevin McCarthy living in an environment like the one Putin has created in Russia. Mr. McCarthy decides to run against one of Putin's oligarch friends, one who is a strong financial supporter of Putin. Then picture the elimination of the pesky Mr. McCarthy from not only his position, but from life itself. Without a taster, he's toast. How many pesky McCarthy's has Putin eliminated through poisoning, and now perhaps ordering that a plane that an adversary is on be "eliminated"? I guess this is the kind of government that the "new" GOP admires. One wonders whether this admiration will continue when the admirers are no longer of value. Perhaps they will be found wearing cement shoes in the Volga River.
Sue from Florida
The attempted secession of the southern states didn't actually threaten US democracy, it would have continued without them. The attempted Trump coup, on the other hand could have been a death blow.
"Putin himself hasn’t been shy about weighing in on American politics." Contrasted with the USA, who is also without an ounce of shyness about instigating reactiveness on Putin's part by promoting NATO's enlargement up to Russia's borders (against the advice of numerous august American statesmen and advisers), then blaming Putin for reacting (see Mearshiemer, Jeffrey Sachs) , then pouring infinite kill power including cluster bombs as a way to weaken Russia and ultimate China. Couldn't you say that's the USA's version of weighing in on Russian politics? As much as Mr. Rather promotes the notion of USA's innocence, the historical facts belie its veracity. We can do nothing about Russia's attitudes but we can clean up our own act instead of continuing to disown our guilty part in the whole mess. “President Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg told a joint committee meeting of the European Parliament on September 7. “That was what he sent us. And [that] was a pre-condition for not invade [sic] Ukraine. Of course we didn't sign that.”(responsiblestatecraft.org)The black and white thinking - Putin, Russia all bad - USA, NATO all good - typical, incidentally of alcoholics - makes us sheep and promotes bad international relations.
Sweet Selena you do know that Putin wanted no more enlargement of NATO so he could do exactly what he has done in Crimea and is currently doing in Ukraine….putting the Soviet Union back together without NATO interference and assistance, whether those countries want to be a part of his new world order or not! You sure seem to have a lot of “they good, we bad” inferences …….are you maybe just a Russian troll? There are a lot of those on these quorums trying to garner more mistrust of our government and I have to admit you all are doing a bang up job of it with far right media at your back pushing the “love Putin and Orban” notion…..now tell me what and who exactly are these “august American statesmen and advisors” you refer to? Very interesting……
Linda -
I am curious what the resources you use to shape your thinking. And find your assumptions and the conclusions you draw from those fictions about me to be almost amusing so far off the mark they are. Suffice it here to suggest you read “To Retrieve History” by Patrick Lawrence in Scheerpost today.(scheerpost.com) and be sure to read the comments. Wolin refers to the USA as a “managed” democracy. Having witnessed the cheapening of NPR reportage over decades where expert opinions are used to make a point but the fact that expert is from the Federalist Society, or ALEC is never mentioned. Sins of omission. Producing a twisted image like those fun house mirrors. Seemingly innocent. But destructively deceptive. For the informed citizenry today, getting to the truth hinges on her his their capacity to winnow fact from propaganda, domestic propaganda. What the “managers” of our managed democracy want us to think. Patrick Lawrence describes this process quite accurately.
DO NOT GO TO THE .COM SELINA POSTED HERE….ITS A HACKER AND SO IS SHE FROM THE LOOKS OF IT…..THE LITTLE PIECE OF WORK IS A RUSSIAN TROLL OBVIOUSLY. LUCKILY I DIDN’T TRUST HER ENOUGH TO CLICK ON HER LINK IN HERE…..
I end my participation with this last response. I am offended by your lack of decency and respect. Your condescension and belittlement sickens.
What a little actress you are……set up a HACK FOR ANYONE WHO FOLLOWS YOUR POSTS……TAKE A HIKE SWEETIE!
The Helsinki summit. Just the mention infuriates me. By that point in his reign, Trump had
' lost the ability to shock or scandalize me, but it was members of my own family who could still stupefy me with their ability to instantly rationalize anything and everything the man said or did. It still baffles me that people who support the buffoon for religious reasons can condone every bit of immorality perpetrated by him. I was a staunch supporter of Bill Clinton but that did not enable me to say that his behavior with Monica Lewinski adhered to the tenets of Christian doctrine. My sense of good and evil was not modified by my politics. I have family members, however, who find it easy to shrug and say: "We are all fallen people. None of us is without sin.". These are the same people who practically frothed at the mouth when a few years before Helsinki heard Obama say to Putin on a hot mike: "We'll talk after the election." had no problem with the fact that the kofeefee idiot met with the former head of the KGB for 2 hours. No one else other than Putin, Trump and their interpreters met for two solid hours and the American people were never informed about what was said. While my family were praising Saint Donald's diplomatic skills I was fully expecting the Statue of Liberty being handed over to the Kremlin. To this day we have no idea what was said at or given away at that meeting and Mr. Entitled still dances around scot free and his praises are still being sung by the same rationalizers. Go figure.
Exactly!!! If we can see it and get it, don’t tell me the “big wigs” in the Republican Party didn’t know and still don’t know what he was and still is doing....maybe they just really don’t care as long as Donald can keep squeezing the cult members out of their hard earned money ....that will be shuffled out to the other “bigly” Party members .....it’s all about the money now and to Hell with the Country....they think Donald is too stupid to single handedly bring down this Country but they keep providing the support he needs to make it happen...what does that make them....?
A closed mind is a terrible thing
You should know Take Back.....you’re kind of out numbered in this quorum.
After all this time how could anyone miss Donald’s down and dirty reason for his love affairs with Putin AND Kim....he wants to build Trump Tower Moscow and Trump Tower Pyongyang....that’s why he is STILL kissing Putin’s rump and Kim’s too....he will not give up because they keep playing him along....both laughing their backsides off at his ignorance too.....that is what the closed door meeting with Putin in Helsinki was about and what the lavish video made for and presented to Kim was about....”I can build beautiful buildings in your cities and bring you billions of dollars so you too can be a “billionaire” like me!...How they keep a straight face while wining and dining with the blowhard is something of wonder. Donald will sell this country and our democracy down the river to Putin, Kim or even China’s Xi Jinping if it will help him become THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD! If you haven’t figured out why he truly hates Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg and even Elon don’t look any further than their status as being among the richest Americans in the world.....it’s that simple folks.
You call it a partisan agenda implying Rather is pushing a false truth. There is nothing false about Dan Rather. His career speaks for itself. He’s as authentic as they come in this crazy world we now live in. Obviously Rather does not need me sticking up for him but that said, I will always stick up for the truth and this fragile democracy we all share. Dan Rather knows better than anyone how imperfect our world is. He’s seen it all and from multiple perspectives.