American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS (Archive)

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

That would be where I saw that. Seems it doesn't apply to border security agents.

The exceptions to the hiring freeze were related to areas of national security and the military IIRC. This plays into the Republican handbook in the USA of appearing to be tough on terrorism at all costs. The military industrial complex in the United States has to be orgasmically excited at the potential of a Trump presidency. Four years of war mongering and wall building in order to prop up the economy.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Where did you get this info? I'm scared to ask

Infowars and other conspiracy theory/fake news sites are trying to push it.

[DuffMan]

Mexico should just say "sure, sure, we'll pay for it" while laughing.
Later on they can just claim they were being sarcastic, like Trump does all of the time.

[PsYcNeT]

"Yeah sure Mexico will pay for the wall!"

"What? Money? Jajaja no my friend, we meant like "Oh boy, when they build that wall, we sure will pay for it!" You know like, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS MCGEE!""

[Swift]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

He'll just hire a Blackwater type private firm to patrol the border. There... not technically government hiring. And he can shrug his shoulders when the body count piles up.

Fun fact time (because I just read this the other day): Do you know who the founder and head of Blackwater was? Betsy DeVos' brother

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

"Yeah sure Mexico will pay for the wall!"

"What? Money? Jajaja no my friend, we meant like "Oh boy, when they build that wall, we sure will pay for it!" You know like, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS MCGEE!""

wall? ah we thought you said shot, like shot of tequila

[direwolf]

Pretty scary and depressing article on Trump's executive order to restrict reproductive rights.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...rchers-w462977

The consequence of this rule is devastating. Health clinics of all types that receive U.S. aid money will be faced with a choice: either stop providing patients with necessary health care information, or stop receiving money from the United States. Neither choice is good, as both result in an increase in health risks for patients. Without U.S. funding, clinics may have to shut down, meaning people will not be able to get care that will prevent HIV, manage sexually transmitted diseases and access contraception. If they take the funding, the clinic will have to stop talking about abortion in any way, meaning patients will resort to their own devices to find safe abortion care – something that is difficult in many countries.

The most widespread effect of the law is that women who receive their health care through Medicaid cannot use that insurance plan to pay for an abortion. Without insurance, women are faced with exactly the choice that Medicaid was designed to prevent: use money they would have otherwise have spent on on food, shelter or dependent care to get necessary health care, or go without that care. In the context of abortion, this means that one in four women enrolled in Medicaid who wants an abortion is forced to become a parent because she can't afford to pay for an abortion.

Also on Tuesday, Rep. Steve King introduced a bill that would ban abortions at six weeks, or once a fetal heartbeat is detected. This clearly unconstitutional bill would come very close to being a total ban on all abortion, as most women don't know they're pregnant until after six weeks.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I wish this would read top to bottom and not the other way, but pretty good (and scary) look at Trump's insecurities. And while I joked about another world leader saying Trump has a small penis potentially causing the apocalypse, if he got up on only 3 hours sleep, after SNL even, we're looking at at least a 40% chance.

[northcrunk]

NYT is a rag. So are their reporters.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

NYT is a rag. So are their reporters.

A thorough, fact-filled quote from "northcrunk", CP member of golden repute.

[DiracSpike]

While I believe that there should be a time limit on abortions, 6 weeks is clearly ridiculous.

Also, honest question, how much does an abortion cost in the US? I was under the impression that it was like $150.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Virtually all media sources, not just the NYT, have someone reporting on Trump insiders talking about what a trainwreck everything is. And we're 5 ####ing days in. What's gonna happen when it's May and his approvals are in the low to mid 20's? Can't imagine what a disaster it's going to be. It'd be funny as all hell if not for the nukes.

[Drak]

Looks like we have our own host of bat guano crazy folks around here.

[Drak]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Virtually all media sources, not just the NYT, have someone reporting on Trump insiders talking about what a trainwreck everything is. And we're 5 ####ing days in. What's gonna happen when it's May and his approvals are in the low to mid 20's? Can't imagine what a disaster it's going to be. It'd be funny as all hell if not for the nukes.

I'd like to think that Trump can't just nuke due to butt hurt feelings. There has to be some serious, serious hurdles to overcome in order to use the codes.

[Ozy_Flame]

Trump has access to the "biscuit". Look it up.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Trump has access to the "biscuit". Look it up.

Is it safe to look up?

[nik-]

Well obviously, he's the president.

edit: I've never actually heard it referred to as the biscuit, only ever the nuclear football. TIL.

[sureLoss]

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/2....co/MU5TAHryYL

On Monday, President Trump gathered House and Senate leaders in the State Dining Room for a get-to-know-you reception, served them tiny meatballs and pigs-in-a-blanket, and quickly launched into a story meant to illustrate what he believes to be rampant, unchecked voter fraud.

Mr. Trump kicked off the meeting, participants said, by retelling his debunked claim that he would have won the popular vote if not for the three million to five million ballots cast by “illegals.” He followed it up with a Twitter post early Wednesday calling for a major investigation into voter fraud.

When one of the Democrats protested, Mr. Trump said he was told a story by “the very famous golfer, Bernhard Langer,” whom he described as a friend, according to three staff members who were in the room for the meeting.

In the emerging Trump era, the story was a memorable example, for the legislators and the country, of how an off-the-cuff yarn — unverifiable and of confusing origin — became a prime policy mover for a president whose fact-gathering owes more to the oral tradition than the written word.

The three witnesses recall the story this way: Mr. Langer, a 59-year-old native of Bavaria, Germany — a winner of the Masters twice and of more than 100 events on major professional golf tours around the world — was standing in line at a polling place near his home in Florida on Election Day, the president explained, when an official informed Mr. Langer he would not be able to vote.

Ahead of and behind Mr. Langer were voters who did not look as if they should be allowed to vote, Mr. Trump said, according to the staff members — but they were nonetheless permitted to cast provisional ballots. The president threw out the names of Latin American countries that the voters might have come from.

Mr. Langer, whom he described as a supporter, left feeling frustrated, he said.

The anecdote, the aides said, was greeted with silence, and Mr. Trump was prodded to change the subject by Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, and Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Just one problem: Mr. Langer, who lives in Boca Raton, Fla., is a German citizen with permanent residence status in the United States who is, by law, barred from voting, according to Mr. Langer’s daughter Christina.

“He is a citizen of Germany,” she said, when reached on her father’s cellphone. “He is not a friend of President Trump’s, and I don’t know why he would talk about him.”

[Izzle]

Originally Posted by Drak

I'd like to think that Trump can't just nuke due to butt hurt feelings. There has to be some serious, serious hurdles to overcome in order to use the codes.

Here's the scary part regarding nuclear codes: It's designed for quickness. Once the president decides, there are very few hurdles.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is it safe to look up?

The world's your oyster.