American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS v3
Quote:
Originally Posted by DownInFlames
It is a little troubling that Barr came to his conclusion about a two-year investigation in a weekend.
I think that's the biggest problem I have with Barr's letter is he's acting like a judge, not a prosecutor. A prosecutor doesn't declare guilt or innocence, a prosecutor decides whether to prosecute or not.
But Barr didn't say that; he didn't say that the evidence that Mueller did find didn't clear the bar of preponderance of evidence.
Reading the letter a few times, it feels like Mueller's report was written for Congress. Mueller tried to pass the issue to Congress, and Barr jumped in the middle.
We'll see if that's just an interim step for them to take care of any classified info in the report before releasing it or if it's Barr filling the role he was hired for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flamenspiel
Well, case closed for collusion. Maybe time to focus on policy, like the fact that the Russians are slowly taking over Venezuala while all the smart guys have resigned.
I think they have been focused on policy, you don't see the Dem presidential candidates saying anything at all about Mueller if they can help it (for example). The press asks the questions and publishes the answers so that's the impression that everyone gets.
Mueller's investigation being done probably helps Dems in 2020 since it won't be the media's focus.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
I wouldn't expect any leaks until AG Barr decides if/when he will release any more of the report, he has the reputation of running a pretty tight ship.
My guess is he will review the rest of the report for minimal redactions of sources and methods, and then release it to the public so we can all finally move on and put this god-forsaken clusterpluck of a mess behind us.
Last edited by FunkMasterFlame; 03-26-2019 at 01:51 AM.
On a non Trump note, anyone following along Pete Buttigieg’s Democratic campaign? He is fantastic and gaining serious momentum and buzz. Latest Iowa poll had him jump into third, which is pretty incredible. Speaks in ways that few politicians do.
Some good primers on him are his CNN town hall, or his interviews on Pod Save America or Vox.
__________________
Trust the snake.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Bunk For This Useful Post:
On a non Trump note, anyone following along Pete Buttigieg’s Democratic campaign? He is fantastic and gaining serious momentum and buzz. Latest Iowa poll had him jump into third, which is pretty incredible. Speaks in ways that few politicians do.
Some good primers on him are his CNN town hall, or his interviews on Pod Save America or Vox.
I’ve been enjoying watching Beto prove to be more and more useless. I was never a big fan but the more he talks and more that comes out he seems so out of touch, milquetoast, and generally an entitled Gen X “check how cool I am” type. He’s a crappy centrist’s wet dream so I expect him to get the nomination or be one of the final candidates at least.
The Following User Says Thank You to ResAlien For This Useful Post:
In a significant shift, the Justice Department now says that it backs a full invalidation of the Affordable Care Act, the signature Obama-era health law.
It presented its position in a legal filing Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, where an appeal is pending in a case challenging the measure’s constitutionality. A federal judge in Texas ruled in December that the law’s individual mandate “can no longer be sustained as an exercise of Congress’s tax power” and further found that the remaining portions of the law are void. He based his judgment on changes to the nation’s tax laws made by congressional Republicans in 2017.
At first, the Trump administration had not gone as far, arguing in a brief last June that the penalty for not buying insurance was legally distinct from other provisions of the law, which could still stand. Justice Department officials said there were grounds only to strike down the law’s consumer protections, including those for people with preexisting health conditions.
But in the new filing, signed by three Justice Department attorneys, the administration said that the decision of U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor should be affirmed and the entirety of the ACA should be invalidated.
Quote:
If the Justice Department’s position prevails, it would potentially eliminate health care for millions of people and cause disruption across the U.S. health-care system — from removing no-charge preventive services for older Americans on Medicare to voiding the expansion of Medicaid in most states. A court victory would fulfill Republican promises to undo a prized domestic accomplishment of the previous administration but leave no substitute in place.
Quote:
“The sheer irresponsibility of the notion that you would rip the Affordable Care Act out of the American health-care system without having any prospect for a transition plan, or much less a replacement, is extraordinary,” Bagley said. “It’s breathtaking.”
I’ve been enjoying watching Beto prove to be more and more useless. I was never a big fan but the more he talks and more that comes out he seems so out of touch, milquetoast, and generally an entitled Gen X “check how cool I am” type. He’s a crappy centrist’s wet dream so I expect him to get the nomination or be one of the final candidates at least.
How will this happen when he overlaps so heavily with Biden, who is the leader in every poll so far? He also overlaps pretty heavily with Harris as well who is well ahead of him too. I don't see Beto making it too far past the fall debates, without Satan/Zodiac Killer to run against and with so many similar, more established people to run against, his appeal is much more limited.
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
Last edited by Senator Clay Davis; 03-26-2019 at 10:09 AM.
I agree, but it is such a complicated message to try to sell. The ACA was flawed, but it definitely helped a fair number of people. The changes Trump has already made has made it pretty terrible for more people than it has helped. Completely ditching it at this point would arguably help more people than it hurts or at least be a wash.
People don't even know what they want. There are polls that show people favor single payer, but then when those people are questioned whether they favor single payer if it means losing their current work provided coverage, they are largely against it.
Medicare for anyone who wants it with some sliding scale of fees based on income might be a message that could win, but could still be tricky.
On a non Trump note, anyone following along Pete Buttigieg’s Democratic campaign? He is fantastic and gaining serious momentum and buzz. Latest Iowa poll had him jump into third, which is pretty incredible. Speaks in ways that few politicians do.
Some good primers on him are his CNN town hall, or his interviews on Pod Save America or Vox.
I made a post about Pete a couple of pages back.
I've become a huge fan of his. He does so much right in his messaging.
He NEVER uses the word "Trump" always refers to him as "the current president".
He uses his age as an advantage "in 2054, when I'll be the current age of the current age of the current president". He's no longer young in your mind, now the current president is too old.
He does a fantastic job demonstrating his experience, that even if you think he's too young, he's able to do a hard stop to demonstrate his experience.
He also has a decent TED Talk, which helps demonstrate how he approaches government and the future:
__________________
Need a new signature, I'm open to ideas. I honestly have no idea
The Following User Says Thank You to Maritime Q-Scout For This Useful Post:
Pete Buttigieg instantly won me over from his CNN Town Hall. The guy is just so well spoken, great ideas, and delivers in a way that that isn't pretentious, condescending, or political speak. And he sounds/looks like a guy that can appeal to both Democrats/Republicans - oh, and he's LGBTQ.
I don't know about the 2020 election, but they guy has a superstar career ahead of him if he keeps delivering.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Ozy_Flame For This Useful Post:
I’ve been enjoying watching Beto prove to be more and more useless. I was never a big fan but the more he talks and more that comes out he seems so out of touch, milquetoast, and generally an entitled Gen X “check how cool I am” type. He’s a crappy centrist’s wet dream so I expect him to get the nomination or be one of the final candidates at least.
I'm floored he decided to go for the nomination. He got bad advice.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and his allies signaled Monday that they intend to use the broad conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation – which found no criminal conspiracy with Russia to influence the 2016 election – to forcefully attack perceived opponents they say unfairly accused the president of wrongdoing.
The targets are diffuse, ranging from specific Democratic lawmakers to the media more generally. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway called on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to resign immediately, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., urged Schiff to relinquish his committee chairmanship. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he planned to investigate what he dubbed “all of the abuse by the Department of Justice and the FBI” during the 2016 presidential election. And the Trump campaign sent a memo to television hosts and producers that included a list of guests it suggested should no longer be booked because they “made outlandish, false claims” on air.
AltaGuy has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000.
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At le pub...
Exp:
Geez... if they manage to "weaponize" without ever having the report released... it feels like everything will be broken forever lol.
This seems like a bad strategy, considering we have only seen Barrs summary. Maybe he has seen the rest, or Barr has told him? Is he authorized to see the full report, or does he have to go through Barr?
But you have to imagine if Muellers report has some damning stuff in there, any investigation is just going to daylight it?
__________________
Air Canada - We're not happy until you're not happy.
Telus - Almost as bad as Winnipeg.
Calgary Roads Dept - Ya, we'll get to that.
The goal is to follow the Hillary blueprint here, like Benghazi expect months of hearings targeting the Dems who are running for President, including (and maybe primarily) Biden as the "Obama representative". Interestingly enough, this is where Buttigieg has a major advantage since he can't be dragged into this.
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
I've become a huge fan of his. He does so much right in his messaging.
He NEVER uses the word "Trump" always refers to him as "the current president".
He uses his age as an advantage "in 2054, when I'll be the current age of the current age of the current president". He's no longer young in your mind, now the current president is too old.
He does a fantastic job demonstrating his experience, that even if you think he's too young, he's able to do a hard stop to demonstrate his experience.
He's also a Rhodes Scholar, which is certainly worth something.
American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS v3
