BS: American Presidential race 2024

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 13 Aug 24 - 06:50 PM

Charmion, you might get some satisfaction from looking at Trump's face now because I think he looks worried. As the only reason I can see for him trying to be re-elected is to pardon himself from all convictions or re-work the Dept of Justice to his own ends, I think he has every reason to be fretting about the future.

He never smiled or laughed before but now he looks decidedly grim.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: gillymor
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 07:58 AM

While it's certainly a disgrace that a wealthy nation like the U.S. doesn't have National health care I will never speak ill of Obamacare. As Neil noted Prez Obama got what he could and fought hard to get it and I'm forever grateful. I had some serious health issues before I became eligible for Medicare and without the effective, affordable insurance I was able to get under the ACA I would have been up the creek.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: robomatic
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 11:58 AM

To the Tasty Canadians who think they could never be TRMPed:

Wasn't a Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, recorded in conversation while using Crack Cocaine? And didn't he continue in office after that tender moment?

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 12:29 PM

The US elections are of great interest abroad, as demonstrated by Russian meddling in years past and reports of Iran trying it's hand at hacking this time around. Another dip into the Daily Beast reporting to learn that turnabout's fair play - apparently Roger Stone, a self-proclaimed master of dirty tricks on behalf of Trump was himself hacked.

The email account of longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone was breached as part of suspected hacking attempts from Iran targeting Trump’s campaign, according to reports.

The self-proclaimed GOP “agent provocateur”—whose dirty tricks can be traced back to the Nixon campaign—was duped by an espionage unit.

The hackers then used Stone’s account in an effort to get into another account belonging to a senior Trump campaign official, a source told CNN. That attempt was part of wider efforts to breach campaign networks which are now being investigated by the FBI.

The irony here is that

Stone was convicted of seven felony charges in November 2019, including for lying about his attempts to obtain information from WikiLeaks about Hillary Clinton’s emails stolen by Russian hackers and released on the eve of the 2016 election. Trump then pardoned Stone just before leaving the White House in 2020.

Read the rest at the link.

I'm more concerned about the Twitterverse than Iran at this point. Elon Musk is bonkers and the bots he allows on X are insidious. Another Trump event, this time an "interview" with Musk is setting up the site to explode with toxic Trump lies and overseas bots. And money for Trump.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 01:09 PM

Oh, Robomatic, among Canadian mayors Rob Ford was small time. Take a look at Camillien Houde, the Nazi-adjacent mayor of Montreal who spent the entire Second World War in prison for his fascist views. Then cast a glance at Maurice Duplessis, premier of Quebec who governed so harshly — and corruptly — that the Quiet Revolution was the obvious result.

But Trump could not get elected here. In Canadian federal politics, every single Member of Parliament, including Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister, has to be selected by a riding association and win a constituency election. There’s no starting at the top. I don’t believe for a minute that Trump could pass the smell test administered by the local party faithful of a riding association. If a national party tried to parachute him into a riding, his record of bad-faith dealing in his various businesses would torpedo him. We’re petty like that.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 02:29 PM

My view on Elon Musk regarding Trump is that Elon aspires to everything Trump has "achieved" and it wouldn't surprise me if Elon took a tilt at the White House at some point in his life. He has all the same qualities as Trump: he's cringeworthy, he has COTUS (centre of the universe syndrome), he is creepy especially around women, he has fathered children with three women (so far), he is rich ... the list goes on and on.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 02:55 PM

Elon is from South Africa. Thank dawg no way as far as the presidency. That is the one office that to hold you must have been born as a US citizen. (Meaning, if your parents were American and you were born abroad, that's ok, but you can't be from someplace else and naturalized here, or else Arnold Schwarzenegger would have run.)

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 03:41 PM

That is good news! :-D

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 06:16 AM

> COTUS

Nice one, Helen. Is that the new way to pronounce "trust fund child"?

.... I've just realised there's one critical difference between Trump and Musk: musk is an acceptable ingredient for scent.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 06:50 AM

But the scent of musk - you either love it or you hate it.

I developed the acronym COTUS, but I've been using the "centre of the universe" label for many years for a lot of people I have encountered IRL. In the context of the Presidential race, it is appropriate in a wicked way because of POTUS, SCOTUS, etc etc. :-D

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 10:12 AM

I did say "acceptable", Helen, not "universally accepted" :-) .

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 11:28 AM

There is a fact sheet list released by the White House today that might be helpful to the Harris campaign - the first 10 negotiated prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients starting next year.

HHS has reached agreements with all participating manufacturers on new negotiated, lower drug prices for the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare drug price negotiation program. After manufacturers have steadily increased the list prices of all 10 of these drugs since they went on the market, these new prices will cut the list price of these drugs between 38 and 79 percent.

The new prices will go into effect for people with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in 2026.

Follow the link to the list - they are very expensive. Years ago the US banned cigarette ads on the radio and TV but for some reason started allowing drug ads. Those advertising costs must be driving up the price of the medications, and it's one thing I'd like to see reformed in the next administration (and I reiterate, they have to let Elizabeth Warren implement some of the plans she has proposed for years.) The drugs on this list have names familiar to US residents who watch commercial TV (or streaming services that have now pushed ads into their programming).

Meanwhile, we're not here to discuss Dick's theories on irrelevant side topics. They will continue to be deleted because they are simply an attempt to broaden the political subject and hopefully start fights.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 11:43 AM

There is also news of a proposed ban from the Harris administration on "price gouging" in the food marketplace; people may have wondered if some price increases were legitimate as COVID ended, but the evidence is clear that costs haven't gone up for the corporations to the extent they are gouging consumers with both price increases and shrink-flation (making almost identical looking packaging but reducing the size and volume for the same or bit higher price.)

“There’s a big difference between fair pricing in competitive markets, and excessive prices unrelated to the costs of doing business,” the Harris campaign said in a statement. “Americans can see that difference in their grocery bills.”

The proposed ban is part of a broader economic policy platform that the Democratic presidential nominee plans to unveil Friday at a campaign rally in battleground North Carolina.

Harris will also pledge that if elected president, she will direct her administration to increase scrutiny of potential mergers between large supermarkets and food producers, “specifically for the risk that the proposed merger would raise grocery prices for consumers,” her campaign said.

This package of regulatory proposals is one of the Harris campaign’s earliest efforts to outline an economic platform that is independent of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

I have stated a number of times since all of the price raises and the CEO pay package increases following COVID that a windfall profit tax is again called for (that was used against the oil companies for gouging on gas prices in the 1970s). Do that concurrent with making them stop the price gouging. Trump gave the corporations and their CEOs carte blanche for their misbehavior after the big tax breaks he gave them. It's time to reel all of those rich folks back in: Harris to propose federal ban on ‘corporate price-gouging’ in food and groceries

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 11:48 AM

And then we have her opponent who's main concern seems to be crowd size.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 04:18 PM

Today Biden and Harris made a victory lap visit in Prince George's County, Maryland, with the release of the news about those drug negotiations.

Biden, Harris greeted by chants of 'Thank you, Joe' at 1st joint event since he exited race

The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act allows the government to directly broker with drug manufacturers for the first time in the history of the Medicare program. In addition to the 10 drugs negotiated for 2026, the government can select 15 more drugs for negotiation in 2027 and another 15 drugs for 2028 and up to 20 more drugs each year after.

Biden remarked they were "just getting started" and that he and Harris "are going to keep standing up to Big Pharma."

We'll have to see if the discussion of the expenses of Big Pharma come up following this announcement (I had a PM suggesting how an accountant could make all of the advertising costs go away; I would argue that it is a simple matter of "dollars in, dollars out." It's probably mutable in the hands of accountants, but I'd still like to see the numbers.

Trump is trying to characterize the Harris campaign and prospective administration as catastrophic and has also been saying that Biden is angry with Harris, something that was disproved today.

The Republican party convention took care of business just before Biden stepped out of the race; they were unmolested by the Democrats. Let's see if Trump and company are equally courteous next week.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 05:04 PM

gillymor - Trump obviously thinks that size IS important and is trying to make up for the lack of it on other quarters.

I am referring to his hands of course - What did you think I was talking about? :-D

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 05:05 PM

Most of my sources have a paywall, but CNN has the story also: RFK Jr. reached out to Harris campaign about administration role in exchange for endorsement

From the New York Times the subhead is "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was unsuccessful with his request to discuss endorsing the Democratic nominee in exchange for a top administration job, according to two people briefed on the outreach."

The Washington Post article subhead reads "Harris has rebuffed the offer of an endorsement, while Kennedy also has had conversations with Republican nominee Donald Trump about a role in his administration."

CNN has this gem in its article:

Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear said in a statement to CNN that Kennedy “is willing to meet with leaders of both parties to discuss the possibility of a unity government.”

A unity government? Like the strange bedfellows that coalesce to hold power in places like Israel? Is that what the UK does? Canada?

“No one has any intention of negotiating with a MAGA-funded fringe candidate who has sought out a job with Donald Trump in exchange for an endorsement,” DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni said Wednesday in a statement to CNN.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 10:56 AM

Yes, Stilly, Canada has been known to go in for coalition and "unity" governments in times of crisis -- both world wars -- and when the governing party is in the minority, as now. The Liberals are in formal cahoots with the New Democratic Party to overcome the minority position with which they emerged from the last federal election.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: gillymor
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 11:31 AM

"What did you think I was talking about? :-D"

I don't want to know, Dave. I'm of the "don't ask and don't tell" mindset. :)

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 12:26 PM

If you can get Instagram here is a several minutes (20?) of Heather Cox Richardson talking with Joanne Freeman, both historians, wondering if there has ever been a case in history of a more unhinged candidate than Trump? And bemoaning (correctly) that the modern media has normalized his behavior, they don't treat it independently as a crisis of its own. (Except Lawrence O'Donnell, who really ripped into all of the media outlets, including his own, for giving Trump "equal time" for a rambling "press conference"). And Trump's done more of them lately, like the other day when a lot of groceries sat wilting on a table behind him. Why? And I hope they throw out all of that meat and spoiled stuff.


https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-tX5Fvs4cR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 12:43 PM

> a lot of groceries sat wilting on a table behind him

Did this include a lettuce :-) ?

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 01:22 PM

I don't remember everything, but there were bacon and sausage and eggs and other things things that should be refrigerated. I picked up "wilting" from Alex Wagner who used it to sum up the spoiled-on-a-hot-day state of a fair amount of it.

AP has a story, click through the photos.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: robomatic
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 02:24 PM

Well, there's the issue of TRMP as a symptom of flagging Democracy, democratic/republican values, and character issues in general.
There is an issue as large as any over the impact of the internet.
There are major consequences on actions of the LEFT as well as the RIGHT.

Getting back to TRMP I feel there has been a lowering of the bar of quality for behaviour on all fronts. He has, IMHO, a marvelous ability to corrupt, and then justify corruption not only for himself but for others whether in support or opposition.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 03:12 PM

”Getting back to TRMP I feel there has been a lowering of the bar of quality for behaviour on all fronts. He has, IMHO, a marvelous ability to corrupt, and then justify corruption not only for himself but for others whether in support or opposition.”

I agree, but I don’t believe there is anything ‘marvellous’ about his ‘ability to corrupt, and then justify…etc’. In fact, it is appalling and revolting, like everything else about him. An appalling, revolting, pus-filled sore on the face of the US in particular, and the world in general.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 06:49 PM

Robomatic, have you or anyone else here read Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here? It's prescient; Senator Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip is a populist running for president and is classic Trump in that he's a buffoon out there blowing his own horn but is actually a tool of the folks in the background (in Trump's case, the Heritage foundation, but in the past, McConnell who wanted to put all of his judges in place). We live in a dystopian time, and that novel from 1935 shows that Lewis was watching his current events (listen to some of Rachel Maddow's podcasts about politicians of that era) and coming up with a scenario that is darned close to happening.

Of course the Trump sycophants in the US House are trying to flex some muscle - I see today a story that the House Oversight Committee (in the GOP-led House) are opening an investigation into Walz. Never mind there is nothing to investigate. The example of bad governance demonstrated by the MAGA Republicans will be used in cautionary tales in the future. House Republicans target Tim Walz in new probe

The things they bring to light as they try to make him look bad only make him look better. I don't remember hearing that he spent a year teaching in China after graduating from college, but that gives him more on-the-ground foreign policy background, IMHO.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 17 Aug 24 - 11:50 AM

Stilly, to refine Charmion's point, in this 44th Parliament, the two more "progressive" parties have entered into a "supply and confidence agreement" to manage the risk that the government might fall at a less than propitious moment, i.e. one that neither party chose and that gives an advantage to the Conservative opposition. "Supply" refers to the government's taxing and spending plan and involves three votes understood to be confidence motion in each year in Parliament.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: robomatic
Date: 17 Aug 24 - 01:14 PM

Charmion: I want to thank you for your Canada info. I've driven across and through Canada and fallen in love with many parts of it and have a prejudice in favor of Canadians for more than one reason. I don't think it'll ever make me root for the Bluejays but stranger things have happened. I WILL sing OH CANADA will full throated ferver.
Backwoodsman: Methinks though dost protest too much. TRMP is a very bad sign of the times, but it isn't all him nor only him. He is a product of America, and thus ourselves. Not waxing poetic, here. One finger points, the rest point back.
SRS: Haven't read Sinclair Lewis, and while his effort was decidedly poetic and prophetic, there are many such signs: There's A Face in the Crowd There's the line in "I Claudius" the BBC production where a historian tells Macro that his dictatorship is a sign that man should never have lost his sense of smell, there's the somewhat prophetic movie: "The Manchurian Candidate" with actor James Gregory as a standin for Joe McCarthy pounding his ketchup bottle at home, and then announcing in the Senate that there are '57' Communist infiltrators in American government.

We carry our gravedigger's worms in ourselves. They are always there, ready to feast on a self destructive society and they furnish an argument for diversity, tolerance, and nonviolence.

Having said all the above, I personally have had a lower opinion of the Trumplicans than ever of any American party in my lifetime. I used to say simply that Republicans are evil and Democrats are cowards, and the American people will go for evil over cowardice in an election. I think the Reps cornered the market on both of those commodities, while the Democrats kind of lost themselves in terminal 'improvement' of the human condition which scared the rest of us, many into the Rep refuge.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 24 - 06:56 PM

Robo, I'm aware of the works you mention, they touch on the megalomania of the personality in the GOP, but the Lewis novel is disturbing in how complex the dystopian world he created and how it evolves. Good thing there wasn't WiFi or smart phones back then or keeping under the radar would have been much more difficult.

I heard a lovely story this morning from Faith Salie on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me; her then nine-year-old daughter saw a photo that her grandmother had taken with Bill Clinton. When Faith told the daughter who was in the photo, she answered "you mean Hillary's husband?" Hillary was a guest on the radio show today, and Faith said she originally told that story to Bill when she met him recently, and he thought it was funny (hard on the ego, but we're talking about a nine-year-old, not born when he was pres.) Hillary thought it was great!

Meanwhile, here in the US we're looking ahead to next week's Democratic National Convention. From Politico: Behind the Scenes at the DNC: Controlled Chaos and ‘Death Stares’
We helped run the podium at past conventions. Here’s what the Harris-Walz team is facing. It ain’t always pretty.

Trump thinks Monday night's speech is a bad gig for Biden; Trump isn't the best judge of what is good for the Democratic party, so we'll just pass on his observations. He'll probably spew his vitriol from the cheap seats on Truth Social or X all week.

An interesting paragraph in that Politico story:

For all but a small handful of speakers, we treat this as the “wedding guest” rule; it ain’t about you. You have to say what the candidate wants. This is not an easy message to deliver to a senator or House member. We still have nightmares about Harry Reid’s death stares, Maxine Waters’ death threats and one governor who told us to “stop busting his balls.” We’ve had to have uncomfortable conversations, like when we had to tell former Rep. Barney Frank in 2012 that because of his pronunciation challenges, his speech comparing “Mitt Romney” to the “myth of Romney” all sounded like “Miff Romney.” Or when we told a twentysomething actress that, as adamant as she was, her friends from her struggling days surely didn’t depend on Medicare; she probably meant Medicaid.

Do people go rogue? They have. In 2004, Al Sharpton couldn’t have been more agreeable — submitted a draft, rehearsed it, and then got up on stage and pulled an entirely different speech out of his pocket.

It promises to be interesting. I won't watch much of it, except for some of the evening ("Prime Time") activities.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: robomatic
Date: 17 Aug 24 - 07:50 PM

Aside from missing WWDTM today because we had a fantastic Summer day and I was pulling weeds (that are also trees) at a park across town, I have a more jaundiced view of the Dems. I'd heard the Hilary's husband story. But I also remember Bill's endorsement for her during the 2016 convention which I thought was so self serving it buried the lead. Other than a few of those kinds of stories I kind of like that folks like Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Maxine Waters, and others kind of outrage the opposition. Al Sharpton is a long time guttersnipe, but he is in the American guttersnipe tradition. You have to deal with 'em as you find 'em. And another interesting book that interprets some of these folks would be Tom Wolfe's very excellent and discomforting "Bonfire of the Vanities." He had an Al Sharpton character in there.
Anotther book that is even less relevant to our politics of the day but is sort of relevant to the politics it came from is "The Chester A. Arthur Conspiracy." The premise to that one is too wild to mention here, it is Americn political fiction but it does purport to bring to life some unsavory American politicians who really lived and breathed.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 24 - 09:56 PM

That Chester Arthur book is a another work of fiction - I've never heard of Wiegand, and the blurb sounds rather improbable. Sinclair Lewis was a really gifted writer and that makes a difference, he studied human nature. And I must agree with you, your descriptions do exhibit a jaundiced view of the party. Sorry about that.

We'll see if there are previews of the Democratic Convention week to come on Sunday.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 17 Aug 24 - 11:45 PM

My Hubby sent me this cartoon:

Trump is still obsessed with the size of his crowds | Sheneman

I went searching for it with no luck but he then sent me the link.

While searching I also found this one:

COVID crowds

Take us back four years and every second member of the crowd is a COVID virus.

There were a lot more Trump cartoons out there if you are looking for some light relief.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Aug 24 - 03:39 AM

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgl2xjxlz3xo Source BBC

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Aug 24 - 05:00 AM

one of the best sources of Trump cartoons is Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury - he has compiled 4 volumes of his cartoons, & a 5th is planned!

I first discovered his cartoons in the 80s when one of our papers ran them, & I've bought several of his books over the decades, including the first volume -

30 Years of Doonesbury on Trump, New York Times Bestseller
He tried to warn us. Ever since the release of the first Trump-for-President trial balloon in 1987, Doonesbury's Garry Trudeau has tirelessly tracked and highlighted the unsavory career of the most unqualified candidate to ever aspire to the White House. It's all there--the hilarious narcissism, the schoolyard bullying, the loathsome misogyny, the breathtaking ignorance; and a good portion of the Doonesbury cast has been tangled up in it. Join Duke, Honey, Earl, J.J., Mike, Mark, Roland, Boopsie, B.D., Sal, Alice, Elmont, Sid, Zonker, Sam, Bernie, Rev. Sloan, and even the Red Rascal as they cross storylines with the big, orange airhorn who's giving the GOP such fits.

Garry Trudeau is the "sleazeball" "third-rate talent" who draws the "overrated" comic strip Doonesbury, which "very few people read." He lives in New York City with his wife Jane Pauley, who "has far more talent than he has." (quotes from guess who!)

the strip - note only the Sunday strips are current, all other dates are archival

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 18 Aug 24 - 03:51 PM

I watched an interview on an Oz TV show called 60 Minutes last night about this:

Donald Trump's Nephew Fred C. Trump III Set to Release Tell-All Memoir About Trump Family

Like his sister Mary, Fred Trump is now publicly speaking out about his uncle Donald Trump and also campaigning for disability rights because his son was born with epilepsy and has disabilities as a consequence.

Fred Trump said that Donald Trump told him to let his son die. If you thought you had heard the worst from Donald Trump before this, this one takes it to a new, even worse level.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 24 - 04:22 PM

We have a similar 60 Minutes that has been around for decades. And when Mary Trump wrote her first book about Donald she discussed the family history and what happened to her nephew, that the Donald and his sibs decided to stop paying the insurance for the family, for all of the worse reasons.

I mentioned before, there is typically a quiet period in the campaigning when each of the parties holds their convention. Something tells me that won't be the case this week, Trump hates for the attention to be turned away from him.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 18 Aug 24 - 05:00 PM

Yes, I was fairly sure that there is a US show related to 60 Minutes. I watch it very rarely, unless I see that something interesting is coming up. It seems to be balanced reporting, I think.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Aug 24 - 05:25 PM

Well, for amusement read this article about D.T's appearance in Bloom County... with cartoons.
Cat with Trump's brain

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 24 - 12:22 PM

Choices, choices . . . where to share this. Here or in the Trump trials thread.

Prosecutors defer to judge on Trump sentencing delay in hush money case
Trump’s lawyers argue they won't have enough time to properly pursue an appeal before his sentencing if the judge rejects Trump’s motion to dismiss the verdict.

This is all about the election, but it is also all about his criminal case - he hopes if he wins he can defer anything Merchan might impose on him.

It seems all the more critical that Trump receive a sentence. In a simple sense of fair play - for example - if former stockbroker Martha Stewart (I say that to show the magazine magnate knew better) had to do real prison time for erasing an inappropriate stock move, Trump needs to do real time for his crap.

The DA will defer to the judge. Puts a lot more pressure on the judge, but I hope he's up to it.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 19 Aug 24 - 07:24 PM

US intelligence officials say Iran is to blame for hack of Donald Trump's presidential campaign

"The US intelligence community has said that Iran is to blame for the hack of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

"The joint statement from the FBI and other federal agencies was the first formal attribution of the hack to a foreign entity, though the Trump campaign had previously said Iran was responsible.

"They said Iran perceived this year's presidential election to be particularly consequential and was determined through the hacking operation and other activities to interfere in American politics and 'to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions'."

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 24 - 08:27 PM

The store of intelligence in the Trump campaign and the GOP is bankrupt. Iraq trying to hack both campaigns is a puzzle, they're likely to get better treatment from the Democrats, to possibly try to restore the status as it was before Trump went into office.

The convention is firing up now, union speakers on stage and it'll lead up to people introducing Biden and in turn his speaking about a lot of things consequential to him as well as to supporting Harris. I expect this to be unlike any keynote speech than we've ever heard at one of these conventions. Twenty years ago it was young senator Barack Obama who gave the keynote speech at the 2004 convention in Boston, MA. That was the stepping off point for him; ears perked up and talk of a presidential run started at that moment. Tonight will offer the capstone of a 50-year career. An interesting contrast and quite the set of bookends for the Obama and Biden administrations.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 01:30 AM

Good speeches tonight. Probably scared the crap out of Trump.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 02:05 AM

A crap-free Trump - now that is a worthy goal to aim for! :-D

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Neil D
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 02:13 AM

God how I love that man.
I just watched President Biden's speech at the Democratic convention and I'm still in tears, from watching the farewell of the greatest president in my lifetime. (I go back to JFK) Ignore the GOP propaganda. This country is SO much better off than the horror show of 4 years ago. From record high unemployment to record low unemployment. From a democratic republic on the verge of implosion to a more secure democracy. And after a really long tough battle against inflation, caused mostly by Trump's bungled COVID response, it has been flattened out and is beginning to roll back. Infrastructure is being repaired, maintained and built. On the world stage he has repaired the damage done to our relationship with our allies by Trump. He has bolstered NATO and seen it expand. His leadership is the main reason that an independent Ukraine still exists.
After four years of achievement this remarkable man, because of some perceived loss of cognitive ability (I would point out that he just spoke for over an hour without a teleprompter), stepped aside for the good of the country. I would rank this sacrifice with Washington refusing the crown and stepping down after two terms.
Joe Biden is the great statesman that Trump can never be;
The world leader that Trump can never be;
The empathetic communicator that Trump can never be;
The faithful husband (50 years with Jill) that Trump (3 wives and countless concubines) can never be:
The decent human that Trump can never be.
His like shall never pass our way again.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 02:32 AM

Cheers to that, Neil D!

I saw the last bit of his speech and I had tears and it's not even my country. His achievements should be celebrated.

I think there is definitely a glimmer of hope for the future now.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 04:28 AM

Article in The Register:

OpenAI kills Iranian accounts using ChatGPT to write US election disinfo

[....] Despite being posted on several websites, however, the influence operation "does not appear to have achieved meaningful audience engagement," according to a Friday alert.

The first comment on the article suggests why:

The problem any AI is going to have spreading disinformation in the US election is that they will be competing with Musk and Trump

In fact it maybe an useful test of sentience when the LLM just returns "bugger this, you lot are just too crazy, I'm going back to creating 12 fingered porn pics"

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 12:08 PM

There are some recent political and social movements that contributed to the events of this week. The #MeToo movement spoke out loud and brought a lot of serial preditors down (it snagged a few Good ol' boys also, and most of them are still ok - there was some discernment that happened as that movement grew). The MeToo movement is what snagged Donald Trump (it generated a new law in NY State that allowed the decades old case by E. Jean Carroll to go forward.) George Floyd was murdered on video and his murderers were charged and convicted. That happened under Trump's watch and he wanted the National Guard to shoot protesters in the legs. And Roe V. Wade was overturned, thanks to Trump and McConnell. At this point in time you have angry women fully engaged and many men who are their allies, and the families and friends of dead Black men and women feeling some effect of a shift in the treatment of cops who kill (still way too often and with impunity). The goal is to get cops to stop killing unarmed civilians; if they keep it up, the goal is to imprison them for the crime they commit. The ultimate goal is to keep people out of prison in the first place and keep them from returning if imprisonment happens. Kamala was working on a plan like this as the Attorney General in California.

Last night was about the entire population; it wasn't another convention featuring White men's view of the political landscape as it has always gone before. Obama was an asterisk there, but still a man. Now, women are front and center, talking about women's issues as human issues (as Hillary said when she was first lady: "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights") now on full display at the convention and have a strong voice.

It was a barn-burner of a speech by Biden; the fact that several people shed tears last night was a good thing. Crockett's story about Harris, who she had never met, taking a look at her and asking "what's wrong?" went a long way to show Harris' ability to build people up and send them forward stronger. There is nothing in the Trump DNA that could ever build up anyone except his children and his personal bank account. And even then, some of his children are more equal in his eyes than others.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 02:21 PM

The speech made me wonder:
What if Biden had been in that good form for the debate?

He might still be the nominee. Whether that would have been better or worse is a matter of speculation. However, it worked out that the Democratic party has come together with enthusiasm like I've seldom seen, not even with Obama. Couple it with the Republicans in their strategy of 'blindfolded circular firing squad', and the outlooks promising. If the down-ballot races also get similar results, Kamala might be able to really roll!

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 04:49 PM

I had that same thought. I suspect with the current configuration the coattails will do more heavy lifting.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: Helen
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 05:23 PM

Yes, watching Pres Biden's face in his speech, the animation and positivity, the lack of stress and fatigue, I think a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. I think he probably felt obliged to fight against the imminent threat of Trump but the thought of that battle was draining his energy. Now that the battle is in Kamala Harris's hands with Tim Walz at her side, I think Biden can throw his considerable support behind them with more strength and cautious optimism.

Subject: RE: BS: American Presidential race 2024
From: gillymor
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 06:12 PM

Right, Bill, but I don't think we could risk another debate performance like the one that did him in. The stakes are too high. Us seniors have good days and bad days.
I didn't watch the doin's last night but I watched the highlights on Morning Joe and apparently President Biden gave a powerful and gracious speech and one line that stood out for me, among many, is “Now, the murder rate is falling faster than at any time in history. Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level of more than 50 years. And crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon.”