Trump II

[dreed]

When everything else fails, blame Russia.
...

If there weren't connections and facts that support links to Russia then it wouldn't be possible to blame Russia.

As they say, where there's smoke, there's fire.

"Russia" has already claimed its first scalp.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

If there weren't connections and facts that support links to Russia then it wouldn't be possible to blame Russia....

About that (from another reputable source, for some):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-reviewed-flynns-calls-with-russian-ambassador-but-found-nothing-illicit/2017/01/23/aa83879a-e1ae-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html?utm_term=.6beb7c33ad9d

FBI reviewed Flynn’s calls with Russian ambassador but found nothing illicit

Then again, FBI has already been discredited as a reputable source, right?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

If there weren't connections and facts that support links to Russia then it wouldn't be possible to blame Russia.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/rasputin-hack-universities-government-agencies,news-54867.html

Cheers,
Bart

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

15-year olds from all over the world, Norway, USA, and, yes, Russia, have hacked NASA, Dept. of Defense, CIA Director, etc. Does anyone believe it happens only at Putin's request or with his permission?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

https://www.facebook.com/jookosnews/videos/10154624242593277/

New Hampshire Poll workers explaining how to illegally vote in the state. This, of course, doesn't prove that it actually happened on a massive scale, just that it is easily possible.

[Schewe]

https://www.facebook.com/jookosnews/videos/10154624242593277/

Yeah well, are you honestly saying you follow Jookos News? Seriously?

Here's a run down of some of their recent news items:

LYING LIBERAL MEDIA / BUSINESSES / POLITICIANS: YOU ARE ON NOTICE. This is your One and Only Warning. Change. Or Else!

Former CIA Operative, Evan McMullin calls Trump an “Enemy of the State,” NSA Analyst Vows to ‘Go Nuclear” says Trump “Will die In Jail”

FED UP! Driver Plows through a Group of Los Angeles Pipeline Protesters Attempting to Hold them Hostage by Blocking Traffic

Has the Obama Admin ALREADY Committed Acts of Treason? Evidence Says Yes, MULTIPLE TIMES!

Starbucks Stocks STILL Plummeting after CEO Vows the Hire 10,000 Migrants & Illegals while Bashing Customers for Causing ‘Congestion’

But wait, you reference a jookos new article about Project Veritas Action. Oh, ok...so James O'Keefe must be a reliable source, right? Well...from the wiki page:
"James Edward O'Keefe III (born June 28, 1984) is an American conservative political activist. He produces secretly recorded undercover audio and video encounters, some of which he then edits in order to misrepresent persons as having said things they did not say, with figures and workers in academic, governmental and social service organizations, purporting to show abusive or allegedly illegal behavior by employees and/or representatives of those organizations. He gained national attention for his video recordings of workers at ACORN offices in 2009, his arrest and guilty plea in 2010 for entering the federal office of then-U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) under false pretenses, and the release of videos of conversations with two high-ranking, now former, NPR executives in 2011"

So, this is the source of news and information that is the basis of your world view? This is your echo chamber?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Yeah well, are you honestly saying you follow Jookos News? Seriously?...

Here we go again. A media version of ad hominem, i.e., attack the source, not the news.

It is a video, Jeff.

Doesn't really matter who recorded it and who published it. See it with your own eyes. Besides, the veracity of the statements in the video is confirmed by the very article you quoted (as a reliable source) about New Hampshire voter fraud (i.e., that you can vote there just by claiming you intend to stay there).

Which reminds me of an old joke, about husband who walks into the bedroom and finds his wife in bed with another man:

- "OMG, you are cheating on me!"
- "No, I am not"
- "What do you mean, I can see it with my own eyes?"
- "Who do you trust more, your eyes or your beloved wife?"


P.S. I do not follow Jookos News. Never heard of them, actually. These things appear in my Facebook feed. Contrary to many here and on FB, I do not un-friend people with different political views, who are otherwise on my friends list. In reality, my FB feed is typically inundated with posts from my liberal friends.

[Alan Goldhammer]

P.S. I do not follow Jookos News. Never heard of them, actually. These things appear in my Facebook feed.

Another great reason never to sign up for Facebook!   It's surprising to me how many people rely on various Facebook feeds for their news and for a lot of them (both left and right) it's just more confirmation bias.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Another great reason never to sign up for Facebook!   It's surprising to me how many people rely on various Facebook feeds for their news and for a lot of them (both left and right) it's just more confirmation bias.

Well said!

[Schewe]

These things appear in my Facebook feed.

Which is part of the problem of where people get their news and info.

JookosNews is the epitome of "fake news". "LYING LIBERAL MEDIA / BUSINESSES / POLITICIANS: YOU ARE ON NOTICE. This is your One and Only Warning. Change. Or Else!" Really? a news source that threatens the liberal media, businesses and politicians? Who is the liberal media? It seems everybody other than Fox News and Breitbart are the liberal lying media...

Doesn't really matter who recorded it and who published it. See it with your own eyes.

As for the video...so here's the problem with that..James O'Keefe and Project Veritas produces secretly recorded undercover audio and video encounters, some of which he then edits in order to misrepresent persons as having said things they did not say. The video, due to the lack of credibility of the producers, is bunk. I don't believe anything that James O'Keefe and Project Veritas produces...he has zero credibility and is also emblematic of the problem of "fake news".

If people accept, at face value, the crackpot ravings of lunatics and alt-right radicals then our society is bound to come apart. The Trump reality and the realities of those who rabidly support him are so far from mainstream society that it's impossible to have a real debate and discussion. When we can't even agree on basic facts, there is nothing we'll ever be able to agree on. That's why we can't let the 27% dictate to the rest of society...

[Alan Klein]

The very people who accuse Trump of being unhinged are acting unhinged themselves accusing him of being mentally insane, crazy, the devil incarnate, etc.  Calm down.  He's already dropped so many of his hyperbolic campaign promises.
1. Japan should get nuclear weapons.  Now, he reiterated our old policy where we defend Japan under the security arrangement we had before.
2. All illegals must leave.  Now it's only those that have committed felonies, the same policy Obama followed.  He said that his heart won't allow him to deport those that have been here with their families.  So there's going to be some immigration legislation that's going to allow most illegals to stay.
3. "What do we need NATO for?  The Soviet Union does not exist anymore"  Now, he's reiterated his support for NATO although his still wants the other countries to pay their fair share that they agreed too, something every new administration has been saying for years.
4. A two China policy is a good thing.  Now he's dropped that although I think he should have gotten something from Red China for that.
5.  He's agreed to work with Britain in the Brexit issues.
6. He wanted to block all Muslims.  Now, after the lousy rollout of his first executive order, he wants to block new visas in certain dangerous countries until we can develop new vetting procedures, a reasonable approach.
7.  He wanted to get rid of Obamacare.  Now he just wants to replace it with something better not go back to no universal health care.  Basically he's just improving it.  Obama will be very satisfied once it's done.
8. He was going to build a wall and Mexico will pay for it.  Well, we'll see what he actually does.  Maybe some additional fencing here and there. 
9. He's going to apply import duties on foreign goods and taxes for those who move offshore.  That's not going to happen even he really thinks it's a good idea which I'm not sure of.  I doubt if the Republican congress will go along except maybe a little bit.
10. He's going to reduce business and individual taxes.  That will happen but maybe not so much because conservative Republicans are too concerned about debt.
11. He's thrown the Israel/Palestinian settlement back to them letting them figure out what they want to do.  Actually this will put pressure on the Palestinians because they may see the two-state solution disappearing.  Actually there's not much America can do either way anyway as nothing much has happened in 60 years.  So his policy is really beside the point which is reflected in the position he took.

My point is you may not agree with all his policies but none of them are really that far out of what we have been doing for decades.  So relax.  Don't be bitter.  You'll get a heart attack.

[Schewe]

The very people who accuse Trump of being unhinged are acting unhinged themselves accusing him of being mentally insane, crazy, the devil incarnate, etc.  Calm down.

So, did you actually listen to the entire Trump press conference?

President Trump's full press conference

Fine-tuned machine?

SNAFU comes to mind.

Bitter? I'm not bitter, I'm really worried. The US government is in chaos...and Trump is enjoying himself. Off to MAR-A-LAGO again to hold a campaign event in airplane hangar in Melbourne, Florida. Wow...Trump to Celebrate Rough Week With Florida Rally on Saturday.

So, rather than actually governing, he's running for president again after less than 1 month in office? Does he crave the adulation of the crowds so much? Of course he does...actually sitting in the Oval Office and working doesn't seem to be what Trump thinks a president is supposed to do.

[Schewe]

...it's just more confirmation bias.

Interesting, I've not really studied confirmation bias. This article in psychologytoday.com is interesting: What Is Confirmation Bias? Wishful Thinking

From the article: "Confirmation bias occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. When people would like a certain idea/concept to be true, they end up believing it to be true. They are motivated by wishful thinking. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far confirms the views (prejudices) one would like to be true."

So, in the echo chamber of being feed news and info that is designed to fit into your existing beliefs, you can be influenced to accept things that objectively aren't true...

I've found (but not yet read) Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg wrote a 6,000-word letter addressing fake news and saving the world. Here's a link direct to the letter: Building Global Community.

Somehow we need to live in a shared universe where our realities at least contain some level of agreed upon facts.

[Alan Klein]

The US government is not in chaos.  He's been president less than a month. He's still getting his cabinet approved.  Did you figure out that new camera's menu right away?  He's a fast learner. 

He's using tweets and rallies as his bully pulpit.  Also this last news conference.   All Presidents use some form of bully pulpit.  Some had fireside chats. Others made speeches on TV. He's not much of an inspiring speaker like Obama because he doesn't have the smoothness of a politician.  (Hillary was pretty bad too but she was very good t speaking out of both sides of her mouth.)  He's a plain talker who connects with his supporters.  He's actually dropped a lot of the vitriol and cursing since being sworn in.  But he is from New York and grew up in the construction trade.   He uses the methods that work for him.    He does love himself.  But so did Obama.  Did you ever see how he would strut around with that glare of superiority?  Let's face it.  So have to be a narcissist to become President.  But he's not unhinged or nuts.

[Schewe]

But he's not unhinged or nuts.

Did you see the entire news conference?

[Schewe]

The US government is not in chaos.

Hum...Trump's team in disarray, U.S. Senator McCain tells Europe.

So, fake news when a GOP leader (who admittedly hates Trump) "broke with the reassuring message that U.S. officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in "disarray"."

Yeah, keep telling yourself everything is ok...

[Alan Klein]

Did you see the entire news conference?

Most of it.  Didn't seem nuts to me.  He did seem to be having a great time beating up the press who beats him up.  Maybe you're suffering from Confirmation Bias. 

[Alan Klein]

Hum...Trump's team in disarray, U.S. Senator McCain tells Europe.

So, fake news when a GOP leader (who admittedly hates Trump) "broke with the reassuring message that U.S. officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in "disarray"."

Yeah, keep telling yourself everything is ok...

Like you stated, McCain hates Trump.  So why quote him?  He's suffering from Confirmation Bias.  He's ticked off what Trump said about him when he was a prisoner-of-war.  I would be too if I were him. He's also ticked that Trump became President when he couldn't.  On the other hand, he's a Republican and this is the first time in a long  time that both the Presidency and Congress are from his party.  So he's got to be careful he doesn't shoot himself in the foot. 

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... As for the video...so here's the problem with that....The video, due to the lack of credibility of the producers, is bunk...

It is a video, Jeff. Did you see it?

Lips are moving, producing words that you can hear. Furthermore, what they are saying just confirms what that news article you quoted earlier was saying.

so far from mainstream society

If by "mainstream" you mean majority, that majority (as defined by the current electoral rules) elected him. If by "mainstream" you mean "people who agree with me," than you might be right (i.e., left).

That's why we can't let the 27% dictate to the rest of society...

Forgetting that it would be also 27% if Hillary won? Then no election in the history of the U.S. would be legitimate, according to you, right?

[HSakols]

No this is about a man who calls an apple an orange when we all know he is wrong.  It is about common sense.  His agenda does not embrace the values of true democracy.   This is about civil liberties and rights and a defining moment in our country.   People must speak out or else it will become OK.