Donald Trump Presidency discussion Thread VIII (threadbanned users listed in OP)

Water John

Bozacke wrote: »

Totally disgusting, during the Amy Coney Barrett hearing, Lyndsey Graham is bragging about all the time he spends on the golf course with Trump. Knowing Graham’s track record, as soon as Trump is out, he’ll be saying he hardly knew him.

Mod Snip

Let's not..

aloyisious

banie01 wrote: »

Don made bold claims regarding immunity last night.
Took risks with the crowd and close contact.

I hope no one there (Don included) finds themselves regretting that based on recent reporting via BBC from the Lancet.



Its as if the Universe waits for Don to make a statement, then boom! You're WRONG!

Walking around my home town today I came across a HSE notice about the virus posted for public information. The top two sentences are worth noting when it comes to Trump's statement on his health following his virus antibody treatment.

Tell me how

Tell me how wrote: »

Remember back when Trump was on about Blue states being the ones to poorly handle Covid?


https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1315856349964759040?s=19

Migrated south for the winter

Foxtrol

Foxtrol wrote: »

I somewhat disagree with your position.

The media have a job to do to call bullsh1t on what Trump is saying and doing. Trump is likely still getting the benefits of the steroids he was on and is still likely shedding the disease to those around him. To ignore it is potentially putting the lives of viewers in peril, for those that decide to follow Trumps lead and go out while sick to 'not let it dominate' them.

Yes, doctor

Foxtrol

Foxtrol wrote: »

It is working off the thinking that zero drop off boxes is the baseline, so reducing them to one per county is still more than the zero they originally had.

Below is a good thread about all the problems there are with the judgement

https://twitter.com/JoshuaADouglas/status/1315887566638415873?s=20

That sounds mad. How many were there in each county before?

Water John

One county went from 12 down to 1. It's like having one drop box for an area the size of Munster.

aloyisious

Foxtrol wrote: »

It is working off the thinking that zero drop off boxes is the baseline, so reducing them to one per county is still more than the zero they originally had.

Below is a good thread about all the problems there are with the judgement

https://twitter.com/JoshuaADouglas/status/1315887566638415873?s=20

Yes, an increase from zero drop-boxes per county to one per county is an improvement in truth. It'd be nice to know where the staffers who were with the original intended number of boxes were re-deployed, if they were hired in the first place. I'm not able to open the twitter posts.

Water John

Water John wrote: »

One county went from 12 down to 1. It's like having one drop box for an area the size of Munster.

But did some go from none to one?

Foxtrol

Water John wrote: »

One county went from 12 down to 1. It's like having one drop box for an area the size of Munster.

The area isn't so much a problem with area than the density.

People in rural areas may have to drive to their local polling station on election day but there will be little to no wait in either early voting or on election day.

On the other hand the impact to highly dense city areas is much worse in both situations, as there is higher demand

aloyisious

Deleted User wrote: »

But did some go from none to one?

This link might explain the Harris County, Texas, position on drop boxes. https://www.laprogressive.com/ballot-drop-boxes/

aloyisious

aloyisious wrote: »

This link might explain the Harris County, Texas, position on drop boxes. https://www.laprogressive.com/ballot-drop-boxes/

Appreciate the link, but it doesn't answer. These boxes are addition to voting stations also?

Water John

I don't care what different methods are deployed. Any free and fair democratic election should create enough options that everyone can vote without either a delay or be inconvenienced and more importantly now no increased health risk. Any person believing in a democracy should calling for all options to increase to a level to facilitate what I've set out above.

aloyisious

Deleted User wrote: »

Appreciate the link, but it doesn't answer. These boxes are addition to voting stations also?

Yes. Extra to the USPS mail-in facility boxes as well as you can drive-up and drop it directly into the box without getting out of the car, from what the present-day images of people dropping off their ballot paper show just the clerk registering your vote at the box.

brooke 2

20Cent wrote: »

"I feel so powerful, I'll walk into that audience. I'll walk in there, I'll kiss everyone in that audience," Trump said yesterday. "I'll kiss the guys and the beautiful women and the -- everybody. I'll just give everybody a big, fat kiss."

Reminds me of my clubbing days.
High as a kite.

Yuck! Double yuck!! Just imagine a big, fat, slobbery kiss from that oaf!! :eek:

What a display from the President of the USA. Revolting human being. :mad:

Water John

They'll have to keep him on Dexamethasone until election day. That behaviour is unnatural.

Foxtrol

Water John wrote: »

They'll have to keep him on Dexamethasone until election day. That behaviour is unnatural.

Wouldn't be surprised if he tries to stay on it for the rest of his life. Their family has a long history of addiction, with Donald having his own rumored addiction to Adderall.

Capt'n Midnight

aloyisious wrote: »

Fox News reporting that the appeals court had put a hold on a federal court ruling that the GOP Governor's order restricting Texas state counties to only one [1] box per county was unlawful. Harris county with 2.5 million residents only one drop-in box for those who want to use it instead of queueing at a voting centre next month.

Don't forget the rural voters.

Northern Ireland is 14,130 km²

Brewster County is 16,040 km² and Alpine is a two hour drive from the bottom of the county. And a two hour drive back on top of any queueing.

aloyisious

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Don't forget the rural voters.

Northern Ireland is 14,130 km²

Brewster County is 16,040 km² and Alpine is a two hour drive from the bottom of the county. And a two hour drive back on top of any queueing.

It seems that is exactly what Trump and the GOP in multiple states are trying to effect; a simple blunt use of legal trickery to hinder and deny voters all over the states access to the ballot box - the fact that GOP voters will also inevitably fall victim to it doesn't matter to Trump & Co.

Spanish Eyes

Wonder how Melania is doing? Bet she is enjoying quarantine from yer man anyway. Who could blame her.

But she did marry him for his charm and good looks after all.

Professor Moriarty

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Wonder how Melania is doing? Bet she is enjoying quarantine from yer man anyway. Who could blame her.

But she did marry him for his charm and good looks after all.

She also had Covid-19.

Spanish Eyes

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

She also had Covid-19.

Yes I know, but apparently no one else knows or cares eitherway. It is all about Donald Duck.

I doubt he had the virus myself. But who knows if it was a drama manufactured for the election.

Sad that so many in the WH have it, he doesn't care anyway.

StringerBell

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Yes I know, but apparently no one else knows or cares eitherway. It is all about Donald Duck.

I doubt he had the virus myself. But who knows if it was a drama manufactured for the election.

Sad that so many in the WH have it, he doesn't care anyway.

Re Melania, I'm reminded of that jacket she chose to wear during the whole kids in cages blowback. Sums up my own feelings really.

For the rest of the WH staffers who are contracting it, for the most part I think it's a case of you reap what you sow. I'm sure there are some unfortunate cases there, collateral damage so to speak but the majority of them deserve no sympathy.

Water John

ACB visibly uncomfortable at the visceration of her rushed nomination in order to strike down Obmacare being outlined by Kamala Harris.

Character Building

This could be very interesting

Spanish Eyes

StringerBell wrote: »

Re Melania, I'm reminded of that jacket she chose to wear during the whole kids in cages blowback. Sums up my own feelings really.

For the rest of the WH staffers who are contracting it, for the most part I think it's a case of you reap what you sow. I'm sure there are some unfortunate cases there, collateral damage so to speak but the majority of them deserve no sympathy.

The "I really don't care" jacket

And no one cared either really. Despicable.

Manic Moran

Deleted User wrote: »

What kind of a f**ked up world are we living in when George W. Bush looks exceptionally humble, polite and dare i say it statesman-like compared to the current Commander in Chief?

One in which our perceptions of reality are clouded by our opinions on things.

You won't find many people on either side of the political aisle who actually met with and worked with him who did not find Bush to be a polite, intelligent, humble and statesmanlike guy. You may have noticed that he gets on quite well, socially, with the Obamas, for example, though they certainly don't have to. (Much as Scalia and Ginsburg were great friends, despite being ideological opposites on the Supreme Court).

I'm not sure quite why political differences from behind keyboards insist in conflating the policy choices of the officeholder with the nature of the person. "He's a Republican, he started the 2003 Iraq war, therfore he must be...."

You want to know why we're in such a f**ked up world? It's because we've let political polarisation become the lens through which we view absolutely everything. Sometimes it's accurate (eg Trump not being very statesmanlike), but sometimes it's just prejudice.

Manic Moran

Deleted User wrote: »

That sounds mad. How many were there in each county before?

Normally, zero. Because of the COVID problem, the State (more specifically, the Governor, to the concern of one of the Fifth Circuit judges today) expanded voting options for this election, which also allowed for early drop offs, which are the subject of the current dispute.

For this election, few of the 254 had more than one. I don't know if any had zero. I'm in Bexar county, pop about 2mn, we only had one planned. Tarrant county, 2.1mn had one. Dallas county, pop 2.4mn had one (After the governor's order to restrict, Dallas came out saying "Actually, we were planning on adding more" but there was no indication prior to that, and local news articles were saying there would be no effect.) Travis County, pop 1.3mn had two. Both were downtown a few blocks from each other. (Technically four, but three were all different entrances to the same parking structure). Fort Bend (800k) and Galveston (300k) also had more than one.

Really, only Harris county was notably affected with its 12 drop-offs. Pop 4.1mn, in 4,600km2.

Texas is not a vote-by-mail-friendly state. If you're eligible to vote by mail, it's because you are considered to have difficulty getting to a polling station (eg you're infirmed, elderly, out of state student, that sort of thing). So, for example, if you're in the Army and assigned to Ft Wainwright, Alaska, you can get your vote by mail ballot, but you won't be likely dropping it off at the drop box in your home county in Texas no matter how many boxes are around, or if you're in a nursing home, you won't be popping into your car to go drop it off either. So the numbers involved simply don't normally justify much effort in having many drop-boxes. Obviously Harris County disagrees (though with only 12 locations, folks will still need to travel). In any case, if you really do not trust the US postal service, and want to physically hand in your ballot, you can do so on election day at any of the polling sites in your county (In my county, that's 600 locations. I can also vote at any of the 600 locations I choose). We have over 1.1mn registered voters in Bexar county, so far we have a record number of mail-in ballots sent out, 97,000. So of those 97,000, how many are not going to just stick a stamp on their ballot and put it into the mailbox, and instead make the journey to a drop-box, and also be unable or unwilling to make that journey on election day, and all choose to make that trip around the same time on the same day? That's the level of effect we're talking about here.

So in the big scheme of things, it really is of limited effect. That said, the argument about security doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense either from my limited understanding, so I'm really not sure why this is a major issue for either party.

Full legal reasoning from the Fifth Circuit is here. http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/20/20-50867-CV0.pdf
Perhaps a relevant quote: “As we have explained, the October 1 Proclamation was part of an expansion of absentee voting opportunities beyond what the Texas Election Code provided. The fact that this expansion is not as broad as Plaintiffs would wish does not mean that it has illegally limited their voting rights.“

looksee

You want to know why we're in such a f**ked up world? It's because we've let political polarisation become the lens through which we view absolutely everything. Sometimes it's accurate (eg Trump not being very statesmanlike), but sometimes it's just prejudice.

I really don't care what flavour the US is, in general I could not tell you what side any of the presidents were apart from Obama, and he dates from within the time I started taking an interest. What I do care about is Presidents being statesman-like enough to deal with other world leaders and provide sufficient stability that the rest of the world doesn't have to worry about them. Trump is not just 'not very' statesmanlike, he is the very antithesis of it. He is stupid and dangerous, he does not realise he is up against intelligent and dangerous in some of the other world leaders he variously fawns over, flatters, insults, dismisses or condescends to so freely and thoughtlessly.

Christy42

Manic Moran wrote: »

Normally, zero. Because of the COVID problem, the State (more specifically, the Governor, to the concern of one of the Fifth Circuit judges today) expanded voting options for this election, which also allowed for early drop offs, which are the subject of the current dispute.

For this election, few of the 254 had more than one. I don't know if any had zero. I'm in Bexar county, pop about 2mn, we only had one planned. Tarrant county, 2.1mn had one. Dallas county, pop 2.4mn had one (After the governor's order to restrict, Dallas came out saying "Actually, we were planning on adding more" but there was no indication prior to that, and local news articles were saying there would be no effect.) Travis County, pop 1.3mn had two. Both were downtown a few blocks from each other. (Technically four, but three were all different entrances to the same parking structure). Fort Bend (800k) and Galveston (300k) also had more than one.

Really, only Harris county was notably affected with its 12 drop-offs. Pop 4.1mn, in 4,600km2.

Texas is not a vote-by-mail-friendly state. If you're eligible to vote by mail, it's because you are considered to have difficulty getting to a polling station (eg you're infirmed, elderly, out of state student, that sort of thing). So, for example, if you're in the Army and assigned to Ft Wainwright, Alaska, you can get your vote by mail ballot, but you won't be likely dropping it off at the drop box in your home county in Texas no matter how many boxes are around, or if you're in a nursing home, you won't be popping into your car to go drop it off either. So the numbers involved simply don't normally justify much effort in having many drop-boxes. Obviously Harris County disagrees (though with only 12 locations, folks will still need to travel). In any case, if you really do not trust the US postal service, and want to physically hand in your ballot, you can do so on election day at any of the polling sites in your county (In my county, that's 600 locations. I can also vote at any of the 600 locations I choose). We have over 1.1mn registered voters in Bexar county, so far we have a record number of mail-in ballots sent out, 97,000. So of those 97,000, how many are not going to just stick a stamp on their ballot and put it into the mailbox, and instead make the journey to a drop-box, and also be unable or unwilling to make that journey on election day, and all choose to make that trip around the same time on the same day? That's the level of effect we're talking about here.

So in the big scheme of things, it really is of limited effect. That said, the argument about security doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense either from my limited understanding, so I'm really not sure why this is a major issue for either party.

Full legal reasoning from the Fifth Circuit is here. http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/20/20-50867-CV0.pdf
Perhaps a relevant quote: “As we have explained, the October 1 Proclamation was part of an expansion of absentee voting opportunities beyond what the Texas Election Code provided. The fact that this expansion is not as broad as Plaintiffs would wish does not mean that it has illegally limited their voting rights.“

So at best Republicans fought for a nothing Bill? Just limiting voting on a theoretical level because that is their mó? There is no reason for the limit.

Haven't seen Texas but overall the US is known to be horrific for voting. I get it varies from area to area heavily but one area with an hour long queue should be of national interest. I can't think of another first world nation where that could happen. I think my record is about 10 minutes when there was a lot of people there at opening times.

I don't care who you blame for this. Putting in random limits when your country already struggles to consistently organise a vote is dumb. Even Democrats seem too used to it and it is seen as laudible to wait that long instead of a sign that someone (not sure who and don't care what side they are on) is not doing their job.

CelticRambler

Christy42 wrote: »

an hour long queue should be of national interest. I can't think of another first world nation where that could happen.

For the record: Canterbury, Kent (university campus) 2019 - queues of up to two hours during the day, such that the student union organised a tea-run to warm up those waiting to vote.