Donald Trump

[Peter]

To cut and paste I bring up the quote box, "highlight, then copy" on my computer and attempt to paste on OL, which doesn't work. But then immediately I cut and paste a second time on OL and it works. 

William wrote: I guess if I favour an American Emperor/Strongman,” end quote

You hosers. The closest America ever came to a strongman was F. D. Roosevelt, and the job killed him. President Trump is a strong willed man but he is in no way a dictator wannabe. Of course he too, may experience the urgency of emergency situations and use executive powers to fight terrorists around the world. I hope he does call in his military advisors and order surgical air strikes, as he has done against ISIS. “Another one bites the dust . . .“

Yet, I would disagree with him if he imposes non retaliatory tariffs.

Peter

[william.scherk]

32 minutes ago, Peter said:

William wrote: I guess if I favour an American Emperor/Strongman,” end quote

(I'd end the quote at the period ... as this quote seems to have truncated the point)

What is the difference between an Emperor and a Strongman? Well, one can be an Emperor of Japan and be entirely apart from the governing. One could be Haile Selassie.

A strongman like Vladimir Putin could gain power by means of being chosen by his predecessor,  and grow it by means of increasingly unfair and undemocratic elections ... then chip away at personal freedoms, political rights, eliminating popular elections for governors, and otherwise strengthening his role in protecting the Motherland from the evul West.

A Strongman like Rodrigo Duerte can spit on constitutional niceties and preside over extra-judicial executions, and say fuck you to due process.

A Strongman like Xi Jinping can remove term limits, consolidating personal control and establishing a cult celebrating his perfect leadership.

If there is nothing of the Strongman in Trump, great. 

Quote

You hosers.

Hosers elected Trump, some people say.

I don't believe the robust American democracy will allow an executive to reach much Above and Beyond his already awesome powers.

But one can dream ...

Edited June 7, 2018 by william.scherk
Extended a thought.

[Peter]

2 minutes ago, william.scherk said:

What is the difference between an Emperor and a Strongman? Well, one can be an Emperor of Japan and be entirely apart from the governing. One could be Haile Selassie. A strongman like Vladimir Putin could gain power by means of undemocratic elections ... 

A Strongman like Rodrigo Duerte can spit on constitutional niceties and preside over extra-judicial executions, and say fuck you to due process.

A Strongman like Xi Jinping can remove term limits.

If there is nothing of the Strongman in Trump, great.

Hosers elected Trump, some people say.

I don't believe the robust American democracy will allow an executive to reach much Above and Beyond his already awesome powers.

But one can dream ... about Emperor Trump.

Every late night TV yahoo has that propagandist view of our President. The first time they exhibit it I will turn from, say, Colbert to Kimmel, and then to NBC and if Fallon disses the Prez, I go to the nostalgia network for a "Magnum P.I." fun re-run.    

[Marc]

4 hours ago, william.scherk said:

Another takeaway from the FoxNews extract is that Napolitano is otherwise a fully-committed Trump supporter.  That is what makes the substance of his critique about the Sekulow et al letter possibly interesting.

A firm supporter of President Trump, offering a caution.

What leaked out was a letter to the Special Counsel from the President's then-lawyers.  If you want to read the letter, it is here.

It reminds me that criticizing the legal maneuverings of the former legal team is fraught with peril -- the peril being that a good-faith critique of tactics and strategy of the former  legal honchos will land you in a paddock called "Trump Haters, ingrates, fools, drunkards and etcetera ..."

"Russia" is much meme-ery -- for some a naggy feeling that something isn't quite right in the relationship between the Trump campaign and the Russian autocracy.  Since the election, the President has picked fights with Europe as EU, the UK, France, Canada, Germany ... while giving mostly smoochy and approving words for President Putin. 

I guess if I favour an American Emperor/Strongman, I can't complain about foreigners adopting the same thing for their executives. Why hello, Mr Erdogan!

But, what did the letter suggest?  Well, notably, that the President cannot be compelled to answer questions under oath by the Special Counsel investigation. That he is above the law.  Which kind of argument led to Bill Clinton's questioning under oath -- and to his impeachment.

The simplest, most Emperor slash Czar-like thing to do would be to fire Attorney-General Jeff Sessions, order a criminal charge against James Comey,  gut the FBI with a nice purge, fire Mueller, demand that the inquiry be wrapped up, then pardon Manafort, Papadopoulous, Flynn and himself.  Because the President can pardon himself, argues the President and his current personal lawyer ... indeed, that lawyer said that the President could shoot James Comey to death and no charges could be brought against him.

Could be tempting.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Appreciate the copy of the letter , I plan on reading that , thank you , William . 

I just feel very confident that the same man who won the nomination , won POTUS , and achieved more than any President ever in the first 500 days of his term can pick some pretty good lawyers 

[caroljane]

8 hours ago, Marc said:

I met Bob Rae, he came to my dads restaurant a lot and loved the creme caramel ! Really wonderful man . 43 minutes before polling stations open so enjoy ! 

And Jack Layton, truly the epitome of the happy warrior and political grace.  He spent election nights at the Fox & Fiddle on the Danforth - I saw him there at the first Obama election victory. If he had not died so young, at the height of his popularity, this would be a different election night now. RIP to him too. And as for RobFord, I hope he is enjoying some backsliding tonight, wherever he may be.

Edited June 7, 2018 by caroljane

[Jon Letendre]

20 hours ago, Marc said:

Just watched this video again , and it is absolutely bizarre that President Trump can continue to play the exact same strategy and folks like this “ legal analyst “ for a tv show continue to take the bait . 

Every time I think that Trump is the smartest human  on the planet , I am starting to think that he is the smartest person in history . 

Football analogy here , a team keeps running up the middle and the coach says we’re gonna keep doing it till they stop us . 

Trump keeps using the same strategy , and the media keeps swallowing it ( along with most posters in this board ) . 

God Bless America, 

They’re stupid.

[william.scherk]

On 4/29/2018 at 11:59 PM, Jon Letendre said:

QAnon has said BOOM so many times lately.

Well, Q took a break, probably to recount the "sealed indictments" ... but he or she is back bigtime. Boom boom boomity boom.

[Peter]

President Trump said if the summit goes well he will invite Kim Jun Un to America. But, if Trump reciprocates and goes to North Korea what will happen if he is imprisoned for bad mouthing their supreme leader on their soil? In Hawaii they will be saying, "Say bro? Was that a uke or a nuke I just heard?"

 

[william.scherk]

President Trump Press Conference Before Leaving G7 Summit For Singapore

 

[william.scherk]

Yeah, it's Milk War time, and more.  How to keep old friends happy while leading the free world.

"Are you still mad at me?" How to make friends and influence people. https://t.co/Jx5fj1GgjM

— William Scott Scherk (@wsscherk) June 9, 2018

 

Edited June 10, 2018 by william.scherk
Sometimes I cain't get tweets to show their parents. The link is to President Peevish and Annoyed.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

William,

How typical. You go for the words, not deeds.

I clicked on the link in your tweet and saw you were responding to the following tweet by President Trump:

PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, “US Tariffs were kind of insulting” and he “will not be pushed around.” Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2018

But that's not how to make friends and influence people. That's just words. President Trump's previous tweet shows how to do it.

Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2018

Watch what happens if you don't believe me.

 

Michael

 

[Marc]

On 6/3/2018 at 4:59 PM, caroljane said:

I think he will probably get enough seats for a minority government, so you are half right.  But when did he become feminine? Where were you in Grade 9 French, Marc- or should I say Mark?

 

Dear Carol , so was it a minority or majority ? 

[Peter]

6 hours ago, Marc said:

Dear Carol , so was it a minority or majority ? 

Or the monthlies? Maybe not. Carol is a grandma.

[william.scherk]

This is an interesting story, if true:

 

[caroljane]

9 hours ago, Marc said:

Dear Carol , so was it a minority or majority ? 

You were right, I was wrong. I overestimated the intelligence of rhe Ontarian public.  You are entitled to your gloat but please do not keep it up for two years like some people around here!

We survived Mike Harris  so I suppose we will survive Ford. I will be moving to the Maritimes, so that if there is a trade-war recession I will have a head start.

Anyway, congratulations, your guy won. I hope he can move from  the heckler to the main speaker better than his southern idol!

[Marc]

I accept your kind apologies , 

I heard that’s its gorgeous out there , tried oysters for the first time in my life Friday night , maybe the Universe is telling me something 

[caroljane]

It is gorgeous, and the Bay of Fundy is a bay of wonders.  If you or any of the OL friends ever go east,please  visit me and see. I promise not to tell Trump about it lol.  It just occurred to me that whatever happens about lumber and steel  etc.our tourist industry will suffer.

Marc, your father was a restauranteur from Paris and you never ate an oyster until this week?  Expliquez s'il vous plait!

[Marc]

Thanks so much ! 

Crazy you’re so correct, I mean he even made oysters Rockefeller for customers occasionally but as a typical Frenchman he would swear that oysters must be eaten just as is , with nothing . 

He had me taste so many things ( especially in France ) but never did until Friday night !!! 

It felt like a certain “ Je be sais pas “  when I tried them but off the bucket list now

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

9 hours ago, caroljane said:

You are entitled to your gloat but please do not keep it up for two years like some people around here!

 

[william.scherk]

Besides all the stabbing in the back and eyebrows and free-riding blobs, there are a lot of hopes and dreams riding on the meetings between the North Korean dictator and President Trump.

I am one of the hopefuls, and to great measure a supporter of the Trump strategy, with the caveat that I may misunderstand or fail to grasp it as well as other Trump-whisperers.

At the root is the frozen-conflict of two nations in a mere armistice. I believe Trump's over-arching strategy is to aid the inter-Korean détente signaled by Kim Jong Un and the current conservative-centrist President of South Korea.

Besides the aim of defusing the nuclear threat -- to the point of staged de-nuclearization, removal, destruction of warheads and fissile materials and their production chains or what have you details  -- I think Trump's allied goal is remove US protection from South Korea, in the sense of removing a wasteful, anachronistic and ultimately unnecessary force.  

If he has a glimpse of North Korea strategies and tactics that most of us here will be shut out of (not having a State Department and zillions of experts and wonks on call), I wonder if it follows  anything like one of these lines below, if it follows from his remarks on his "feel" for Kim in the first moments of their meetings.

-- Kim wants to reform his country without losing his head
-- Kim wants to move away from spending so much fucking money on his military
-- Kim wants to do a Deng for his country, unleash the motor of the world, capitalism
-- Kim wants an end to the state of war between the ROK and the DPRK ... with a stand-down and eventual evacuation of US "protective" forces
-- Kim wants some form of reconciliation beyond a mutual non-hostility pact
-- Kim wants to continue on Juche for the foreseeable future

So, all power to the US President in his challenge -- to read Kim and to respond with a deal that gets each country in the pact closer to The Deal.

In a fit of optimism, I see a DPRK-ROK peace treaty outline informing the discussions, and I see broad strokes accepted, mutual satisfaction, and on to the next challenge ... perhaps Syria, a brokered solution between Russia and the USA.

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

[Peter]

Is Kim a girl or are you talking about yourself when you wonder if a girl can dream? Expect no judgment from me, Billie! Those are excellent thoughts to put in Kim's head. I think they may also be in his noggin because he has lived in "the west." 

[Marc]

14 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

 

Mike’ prediction was so accurate and all encompassing that I think he gets to gloat for eternity , and then another 2 years ! 

Damn, what do I know about US or Ontario politics but I am pretty confident in saying that Presidebt Trunp will go down as the greatest , the most important , the most popular and most beloved President since George Washington . 

He has already surpassed Presiddnt Reagan RIP as the greatest modern day President , and the only one left really is Washington . 

What an incredible time to be alive , he is changing the entire world in front of our eyes , ! 

14 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

 

[Marc]

31 minutes ago, william.scherk said:

Besides all the stabbing in the back and eyebrows and free-riding blobs, there are a lot of hopes and dreams riding on the meetings between the North Korean dictator and President Trump.

I am one of the hopefuls, and to great measure a supporter of the Trump strategy, with the caveat that I may misunderstand or fail to grasp it as well as other Trump-whisperers.

At the root is the frozen-conflict of two nations in a mere armistice. I believe Trump's over-arching strategy is to aid the inter-Korean détente signaled by Kim Jong Un and the current conservative-centrist President of South Korea.

Besides the aim of defusing the nuclear threat -- to the point of staged de-nuclearization, removal, destruction of warheads and fissile materials and their production chains or what have you details  -- I think Trump's allied goal is remove US protection from South Korea, in the sense of removing a wasteful, anachronistic and ultimately unnecessary force.  

If he has a glimpse of North Korea strategies and tactics that most of us here will be shut out of (not having a State Department and zillions of experts and wonks on call), I wonder if it follows  anything like one of these lines below, if it follows from his remarks on his "feel" for Kim in the first moments of their meetings.

-- Kim wants to reform his country without losing his head
-- Kim wants to move away from spending so much fucking money on his military
-- Kim wants to do a Deng for his country, unleash the motor of the world, capitalism
-- Kim wants an end to the state of war between the ROK and the DPRK ... with a stand-down and eventual evacuation of US "protective" forces
-- Kim wants some form of reconciliation beyond a mutual non-hostility pact
-- Kim wants to continue on Juche for the foreseeable future

So, all power to the US President in his challenge -- to read Kim and to respond with a deal that gets each country in the pact closer to The Deal.

In a fit of optimism, I see a DPRK-ROK peace treaty outline informing the discussions, and I see broad strokes accepted, mutual satisfaction, and on to the next challenge ... perhaps Syria, a brokered solution between Russia and the USA.

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

Cannot wait until Trump starts dealing with Cuba ! 

Probably already has it on the back burner. 

I mean , freaking Martians could invade and Trump would get them to sign some sort of inter galaxy agreement .

[caroljane]

2 hours ago, Marc said:

Cannot wait until Trump starts dealing with Cuba ! 

Probably already has it on the back burner. 

I mean , freaking Martians could invade and Trump would get them to sign some sort of inter galaxy agreement .

 Refresh my memory. How many countries (0n planet Earth) has he already got to sign agreements in his two years of international meetings?

I assume you approve of the way he has dealt with your own country on trade.  I don't know what business you are in, but presumably high U.S. tariffs won't affect it.. and you liked the spectacle of him insulting Trudeau, of course, as well as Canada generally?

[Marc]

North Korea ,