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On February 24 2017 07:22 Danglars wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 06:43 LegalLord wrote:On February 24 2017 06:03 On_Slaught wrote:
Hey xDaunt\Danglars, are you tired of winning yet? Only been 5 weeks, they need to win a while longer before it starts to be a problem. Repeal and Replace might be enough to push it over. Then I'll legitimately have very few more campaign promises to expect fulfilled. Just the wall. Win weariness could set in at that point. But first he'll have to cajole, bribe, threaten, and otherwise bully congressional Republicans to unite behind any one of the great plans out there ... his second big test. He's already done so much on the govt culture/discourse part that maybe I should count it his third big test.
Suppose it's good that your concerns were small enough that they could all be resolved in 5 weeks.
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On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt.
A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself?
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On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself?
He's good to his friends. Gives them cushy, high-ranking government positions too.
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On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself?
He's relentless and confident, qualities that would be sorely needed if only placed on the right track. For instance, if Democrats were as confident and relentless about medicare for all, they could win back the house, senate, and presidency, along with scoring a life saving victory for millions of Americans. But Democrats didn't even make it a month before they started breaking ranks and folding in on themselves.
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On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself?
hard to say; as the opinions on what is a good quality in a person favor quite widely, not just across the aisle.
it also depends in part on good for what? some qualities are good in certain positions, bad in others.
i'm sure he has some depending on how wide you cast the net. but how many people would have to agree on it being both a good quality in general, and a good quality for a president, in order to satisfy your criteria? (like 80%?)
I looked up the 7 virtues from christianity as it was a handy list, nothing obvious fit there.
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On February 24 2017 07:46 zlefin wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? hard to say; as the opinions on what is a good quality in a person favor quite widely, not just across the aisle. it also depends in part on good for what? some qualities are good in certain positions, bad in others. i'm sure he has some depending on how wide you cast the net. but how many people would have to agree on it being both a good quality in general, and a good quality for a president, in order to satisfy your criteria? (like 80%?) I looked up the 7 virtues from christianity as it was a handy list, nothing obvious fit there.
Maybe Ridley Scott's Commodus can help us out:
Commodus: You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: Wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but... there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family and to you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son.
Marcus Aurelius: Oh, Commodus. You go too far.
Commodus: I search the faces of the gods... for ways to please you, to make you proud. One kind word, one full hug... where you pressed me to your chest and held me tight. Would have been like the sun on my heart for a thousand years. What is it in me that you hate so much?
Marcus Aurelius: Shh, Commodus.
Commodus: All I've ever wanted was to live up to you, Caesar. Father.
Marcus Aurelius: [Marcus Aurelius gets down on his knees] Commodus. Your faults as a son is my failure as a father. Come
[Gives Commodus a hug]
Commodus: [Commodus hugs Marcus and cries] Father. I would have butcher the whole world... if you would only love me!
[Commodus begins to asphyxiate Marcus while they hug, Marcus grunts]
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On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself?
He genuinely seems to take his campaign promises seriously, a task that politicians should do more.
He speaks out about important issues that are ignored, even if he doesn't always have solutions.
He gets results, somehow. Say what you will but his seemingly utter stupid campaign won every step of the way. He has full control of the national and local-level government now.
If he ends up being the catalyst that finally causes the EU to break apart, I think that he will be remembered positively in the decades that follow. Not now, as the pain will be too acute and too recent - but it will be remembered as a necessity for a better future.
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On February 24 2017 01:56 Acrofales wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 01:26 Doodsmack wrote:The Trump administration in its first month has largely benched the State Department from its long-standing role as the preeminent voice of U.S. foreign policy, curtailing public engagement and official travel and relegating Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to a mostly offstage role.
Decisions on hiring, policy and scheduling are being driven by a White House often wary of the foreign policy establishment and struggling to set priorities and write policy on the fly.
The most visible change at the State Department is the month-long lack of daily press briefings, a fixture since John Foster Dulles was secretary of state in the 1950s. The televised question-and-answer session is watched closely around the world, and past administrations have pointed proudly to the accountability of having a government spokesman available to domestic and foreign press almost every day without fail.
...
But the biggest factor is the confusing lines of communication and authority to the White House, and Trump’s inclination to farm out elements of foreign policy to a kitchen Cabinet of close advisers.
Chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon attends national security meetings and recently spoke with the German ambassador, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been given a major role in getting Israeli-Palestinian talks on track, a job usually the preserve of the State Department. When asked about foreign policy developments, State Department officials often have referred reporters to the White House.
“Tillerson isn’t being purposefully sidelined; he’s just caught up in an administration with too many competing power centers and a president who’s unwilling or unable to decide who he wants to play the lead role in implementing his foreign policy,” said Aaron David Miller, a former diplomat who advised Republican and Democratic presidents about the Middle East. “The problem is letting a thousand flowers and tweets bloom isn’t the best way to run the foreign policy of the world’s most consequential power.” WaPo I'm confused. Senate has to approve cabinet positions, but not advisor roles and certain other positions which are at the president's discretion. Yet he is free to assign any power he likes to these advisors rather than the cabinet member whose task it is to do that work. So Bannon is allowed to be de facto secretary of state, despite senate never approving him for that role, while Tillerson sits by and idly twiddles his thumbs? Aren't there some kind of controls on this? Because if not, what the hell is the point of Senate having to confirm cabinet positions in the first place?
I believe I read somewhere that the assigned advisors can only be there for a limited amount of time.
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On February 24 2017 07:50 IgnE wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:46 zlefin wrote:On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? hard to say; as the opinions on what is a good quality in a person favor quite widely, not just across the aisle. it also depends in part on good for what? some qualities are good in certain positions, bad in others. i'm sure he has some depending on how wide you cast the net. but how many people would have to agree on it being both a good quality in general, and a good quality for a president, in order to satisfy your criteria? (like 80%?) I looked up the 7 virtues from christianity as it was a handy list, nothing obvious fit there. Maybe Ridley Scott's Commodus can help us out: Show nested quote +Commodus: You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: Wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but... there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family and to you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son.
Marcus Aurelius: Oh, Commodus. You go too far.
Commodus: I search the faces of the gods... for ways to please you, to make you proud. One kind word, one full hug... where you pressed me to your chest and held me tight. Would have been like the sun on my heart for a thousand years. What is it in me that you hate so much?
Marcus Aurelius: Shh, Commodus.
Commodus: All I've ever wanted was to live up to you, Caesar. Father.
Marcus Aurelius: [Marcus Aurelius gets down on his knees] Commodus. Your faults as a son is my failure as a father. Come
[Gives Commodus a hug]
Commodus: [Commodus hugs Marcus and cries] Father. I would have butcher the whole world... if you would only love me!
[Commodus begins to asphyxiate Marcus while they hug, Marcus grunts]
ur my fave
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On February 24 2017 07:52 LegalLord wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? He genuinely seems to take his campaign promises seriously, a task that politicians should do more. He speaks out about important issues that are ignored, even if he doesn't always have solutions. He gets results, somehow. Say what you will but his seemingly utter stupid campaign won every step of the way. He has full control of the national and local-level government now. If he ends up being the catalyst that finally causes the EU to break apart, I think that he will be remembered positively in the decades that follow.
do you have evidence that politicians do not take their campaign promises seriously? because last I looked the literature says they all do, despite the meme to the contrary.
getting results is of course one of those tricky ones; the value of being able to get results depends in considerable part on what those results are for. it's also not at all clear he's been all that successful at getting results.
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I can respect what putin did and the people who want a leader like him but I think every warm blooded american can agree that he has more then overstayed his time at the top of his country and should have handed it off to others by now. His attacks on his opposition in russia make Trump relatively par for the course.
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On February 24 2017 07:58 Sermokala wrote:
I can respect what putin did and the people who want a leader like him but I think every warm blooded american can agree that he has more then overstayed his time at the top of his country and should have handed it off to others by now. His attacks on his opposition in russia make Trump relatively par for the course.
For all intents and purposes it does appear that Putin intends to allow a set of democratic institutions to develop naturally in Russia. There are at least 3 possible candidates within Putin's cabinet who are popular enough to be elected, a fair few outside as well. He may be leaving in 2018, depending on how things go. In all likelihood he will not (it's just not quite stable enough for that, although by election time it very well could be) but if not, 2024 is definitely the end of his presidency for good.
Truth is that in times of crisis you may just need to keep a leader who will see things through to the end. Like FDR.
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On February 24 2017 08:06 LegalLord wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:58 Sermokala wrote:
I can respect what putin did and the people who want a leader like him but I think every warm blooded american can agree that he has more then overstayed his time at the top of his country and should have handed it off to others by now. His attacks on his opposition in russia make Trump relatively par for the course. For all intents and purposes it does appear that Putin intends to allow a set of democratic institutions to develop naturally in Russia. There are at least 3 possible candidates within Putin's cabinet who are popular enough to be elected, a fair few outside as well. He may be leaving in 2018, depending on how things go. In all likelihood he will not (it's just not quite stable enough for that, although by election time it very well could be) but if not, 2024 is definitely the end of his presidency for good. Truth is that in times of crisis you may just need to keep a leader who will see things through to the end. Like FDR.
FDR was during a time of unprecedented war across the entire globe. George Washington showed the world how to say goodbye when the nation was no where near stable nor complete yet. Putin doesn't have to completely go away but after 18 years in office effectively there isn't a reason for him to stay there.
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He very well may step down in 2018. He definitely will step down in 2024 if not.
Whether or not he should is not a simple decision to make. It's something that has seen a lot of debate within Russia and it's pretty split down the middle as to whether or not he should. Things are going really well in Russia the past few months so the consensus may have shifted.
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On February 24 2017 07:52 LegalLord wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? He genuinely seems to take his campaign promises seriously, a task that politicians should do more. He speaks out about important issues that are ignored, even if he doesn't always have solutions. He gets results, somehow. Say what you will but his seemingly utter stupid campaign won every step of the way. He has full control of the national and local-level government now. If he ends up being the catalyst that finally causes the EU to break apart, I think that he will be remembered positively in the decades that follow. Not now, as the pain will be too acute and too recent - but it will be remembered as a necessity for a better future.
Why does the EU need to dissolve for a better future?
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On February 24 2017 08:06 LegalLord wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:58 Sermokala wrote:
I can respect what putin did and the people who want a leader like him but I think every warm blooded american can agree that he has more then overstayed his time at the top of his country and should have handed it off to others by now. His attacks on his opposition in russia make Trump relatively par for the course. For all intents and purposes it does appear that Putin intends to allow a set of democratic institutions to develop naturally in Russia. There are at least 3 possible candidates within Putin's cabinet who are popular enough to be elected, a fair few outside as well. He may be leaving in 2018, depending on how things go. In all likelihood he will not (it's just not quite stable enough for that, although by election time it very well could be) but if not, 2024 is definitely the end of his presidency for good. Truth is that in times of crisis you may just need to keep a leader who will see things through to the end. Like FDR.
By that logic Obama should have stayed in office for another few decades.
Its stupid and you know it.
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On February 24 2017 08:20 Howie_Dewitt wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:52 LegalLord wrote:On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? He genuinely seems to take his campaign promises seriously, a task that politicians should do more. He speaks out about important issues that are ignored, even if he doesn't always have solutions. He gets results, somehow. Say what you will but his seemingly utter stupid campaign won every step of the way. He has full control of the national and local-level government now. If he ends up being the catalyst that finally causes the EU to break apart, I think that he will be remembered positively in the decades that follow. Not now, as the pain will be too acute and too recent - but it will be remembered as a necessity for a better future. Why does the EU need to dissolve for a better future?
It's an abomination that has outlived its useful lifespan. Best to kill it now before some idiots push for a United States of Europe again.
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On February 24 2017 08:20 Howie_Dewitt wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:52 LegalLord wrote:On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? He genuinely seems to take his campaign promises seriously, a task that politicians should do more. He speaks out about important issues that are ignored, even if he doesn't always have solutions. He gets results, somehow. Say what you will but his seemingly utter stupid campaign won every step of the way. He has full control of the national and local-level government now. If he ends up being the catalyst that finally causes the EU to break apart, I think that he will be remembered positively in the decades that follow. Not now, as the pain will be too acute and too recent - but it will be remembered as a necessity for a better future. Why does the EU need to dissolve for a better future?
because it's chained to a broken Euro monetary system. cue whitedoge.
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On February 24 2017 08:21 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 08:06 LegalLord wrote:On February 24 2017 07:58 Sermokala wrote:
I can respect what putin did and the people who want a leader like him but I think every warm blooded american can agree that he has more then overstayed his time at the top of his country and should have handed it off to others by now. His attacks on his opposition in russia make Trump relatively par for the course. For all intents and purposes it does appear that Putin intends to allow a set of democratic institutions to develop naturally in Russia. There are at least 3 possible candidates within Putin's cabinet who are popular enough to be elected, a fair few outside as well. He may be leaving in 2018, depending on how things go. In all likelihood he will not (it's just not quite stable enough for that, although by election time it very well could be) but if not, 2024 is definitely the end of his presidency for good. Truth is that in times of crisis you may just need to keep a leader who will see things through to the end. Like FDR. By that logic Obama should have stayed in office for another few decades. Its stupid and you know it.
Some people wouldn't mind an Obama third term.
Also, what a goddamn strawman dude.
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On February 24 2017 08:20 Howie_Dewitt wrote:Show nested quote +On February 24 2017 07:52 LegalLord wrote:On February 24 2017 07:33 Tachion wrote:On February 24 2017 06:52 Amui wrote:He has to get his ego stroked by everybody he meets. Just a way to lift spirits, nothing more. He's a pretty obvious cunt. A lot of people like that their president is a cunt. That got me wondering, does Trump have any objective redeeming qualities? Is there anything about Trump, as a person, that can be seen as good from both sides of the aisle? When Hillary was asked to say something nice about him during the debates and she instead praised his children, what could she have said about Trump himself? He genuinely seems to take his campaign promises seriously, a task that politicians should do more. He speaks out about important issues that are ignored, even if he doesn't always have solutions. He gets results, somehow. Say what you will but his seemingly utter stupid campaign won every step of the way. He has full control of the national and local-level government now. If he ends up being the catalyst that finally causes the EU to break apart, I think that he will be remembered positively in the decades that follow. Not now, as the pain will be too acute and too recent - but it will be remembered as a necessity for a better future. Why does the EU need to dissolve for a better future?
LL gets a bonus from his russian handlers if and when the eurozone dissolves 
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EPT
