Deeper into the Trump Abyss.

[Davin]

So the GOP failed their anti-ACA bill again this morning with a vote of 51 against and 49 for. Thanks to Collins, Murkowski, and McCain opposing their party. So healthcare is not royally screwed yet. But it will be if things aren't fixed. Millions will still lose insurance if things stay as is, but more will lose insurance if bill like what the GOP keeps proposing passes.

[Dave]

I may be wrong but....I think that America had personal involvement at the time to provoke their involvement wouldn't they? I thought that they killed someone who was American orrr...?

I don't know but it seemed to provoke Putin to expose some level of sleeper cells that are here in the USA and how corrupt the system is by foreign states.

Sorry, Arturo, I have lost the context here. At which time? Are we talking sanctions? Orphans? Oligarchs? Disconnection between governance and personal gain? Or what?

I mean the USA had personal involvement to provoke the sanctions. And that the sanctions provoked Putin to expose the corruption.

Perhaps I missed something, what corruption did Putin, himself seemingly well corrupt, expose?

[pedant] Er, "personal" is not really appropriate when talking of a country, "...the USA had personal involvement..." . A country is not a person! Though it can have a "national personality", an cultural aggregate, hmmm  [/pedant]

[Arturo]

Perhaps I missed something, what corruption did Putin, himself seemingly well corrupt, expose?

Corruption
Sleeper cells in USA (for further clarification - the people lobbying to get the sanctions lifted are the sleeper cells)
Two things that mean the same thing.

[pedant] Er, "personal" is not really appropriate when talking of a country, "...the USA had personal involvement..." . A country is not a person! Though it can have a "national personality", an cultural aggregate, hmmm  [/pedant]

It's the only word that fits I can think of.

[Asmodean]

I think it's as Browder says, that Putin and the oligarchs want to be able to do whatever they want in their country without any consequences outside of it (or even inside of it).

To the sound of Hell facing yet another blizzard, I agree.

I think their ambitions stretch wider than their own sandbox though. There is money, yes, but then there is... Power. Controlling the game.

Since they have so much money in other countries, this is a pretty big consequence. And Putin and his oligarchs (band name?) want to fix that. I doubt that removing the sanctions is the only thing they want, but I'm pretty sure it is one thing they really want.

I'm sure they want the sanctions lifted, yes. However, I can't but see a certain element of stretching some muscles they either only just realized that they had, or that they have been willingly nursing into proper shape. I'm back to my power and control argument. If Russia knows that it can strategically destabilize "the West," well... There are implications to that, which reach beyond bank accounts.

Now I already know you don't like that kind of thing (other countries meddling with the affairs of other countries).

That is true. In fact, after watching Bill Maher spin his Russia narrative in a full-body tin foil suit, so to speak, I have been wondering if I myself am not overthinking it by looking at the situation through my prism of disliking international meddlers... I found that line of inquiry inconclusive at this time.

[Davin]

I think that's as far as we can get on the current information. I do think that they really want to get their billions back from where they'd been keeping it in the west. I think that's a very big motivation for them. Oligarchs get their power from how much money they have, so I don't see much of a separation from money and power. Thought there are other kinds of power.

Since Putin seems to be quite upset about increased sanctions, I wonder if we'll see less of Trump fluffing up Putin.

[Icarus]

Surprise? More musical chairs at the White House. Today's news is that Scarramucci (the Mooch) has been ousted. Word is that the new chief of staff, Kelly, wanted him gone.

Stand by for the next round of fun and games.

[Davin]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/28/politics/anthony-scaramucci-white-house-salary/index.html

Though Scaramucci wasn't slated to begin until August 15, he told CNN his start date was moved up and his first official day as a White House employee was July 26.

Since his official start date was August 15th, he lasted an amazing -16 days.

[Dave]

 
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/us/politics/anthony-scaramucci-white-house.html

Trump Says No 'Chaos!' at White House but Continues Threats

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/us/politics/trump-white-house-obamacare-health.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2FThe%20Trump%20White%20House&action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=Collection&region=Marginalia&src=me&version=newsevent&pgtype=article

This is truly a Shite House!

[Davin]

What is up with that "let them start with a clean slate" excuse that keeps popping up? That's almost the exact same thing Spicy said about the Moocher when he left.

[Icarus]

Our deranged Prez is being ripped all over the internet for his ill conceived speech at the recent Boy Scout Jamboree. The poor man started by saying that we do not want to talk about politics and then immediately began a tirade about politics.....Sigh....

I an concerned about his sanity.

[Arturo]

That's no different than when he was on tv with Anderson Cooper while running for office.


On a slightly unrelated note, I rewatched an old documentary on the murders of tupac and biggie smalls. It seems that the man they believed that was behind it (suge knight) was employing some of the same tactics trump and the alt right use. ie "can you just not talk about it? If you do, I'm gonna kill/fire you"

[Dave]

Seems that Trump "dictated" Junior's original description of the meeting with the Russians to say it was about adopting orphans. It was only when emails started leaking that the truth came out.

Lies laminated in lies all the way.

[Arturo]

Seems that Trump "dictated" Junior's original description of the meeting with the Russians to say it was about adopting orphans. It was only when emails started leaking that the truth came out.

Lies laminated in lies all the way.

So sr came out and said he told jr to lie? So that would imply they both knew all along.

[Dave]

If Trump gets the noot does thst sutomatically mean Ponce will bevome top dog? And does it mean he stays there the rest of the term?  No constitutional grounds for re-running the whole election or indicting Ponce for complicity in Trump's actions - since he evidently has not demurred against them.

Then again, s'pose he can't do that without resigning first - and that he will not do - hasn't got the ethical or moral integrity for it. Never mind the State of the Nation, can't damage the GOP's position.

Er, anyone else worth voting for over there, especially in the Democrats?

[Davin]

Seems that Trump "dictated" Junior's original description of the meeting with the Russians to say it was about adopting orphans. It was only when emails started leaking that the truth came out.

Lies laminated in lies all the way.

The stupid thing is, that talking about the orphans, is talking about the sanctions. The Russians blocking orphan adoptions was a direct response to the sanctions imposed in the Magnitsky Act.