The Trump Presidency VII :: Simpletons, Wankpuffins, Bawbags & Erstwhile Lawyers

John Brennan interview last night with Rachel was brilliant, worth watching.

 

Pulling out of NATO and removing our bases from Europe, South Korea, Japan, everywhere else would save us a lot of money.

 

Yes, it would save money, but pulling out of NATO would be an idiotic thing to do.

I am all for removing many of our foreign military bases, replacing them the UN-run international coalitions.

We piss away $250,000,000 a year just maintaining the golf courses in military bases and tens of billions on the bases themselves.

 

Agreed. She asked some pretty thoughtful and tough questions and he "went off" (as much as he would go off) on Trump.

 

Think big picture, it would be great for Democrats.

Military policy is about fighting 2 wars in different fronts, basically one in Europe and one somewhere else.

Military spending is set with that requirement.


If we pull out of NATO, then we do not need as many tanks, as many jet fighters, shit as many Aircraft carriers.

Democrats can go to the pentagon before we pull out of NATO and ask them how much of our military spending is tied to having to fight in Europe, then after we pull out, we can in theory cut military spending by that much (obviously it would not be 100% that total).

 

Probably -50% of it.

 

In the short term. Long term it's cost a helluva lot more money.

We could get away with closing a lot of these bases but not all of them. Thats just crazy talk.

 

Yeah...I hear yuh. I got a haircut today and getting in and out of the chair was tiring. I needed a nap when I got home.

 

I am all for abolishing this organization. They may be too far down the road for redemption.

 

Trying to wrap my head around this new info...

Holy crap. WH counsel Don McGahn is cooperating with Mueller's obstruction investigation because McGahn feared Trump was trying to set him up to take the fall for Trump's misconduct!https://t.co/CANpECEbyN pic.twitter.com/FZGIVCkRvZ

— Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) August 18, 2018

 

As I posted earlier in the article, these guys don't get the tag of special agent, they have to lie to themselves to believe they are making a difference. There is also a department that is more customs and international crime related inside ICE that just asked to be separated because the don't want to associated with ICE.

 

As WH counsel his allegiance is to the Govt and not Trump right? Just wondering about client/lawyer privilege.

 

So what does the Yemen school bus attack mean for US foreign relations? If this happened under Obama, you know there would be the the traditional draw down before quietly ramping back up. 45 has me scared he will make it worse.

 

The best way to defeat monsters is for them to fight each other. See: Gamara vs Rodan vs Godzilla.

 

Trump is known as King Kong among White House staffers because of his raging moods. Don't talk about Russia.
He could take on Godzilla.

 

I am in favor of reduced military spending, but none of this makes any sense.

"Military policy" is NOT about fighting 2 wars in different fronts-Europe and not Europe

We could reduce the number of tanks, fighters, and aircraft carriers while staying in NATO. The two things do not have to be tied together.

"Democrats" would be pilloried for even suggesting such a thing.
"Soft on defense"
"Selling out America"
"Capitulating to 'our enemies'"

 

Hahaha!

 

Not directly DTH related but we've discussed the issue of austerity and how America avoided some of the worst excesses of it under Obama that we suffered, (and parts of the eurozone suffered even more )...

An article in the NYT concerning the issue that, (bizarrely), discusses Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire which has a population of only about 7,000 people.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/world/europe/uk-austerity-councils-northamptonshire.html

Funding from London for local governments has fallen 60 percent since 2010, with reductions expected to total $21 billion by 2020, the Local Government Association has calculated. In response, nearly every council in Britain has cut or outsourced services, sold off assets and tried a host of budget gimmicks, experts in local finance say.

...

Northamptonshire was the. East Sussex County Council, run by Conservatives, recently announced it would reduce services to the “legal minimum.” The Conservative-led county council in Somerset warned it might be facing bankruptcy. Last week, two families won a case against Bristol City Council to block plans to reduce funding of special education needs and disability services.

The Northamptonshire council, having run through its rainy-day funds, now has enough money to pay only for mandatory services for the elderly and children. Unable by law to run a deficit, the council voted in February to shut down 21 of the county’s 36 libraries, remove bus subsidies and suspend road repairs. (A court recently blocked the decision to close the libraries.) At the meeting earlier this month, some councilors seemed resigned to the angry public response.​

As you can see, the natives are turning restless...



... although that might be because the bus is late. Having said that it also might be because the bus won't turn up at all as bus services are also being cut, as that article mention, and the old biddies there have forgotten, (bloody Alzheimers ).

This is something I'm also now struggling with as a councillor in the PRT, (People's Republic of Telford), and it's NOT making life very easy

Jezza put out this vid a couple of days ago which is very good and paints a picture.

Austerity doesn’t work. pic.twitter.com/LvKSMvHetI

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) August 17, 2018

One wonders what will happen in DTH's rural heartlands as cuts start to take effect. As many of you have said, blaming others for their problems will last for a while but only for a while.

 

It's not raining. They should be pleased as punch

 

It has worked for 50 years. It’s going to work for 50 more. At least.

 

Well, Kids, if you didn't know "Truth isn't Truth".

JUST NOW on @MeetThePress:

Rudy Giuliani tells @ChuckTodd, "Truth isn't truth." #MTP pic.twitter.com/wDK878odPp

— NBC News PR (@NBCNewsPR) August 19, 2018

 

But was that in the situation where their lives were being hit as hard as they will be now? Y'know, the cutbacks in medicaid, medicare, food stamps, etc. At some point even the dimmest bulb will start to realise they're being hoodwinked, at least enough to question whether it's worth going out and voting for the fella.

The extravagance of the claims he made and the contrast with the level of damage to individual voters HAS to have an impact on voter turnout at some point.

That's why I think if he's seen to be insulting the people that turn up at his rallies it could be bad for him as well.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if the Government Propoganda Machine (TM) (ie Fox News) blames Democrats for that and his base eats it up. Seriously.

 

If Kansas gives any clues, they will keep voting for the same guys, in about the same numbers.

Our only hope is that they overdose by the thousands.