Evidence: So where are we now(II) ?
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, August 31, 2023 05:36
VIEWED: 86324
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What if Trump was competent? Is there evidence he would then achieve some of Signym's goals for America? Or would he finally become the effective authoritarian he really wants to be?
In a November 2 interview on WMAL radio in Washington, DC, Trump lamented his inability to use his authority to prosecute his political enemies. “You know the saddest thing, because I’m the president of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department,” Trump said. “I am not supposed to be involved with the FBI. I’m not supposed to be doing the kinds of things that I would love to be doing. And I’m very frustrated by it.”
But let us not become so world-weary, so jaded, that we let an admission this grotesque pass without alarm. Trump is changing us. Had any predecessor said the things about FBI Trump said, the country would have been convulsed. But Trump’s comments did not lead every paper; they did not drive every newscast. Shock is a defense mechanism. We should worry when we notice we are losing ours. The country is becoming accustomed to the president like an autocrat, lamenting that he is not sufficiently able to use the federal government to pursue his political enemies.
To the extent we let Trump’s comments pass, it is because we are calmed by his incompetence, lulled by his indiscipline. "He says some crazy shit sometimes," one senior GOP aide told Politico. "We are getting used to handling it." We have grown accustomed to ignoring our president, or to assuming others will keep him contained.
Read his statement again: “I am not supposed to be involved with the FBI. I’m not supposed to be doing the kinds of things that I would love to be doing. And I’m very frustrated by it.” To hear those words from another president would be to assume that frustration would be followed by action, that the executive would be busying himself behind the scenes figuring out how to achieve what it is he wants done, that his top aides would be strategizing options and concocting workarounds.
With Trump, follow-through is presumed unlikely. He does not have the attention span to drive past the obstacles before him. And Trump has systematically alienated many of the institutional actors whose support he would need for a power grab — he has attacked the FBI and the CIA, insulted Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, feuded with key members of Congress. Like a cartoon villain, he is more interested in monologuing about his dastardly schemes than in doing the hard work necessary to achieve them.
But what if Trump was focused, disciplined, capable? What if his ends were the same but his means were changed? What if he worked assiduously to build relationships with the intelligence agencies, the military, and congressional leaders? What if he carefully chose his words? What if he was able to build a well-staffed executive branch where talented loyalists worked daily to achieve his goals? He (or Mike Pence) might have seven more years to get it together and make it happen.
Remember that Trump, for all his flaws and failures, has nevertheless marshaled a powerful machine behind his worst instincts. Much of the American right has eagerly followed him into the breach and is even now pushing him to go further. The conservative media has responded to the Russia investigation by trying to persuade itself, and its followers, that it is Trump’s enemies who should be investigated, that the special prosecutor must step down. Congressional Republicans are trying to build Trump’s case, or at least be seen trying to build Trump’s case, even as they block efforts to peer into Trump’s finances or protect Robert Mueller’s investigation. And amid all this, 31 percent of Americans continue to say that Trump has both the temperament and the personality required by the presidency.
Is Signym in the 31 percent?
www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/6/16610412/trump-autocrat-just
ice-fbi-illiberal
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GOALPOST-MOVING from SECOND.
And yet, no evidence.
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
HEY KRAPO!
Wasn't it you who insinuated in this very thread that there WAS evidence??
By pointing out all the previous times you've screeched "No evidence!" only to be later proven wrong? That's not insinuating there's evidence, it's insinuating you have a bad track record of reading the evidence.
Quote:Quote:Does my comment look like "prediction" to you??? Or are you applying your own twisted definitions, again?
Any objection to me copying this to the predictions thread to see how well it fares? - KPO
I'll take that as no objection.
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"Objective truths are established by evidence. Personal truths by faith. Political truths by incessant repetition."
Russia's and Assad's War Crimes in Syria - http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=60278
Syrian regime collusion with ISIS - http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=60521
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Quote:insisted on looking for evidence, and even pointing out the kinds of evidence that should be available such as artillery shells; chemical analysis of residues; eyewitness testimony; radar and satellite imagery; lines of burnt out vehicles, bodies and prisoners; intercepted communication; etc instead of jumping to conclusions based on one piece of data ... or nothing at all except accusation ...
HEY KRAPO! Wasn't it you who insinuated in this very thread that there WAS evidence?? - SIGNY
By pointing out all the previous times you'vescreeched "No evidence!" only to be later proven wrong?
Quote:good track record of understanding what evidence IS and what it isn't
... that's not insinuating there's evidence, it's insinuating you have abad track record of reading the evidence
Quote:Of course, because you're being a dick, where everyone can see it now.
Any objection to me copying this to the predictions thread to see how well it fares? - KPO
Does my comment look like "prediction" to you??? Or are you applying your own twisted definitions, again?- SIGNY
I'll take that as no objection.= KRAPO
SO, NO EVIDENCE. Just incessant repetition from you.
And now, with more asshole-ness and open dishonesty than ever!
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
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In the meantime, in a thread devoted to evidence, nobody has brought any forward yet.
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
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Quote:From yesterday, you will find thousands of words of evidence at:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
In the meantime, in a thread devoted to evidence, nobody has brought any forward yet.
www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/15/how-trump-walked-into-putins-web-
luke
The inside story of how a former British spy was hired to investigate Russia’s influence on Trump – and uncovered explosive evidence that Moscow had been cultivating Trump for years.
"Just as Nixon was re-elected during the early stages of Watergate, Trump won the presidential election, to general dismay, at a time when the Russia scandal was small but growing. Steele had found prima facie evidence of a conspiracy, but by and large the US public knew nothing about it. In November, his dossier began circulating in the top national security echelons of the Obama administration. But it was too late."
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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My god, what a long-winded reiteration of allegations. In the entire article, they only mention the word "evidence" twice, and one of those in in the subheading, without actually bringing any to the table. It is, literally, entirely hearsay, as the article itself makes clear:
Quote:
Normally an intelligence officer would debrief sources directly, but since Steele could no longer visit Russia, this had to be done by others, or in third countries. There were intermediaries, subsources, operators – a sensitive chain. Only one of Steele’s sources on Trump knew of Steele.
But they spend a lot of words trying to attach favorable adjectives to a former British spy!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
My god, what a long-winded reiteration of allegations. In the entire article, they only mention the word "evidence" twice, and one of those in in the subheading, without actually bringing any to the table. It is, literally, entirely hearsay, as the article itself makes clear:Quote:
Normally an intelligence officer would debrief sources directly, but since Steele could no longer visit Russia, this had to be done by others, or in third countries. There were intermediaries, subsources, operators – a sensitive chain. Only one of Steele’s sources on Trump knew of Steele.
Actually, much of the what was in the report has been substantiated. Some has not. Mueller is very thorough. In the end all your denials about Trump, his people and Russia will be addressed in Congress and the courts.
After our elections in 2018 if the democrats do good, it's over for Russia. It's over for Trump. Right now that's the time frame. Unless the democrats do poorly.
Of course you'll still be saying there was no evidence. It's what you do.
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Quote:It has? What? Where? LINKS PLEASE
Actually, much of the what was in the report has been substantiated. - THUGR
Now's your chance, THUGR! You've flubbed the last year; time to bring on the real stuff!
EDITED TO ADD: If there was communication between Trump and the Kremlin, the NSA surely would have recorded it. Perhaps there are records yet to come out, but so far, nothing has appeared. It's not like investigators would be limited to somebody's say-so. Surveillance is a powerful thing, and electronic records are everywhere.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
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Quote:Actually, it is not hearsay. Steele recognised that no piece of intelligence was 100% right. According to friends, he assessed that his work on the Trump dossier was 70-90% accurate. Over eight years, Orbis had produced scores of reports on Russia for private clients. A lot of this content was verified or “proven up”. As Steele told friends: “I’ve been dealing with this country for 30 years. Why would I invent this stuff?”
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
My god, what a long-winded reiteration of allegations. In the entire article, they only mention the word "evidence" twice, and one of those in in the subheading, without actually bringing any to the table. It is, literally, entirely hearsay . .
.
I will give you a real life intelligence report: On Monday I was asked how Donald was doing (different Donald). I said he had chemo five times. I completely botched the "evidence" because the truth was Donald had radiation five times. But I did get the main point correct: Donald is in grave danger, as is the other Donald.
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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