***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[everysingletime]

People already hash tagging covfefe in pictures that have nothing to do with politics lol

 

[rolaholic]

@Evan_Rosenfeld: BREAKING: @johncrudele reports DOJ granted warrants to conduct surveillance on certain journalists to find leakers https://t.co/PuA6A8WuwT

'But but I think Obama wire tapped me!!!'

 

[elpablo21]

NYT and WaPo, pls be safe

Speaking of that story on the Russian Compounds, tweet posted a week ago

Russia in USA [emoji]133671547386[/emoji] @RusEmbUSA

Russia is seeking to return its diplomatic property in #US[emoji]133674693112[/emoji] asap.
Otherwise, we will have to take counter measures (link: https://sptnkne.ws/e28K) sptnkneConpounds

The Yellow Tape was on deck

 

[sonoftony]

NYT and WaPo, pls be safe

Speaking of that story on the Russian Compounds, tweet posted a week ago

Russia in USA [emoji]133671547386[/emoji] @RusEmbUSA

Russia is seeking to return its diplomatic property in #US[emoji]133674693112[/emoji] asap.
Otherwise, we will have to take counter measures (link: https://sptnkne.ws/e28K) sptnkneConpounds

The Yellow Tape was on deck

 

[nomnom]

Dont know if posted already

 

[wavycrocket]

Devin Nunes still being Trumps mole....

 

[whywesteppin]

COAL COUNTRY just had to be poppin again famb, it was god's will.

WELL SAID B. TOO MANY LIBBIES AT MY CHURCH DRIVING DA PRIUS. NOT NEARLY ENOUGH PASSING POWER B.

i know this is da real you.

welcome back.

vroom vroom B.

 

[aepps20]

i know this is da real you.

welcome back.

vroom vroom B.

Just playing Interplanetary BINGO 345D STYLE like Da Don on Da LIBBIES B. VROOOOOOOM B indeed. Hit Da LIBBIES WITH DA fake out word to Fake News like Da Don. Hyped to try Da Covfefe infused with COAL SMOKE from Starbucks B. Glorious watching LIBBIE SNOWFLAKES CRYING IN THEIR Lattes because they haven't EARNED Da Covfefe B.

 

[IATT]

 

[whywesteppin]

i know this is da real you.

welcome back.

vroom vroom B.

Just playing Interplanetary BINGO 345D STYLE like Da Don on Da LIBBIES B. VROOOOOOOM B indeed. Hit Da LIBBIES WITH DA fake out word to Fake News like Da Don. Hyped to try Da Covfefe infused with COAL SMOKE from Starbucks B. Glorious watching LIBBIE SNOWFLAKES CRYING IN THEIR Lattes because they haven't EARNED Da Covfefe B.

beautiful, beautiful words. da libbies are triggered B. here comes da circle jerk in 5, 4, 2, 3, 1...

btw, i like my covfefe straight up, no chaser.

 

[whywesteppin]

Adult video site ******* uploaded a documentary critical of top Russian officials after a Russian court ruled against its creator, anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny, and told him to take the film down. The video, which alleges corruption among top Russian officials, ran on ******* under the title “Russian Corrupted Politician ****** Hard.”

 

[gry60]

Dont know if posted already

American journalists used to be the ones asking unanswerable questions to the likes of Bokassa, Ceaucescu, Mobutu. Now, the tables have turned.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I know I recommended the Jacobin Magazine, but to everyone, please don't waste you time on that ****.

It is a bunch of so called socialist that seem ignorant of economics, public policy and politics in general and weave a few overarching talking points into **** articles and give their readers a few buzzwords they can throw around.

 

[jthagreat]

I can see McCain being very concerned about this

so true lol

 

[trueprada]

Brexit leader Nigel Farage is"‘person of interest" in FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation

 

[rolaholic]

Anyone else find it rich just how much outrage there's been on the right at Kathy Griffin when so many of the same people stayed silent or co-signed that Montana guy running for Congress,straight up assaulting a journalist before his election?

Folks wanna be outraged at the idea of political violence but can't be bothered about actual political violence,word to this regime still being silent about last weeks WS attacks and subsequent murders...

 

[gry60]

I can see McCain being very concerned about this

so true lol

McCain has been so disappointing. How does a novice in your area of work, an area you have decades of experience in, drags your name and achievements in the mud, and you don't even raise a finger against him? The worst part is that he even goes along with every little thing Trump proposes, even though he knows it's ********.

 

[gry60]

Anyone else find it rich just how much outrage there's been on the right at Kathy Griffin when so many of the same people stayed silent or co-signed that Montana guy running for Congress,straight up assaulting a journalist before his election?

Folks wanna be outraged at the idea of political violence but can't be bothered about actual political violence,word to this regime still being silent about last weeks WS attacks and subsequent murders...

I heard she apologized. She shouldn't have.

 

[Belgium]

I heard she apologized. She shouldn't have.

Disagree. I think it was way over the top and while the right has done worse and faces less criticism, it's still pretty disgusting. Regardless of how reprehensible Trump and his policies are.

But in other news, looks like da Don has really stepped up draining the swamp 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-ethics-idUSKBN18S3P9

 
The White House on Wednesday disclosed a group of former lobbyists working in President Donald Trump's administration who have been issued ethics waivers, following a request from the U.S. government's ethics agency.

The list of at least 11 waivers include White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and Trump's Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, according to a chart issued on the White House website. (bit.ly/1LPKWx8)

Conway is permitted to "participate in communications and meetings involving former clients which are political, advocacy, trade or non-profit organizations," while Priebus, a former Republican National Committee chairman, is allowed to have communications and meetings with the RNC, the document says.

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump signed an executive order barring lobbyists who joined the administration from working on issues related to their prior work. But the administration has the power to grant waivers to particular hires, exempting them from that restriction.

Also on the list is Michael Catanzaro, a special assistant to the president and a former oil and gas lobbyist, who is cleared to weigh in on energy policy.

Daniel Epstein, associate counsel to the president, "may provide legal advice to the White House Office or any agency of the executive branch and to take positions adverse to Cause of Action Institute."

Shahira Knight, a special assistant to the president who formerly worked for Fidelity, a financial services company, "may participate in broad policy matters and particular matters of general applicability relating to tax, retirement and financial services issues."

Andrew Olmem, a special assistant to Trump who worked as an attorney to the Senate Banking Committee during the financial crisis, is cleared to join meetings with former clients involving Puerto Rico's fiscal issues, along with a wide range of activities involving financial regulation.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), had promised in a letter on Friday that the White House would comply with a request from the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to provide information on which former lobbyists are working in the administration.

Mulvaney said in the letter that the administration was not seeking to impede efforts by OGE to obtain that information, despite earlier protests from Walter Shaub, the agency's director.

Shaub, an appointee under President Barack Obama in the final year of a five-year term, had requested in April copies of waivers the Trump administration granted to former lobbyists now appointed to positions in the government. Those requests were sent to agencies across the administration, seeking waivers that would allow former lobbyists to work on issues they had been involved with as paid advocates.

But OMB requested a stay of that request, prompting a fierce response from Shaub. He called the request "highly unusual" and said his agency has the authority to take "corrective action proceedings" against agencies that refuse its requests.

In his Friday response, Mulvaney said the requested stay was not an attempt to stifle OGE efforts but rather to provide more time to "ensure sufficient consideration was given to legal questions."

"OMB has never sought to impede OGE," he wrote.

Mulvaney closed the letter by saying the OMB did not grant any lobbyist waivers itself.

 

[rolaholic]

I wasn't as bothered by it cause I feel like I've been sort of desensitized to that kind of imagery given all the Obama lynching effigies burning over the last 8 years .

Don't think it was the smartest thing to do though

 

[Belgium]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visa-idUSKBN18R3F8

5 years worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers 

If I ever had to fill out such a questionnaire I'd have to list several hundred handles, email addresses, a dozen phone numbers, ... if I were to answer it truthfully. Seems like a lot of unnecessary paperwork to me, and then there's the 15 year biographical information thing too. 

 
The Trump administration has rolled out a new questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants worldwide that asks for social media handles for the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years.

The new questions, part of an effort to tighten vetting of would-be visitors to the United States, was approved on May 23 by the Office of Management and Budget despite criticism from a range of education officials and academic groups during a public comment period.

Critics argued that the new questions would be overly burdensome, lead to long delays in processing and discourage international students and scientists from coming to the United States.

Under the new procedures, consular officials can request all prior passport numbers, five years' worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers and 15 years of biographical information including addresses, employment and travel history. (bit.ly/2qBSrpv)

Officials will request the additional information when they determine "that such information is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting," a State Department official said on Wednesday.

The State Department said earlier the tighter vetting would apply to visa applicants "who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities."

President Donald Trump has vowed to increase national security and border protections, proposing to give more money to the military and make Mexico pay to build a wall along the southern U.S. border.

He has tried to implement a temporary travel ban on people from six Muslim-majority nations that a U.S. appeals court refused to reinstate, calling it discriminatory and setting the stage for a showdown in the Supreme Court.

The Office of Management and Budget granted emergency approval for the new questions for six months, rather than the usual three years.

While the new questions are voluntary, the form says failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.

Immigration lawyers and advocates say the request for 15 years of detailed biographical information, as well as the expectation that applicants remember all their social media handles, is likely to catch applicants who make innocent mistakes or do not remember all the information requested.

The new questions grant "arbitrary power" to consular officials to determine who gets a visa with no effective check on their decisions, said Babak Yousefzadeh, a San Francisco-based attorney and president of the Iranian American Bar Association.

"The United States has one of the most stringent visa application processes in the world," Yousefzadeh said. "The need for tightening the application process further is really unknown and unclear."

 

[rolaholic]

Anyone been following the UK general election campaign?

The incumbent conservative PM had a 24 point lead in the polls when she called the election a little over a month ago and now according to this week's polls,her lead over the Labour party and it's leader that the media deemed 'unelectable' not long ago has evaporated to just 3 points with a week left before polls open...

Pretty mad given how short campaign seasons are in the UK,to make up almost a 20 point defect in a matter of weeks is insane :x

She didn't help herself by skipping the last debate and all of her opponents took turns ethering her .

Looks like the British press smearing of Corbyn has had an opposite effect,his support has soared once folks actually listened to the mans ideas. Labours manifesto, or platform, has been winning people over while Mays numbers crater.

She's still slightly favored but it's looking like her idea to call early elections to solidify a majority for her mandate will backfire in her face big time. If she wins it'll be real close it looks like and she'll probably need a coalition to govern.

It's been refreshing to see real progressive momentum and gains there after Brexit last year. The 'far left radical' who survived a coup attempt by the moderates in his own party last year,is currently more popular with voters than the incumbent

 

[Belgium]

Anyone been following the UK general election campaign?

The incumbent conservative PM had a 24 point lead in the polls when she called the election a little over a month ago and now according to this week's polls,her lead over the Labour party and it's leader that the media deemed 'unelectable' not long ago has evaporated to just 3 points with a week left before polls open...

Pretty mad given how short campaign seasons are in the UK,to make up almost a 20 point defect in a matter of weeks is insane

She didn't help herself by skipping the last debate and all of her opponents took turns ethering her

.

Looks like the British press smearing of Corbyn has had an opposite effect,his support has soared once folks actually listened to the mans ideas. Labours manifesto, or platform, has been winning people over while Mays numbers crater.

She's still slightly favored but it's looking like her idea to call early elections to solidify a majority for her mandate will backfire in her face big time. If she wins it'll be real close it looks like and she'll probably need a coalition to govern.

It's been refreshing to see real progressive momentum and gains there after Brexit last year. The 'far left radical' is currently more popular with voters than the incumbent

It's a bit of a **** show.



0:35



Full interview from the clip above:

 

[rolaholic]

Yeah apparently there's been a bunch of gaffes from all sides . The savagery at the last debate was great,British ether is hilarious

Just find it crazy how only a month ago most folks had written it off as a Tory landslide with many were predicting Labours worst defeat in decades and now it's almost a dead heat

Sounds like some Atlanta Falcons,28-3 type choke job losing voters trust in a matter of weeks. She had her highest approval ratings just in April

 

[gry60]

I heard she apologized. She shouldn't have.

Disagree. I think it was way over the top and while the right has done worse and faces less criticism, it's still pretty disgusting. Regardless of how reprehensible Trump and his policies are.

We've had to endure 8 years of burned and hanged Obama effigies and Ted Nugent calling for his assassination, Trump casually suggesting assassinating Hilary and promoting violence against protesters, Now Republicans are either assaulting journalists, talking about a violent Christianism, and hiring white supremacist militias, but we should back down?

Backing down has been the trademark tactic of Dems and look at where we are. Griffin should have told the complainers to deal with it the same way we're dealing with the consequences of their discourse and actions based on ignorance.