US Election November 5th

[Terry - Somerset]

Meetings with the US president, particularly one who will be gone in a few months, has little to do with face to face dialogue influencing or promoting policy. It is about ego and politics:

• I must be important - load up a large jet to fly lots of folk to the US for a few days
• lots of positive column inches and media attention
• I don't want to make a decision without the explicit agreement of the senior partner (boss)
• it diverts attention away from other issues not going so well (fuel payments, Oasis tickets)

Ukraine would benefit from long range missiles even if limited to targeting military sites. It is inevitable that at some point one will hit a civilian installation - school, hospital, etc. Putin would undoubtedly make political capital.

An end to hostilities will only happen when Russia wants. The West (NATO) can only provide Ukraine with weapons required to avoid a Russian victory. Ukraine cannot "win" the war. The West does not want a Russian victory which could threaten other EU/NATO states.

A Trump election victory may result in:

• a call to Putin to agree revised borders - roughly where the front line has stalled
• followed by a call to Zelensky telling him to agree
• failure to agree will stall military support - Zelensky between a rock and a hard place
• deal may allow a smaller Ukraine with agreed new borders membership of NATO and EU

Kamala may even subscribe to such a solution. Providing extra capability risks escalation. The alternative may be be a conflict which lasts another 2-10 years (Afghanistan). Any strategy should seek to restore long term stability to the region with minimum pain.

It is a solution I would support. It may be morally questionable to allow aggression to succeed - but the West have encouraged Putin by standing idly by when Crimea was invaded. The alternative is perpetuating destruction, civilian and military casualties for an the indefinite future.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Now it seems Donald Trump hates Taylor Swift because she said something nasty about him.

What an unpleasant and spiteful man - and a scary one too

Do you think Trump gives a toss what Swift thinks?

 

[AJB Temple]

Do you think Trump gives a toss what Swift thinks?

Yes. But only because he is a narcissist and wants to be adored and in power, and she is not a trumpet. Or trumpette.

 

[Chris152]

Now it seems Donald Trump hates Taylor Swift because she said something nasty about him.

My guess is he's a better singer than her, too. Many many better, lots of records, we've broken records, eating cats in Springfield...

 

[John Brown]

Do you think Trump gives a toss what Swift thinks?

Do you think Swift gives a toss what Trump thinks?

 

[selectortone]

Do you think Trump gives a toss what Swift thinks?

If it means votes for Harris then yes. She has 284 million followers on Instagram. Of the many that are Americans, quite a few will be first time voters.

 

[spanner48]

Meetings with the US president, particularly one who will be gone in a few months, has little to do with face to face dialogue influencing or promoting policy. It is about ego and politics:

• I must be important - load up a large jet to fly lots of folk to the US for a few days
• lots of positive column inches and media attention
• I don't want to make a decision without the explicit agreement of the senior partner (boss)
• it diverts attention away from other issues not going so well (fuel payments, Oasis tickets)

Ukraine would benefit from long range missiles even if limited to targeting military sites. It is inevitable that at some point one will hit a civilian installation - school, hospital, etc. Putin would undoubtedly make political capital.

An end to hostilities will only happen when Russia wants. The West (NATO) can only provide Ukraine with weapons required to avoid a Russian victory. Ukraine cannot "win" the war. The West does not want a Russian victory which could threaten other EU/NATO states.

A Trump election victory may result in:

• a call to Putin to agree revised borders - roughly where the front line has stalled
• followed by a call to Zelensky telling him to agree
• failure to agree will stall military support - Zelensky between a rock and a hard place
• deal may allow a smaller Ukraine with agreed new borders membership of NATO and EU

Kamala may even subscribe to such a solution. Providing extra capability risks escalation. The alternative may be be a conflict which lasts another 2-10 years (Afghanistan). Any strategy should seek to restore long term stability to the region with minimum pain.

It is a solution I would support. It may be morally questionable to allow aggression to succeed - but the West have encouraged Putin by standing idly by when Crimea was invaded. The alternative is perpetuating destruction, civilian and military casualties for an the indefinite future.

This is appeasement. We tried that in 1939. It didn't work then; it never does. Continuing to support the Ukraine means – at its most selfish – sapping the Russian economy and its manpower, at no more than financial cost to ourselves. Then waiting for Putin to die, go gaga, or be deposed . . . .

 

[Jake]

Do you think Trump gives a toss what Swift thinks?

 

[Sean33]

Thought this was interesting!

https://x.com/billackman/status/1835399153763180769?s=46&t=Ne3YKv37OQERN4xRr7TYQg

 

[Yorkieguy]

Yes. But only because he is a narcissist and wants to be adored and in power, and she is not a trumpet. Or trumpette.

What's more, she has an estimated 58 million fans (called 'Swifties') aged over 18 in the USA alone who have the vote, and Taylor Swift has back Kamala Harris. I dare say the mentality of her fans will be that to vote for Trump would be disloyal to Taylor Swift.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/06/06/many-fans-taylor-swift-20986907/

Apart from which, why would any woman want to vote for an odious misogynistic convicted sex offender?

("If you don't respect my sex, you don't get my X")

 

[Yorkieguy]

View attachment 188208

So he does care very much about her because she engenders the adulation he so much desires.

If he was indifferent to her, he'd just ignore her.

His ludicrous assertion about immigrants eating cats was the giddy limit.

'***** grabbing' immigrants - goodness me - whatever next!

 

[paulrbarnard]

Do you think Trump gives a toss what Swift thinks?

Absolutely he does. It’s a well known attribute of a narcissist.

 

[paulrbarnard]

'***** cat grabbing' immigrants - goodness me - whatever next!

I see what you did there

 

[sploo]

Absolutely he does. It’s a well known attribute of a narcissist.

Exactly the reason Harris baited him in the debate with comments such as the number of people at his rallies; knowing his fragile ego wouldn't be able to resist taking the bite.

 

[Yorkieguy]

I spotted this, about the media sanitising the twaddle that Trump comes out with, either because they support him, or they're hedging their bets in case he does get re-elected. If you watched the debate you might recall Kamala Harris asked him if elected, what provision he would make for affordable child-care, which hardly ought to tax the brain of someone who thinks he's up to the task of running the country. Below, i italics, is his verbatim answer:

‘Corporate media keeps hiding the truth about madman Donald Trump | Opinion’

Quote:

He often gives answers to even the easiest questions as if he were auditioning to be the star of some deranged carnival. Here’s but one answer of hundreds like this, that he offered up [in the debate] about providing affordable child care last week:

Well, I would do that, and we’re sitting down — you know, I was, somebody, we had Senator Marco Rubio, and my daughter Ivanka was so impactful on that issue. It’s a very important issue. But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, that — because, look, child care is child care. It’s, couldn’t, you know, there’s something, you have to have it — in this country, you have to have it.

But when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, by taxing foreign nations at levels that they’re not used to — but they’ll get used to it very quickly — and it’s not gonna stop them from doing business with us. But they’ll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country.

Those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we’re talking about, including child care, that it’s going to take care.

We’re gonna have — I look forward to having no deficits within a fairly short period of time, coupled with the reductions that I told you about on waste and fraud and all of the other things that are going on in our country, because I have to stay with child care.

I want to stay with child care, but those numbers are small relative to the kind of economic numbers that I’m talking about, including growth, but growth also headed up by what the plan is that I just, that I just told you about.

We’re gonna be taking in trillions of dollars, and as much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it’s, relatively speaking, not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in. We’re going to make this into an incredible country that can afford to take care of its people, and then we’ll worry about the rest of the world.

Let’s help other people, but we’re going to take care of our country first. This is about America first. It’s about Make America Great Again. We have to do it because right now we’re a failing nation, so we’ll take care of it. Thank you. Very good question. Thank you.

Well? That’s a direct quote right there.

Time and again, you sanitize all this carp as if it were your job to listen to the nuclear-grade bullsh*t he spits out about God knows what, and twist yourself in a pretzel trying to explain to your readers what you think he was trying to say.

End quote:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/othe...1&cvid=a97888a022c0434f95d2d98d076eddd2&ei=27

 

[niall Y]

I know many folk like to "slag off" The Donald for his many shortcomings, but it's odd that no one wants to mention the second assassination attempt. Unless of course I missed that post. In which case I apologise.

 

[JSW]

Third time's the charm

 

[Chris152]

I spotted this, about the media sanitising the twaddle that Trump comes out with, either because they support him, or they're hedging their bets in case he does get re-elected. If you watched the debate you might recall Kamala Harris asked him if elected, what provision he would make for affordable child-care, which hardly ought to tax the brain of someone who thinks he's up to the task of running the country. Below, i italics, is his verbatim answer:

‘Corporate media keeps hiding the truth about madman Donald Trump | Opinion’

Quote:

He often gives answers to even the easiest questions as if he were auditioning to be the star of some deranged carnival. Here’s but one answer of hundreds like this, that he offered up [in the debate] about providing affordable child care last week:

Well, I would do that, and we’re sitting down — you know, I was, somebody, we had Senator Marco Rubio, and my daughter Ivanka was so impactful on that issue. It’s a very important issue. But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, that — because, look, child care is child care. It’s, couldn’t, you know, there’s something, you have to have it — in this country, you have to have it.

But when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, by taxing foreign nations at levels that they’re not used to — but they’ll get used to it very quickly — and it’s not gonna stop them from doing business with us. But they’ll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country.

Those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we’re talking about, including child care, that it’s going to take care.

We’re gonna have — I look forward to having no deficits within a fairly short period of time, coupled with the reductions that I told you about on waste and fraud and all of the other things that are going on in our country, because I have to stay with child care.

I want to stay with child care, but those numbers are small relative to the kind of economic numbers that I’m talking about, including growth, but growth also headed up by what the plan is that I just, that I just told you about.

We’re gonna be taking in trillions of dollars, and as much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it’s, relatively speaking, not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in. We’re going to make this into an incredible country that can afford to take care of its people, and then we’ll worry about the rest of the world.

Let’s help other people, but we’re going to take care of our country first. This is about America first. It’s about Make America Great Again. We have to do it because right now we’re a failing nation, so we’ll take care of it. Thank you. Very good question. Thank you.

Well? That’s a direct quote right there.

Time and again, you sanitize all this carp as if it were your job to listen to the nuclear-grade bullsh*t he spits out about God knows what, and twist yourself in a pretzel trying to explain to your readers what you think he was trying to say.

End quote:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/othe...1&cvid=a97888a022c0434f95d2d98d076eddd2&ei=27

It's really quite mind-blowing, isn't it? Not that some very old bloke can blather around a subject without making a point - we can all do that sometimes, especially at 2am after an evening drinking heavily with friends - but that apparently half the electorate thinks that someone whose mind is 'organised' like that (presumably without being drunk) would make a good leader of their country.
What are they hearing? Do they imagine the bits that are difficult to understand are difficult because he's speaking of complex things that are beyond them, but take in the 'we're going to bring in trillions from taxes from abroad and then, paying for child care will be easy'? Oh, and obviously make America great again, don't forget that.
What is the state of mind of the millions who will vote for him?

 

[selectortone]

Do they imagine the bits that are difficult to understand are difficult because he's speaking of complex things that are beyond them,

I have long suspected that is the case. On the evidence of interviews of the average Trump supporter I think that's quite realistic.

 

[niall Y]

Third time's the charm

I know , but, it is someone's life we are talking about. And to put it in perspective there have already been two fatalities from the first attempt.