Donald Trump

bompington

I'm no expert but all the evidence does seem quite compatible with the idea that he's just a narcissist whose every thought, word and deed is derived purely from the need to bolster his self-image.

kingstongraham

I like its simplicity - combined with the North Korea policy, it sends a very clear message. Get nukes, then we'll talk.

And his simple answer to the question "How does this make America safer?" "This will make America much safer."

kingstongraham

This stuff with the companies paying money to the company that Michael Cohen used to pay off Stormy seems crazy. There must be someone in one of those companies who will be talking.

bianchimoon

So trade sanctions now imposed Boeing lose £20b deal (although they seem to have a major supply backlog) Airbus will also have to suffer as 10% of the jet parts come from US companies, so Airbus find new suppliers and get round the sanctions. Do the US force UK/EU to put sanctions on Iran or suffer sanctions fro the US. China has its own airliner coming on stream later this year, so they could benefit by selling to Iran. Saudi big winners as the US has already spoken to them about increasing output, Israel/Netanyahu making out they're big winners, but the middle east will be in even more turmoil/conflict, Netanyahu like Trump under investigation so create chaos?

bianchimoon

KingstonGraham wrote:

This stuff with the companies paying money to the company that Michael Cohen used to pay off Stormy seems crazy. There must be someone in one of those companies who will be talking.

AT&T paying circa $200,000 to Cohen for quote "an understanding as to how the current administration thinks"

tangled_metal

Again the word thinks. I still cannot believe trump thinks. He reacts but doesn't think things through. How long before he reacts a different way towards Iran and they become biggly friends (or some other Trumpism).

Lunatics running the asylum. And anyone who thinks america isn't an asylum just look at who's at the top of the tree. Trump!

kingstongraham

bianchimoon wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

This stuff with the companies paying money to the company that Michael Cohen used to pay off Stormy seems crazy. There must be someone in one of those companies who will be talking.

AT&T paying circa $200,000 to Cohen for quote "an understanding as to how the current administration thinks"

Think they were told that they want to drain the swamp?

bianchimoon

KingstonGraham wrote:

bianchimoon wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

This stuff with the companies paying money to the company that Michael Cohen used to pay off Stormy seems crazy. There must be someone in one of those companies who will be talking.

AT&T paying circa $200,000 to Cohen for quote "an understanding as to how the current administration thinks"

Think they were told that they want to drain the swamp?

He's done a good job of draining it, we can see who all the bottom feeders are now with all that messy muddy stuff gone!

Matthewfalle

Tangled Metal wrote:

Lunatics running the asylum. And anyone who thinks america isn't an asylum just look at who's at the top of the tree. Trump!

At least they didn’t vote for Farage and Brexit.

Now that’s lunacy. Imagine what bunch of idiots would do that......

tangled_metal

Drain the swamp to see the bottom feeders then take your cut!

kingstongraham

Matthewfalle wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote:

Lunatics running the asylum. And anyone who thinks america isn't an asylum just look at who's at the top of the tree. Trump!

At least they didn’t vote for Farage and Brexit.

Now that’s lunacy. Imagine what bunch of idiots would do that......

Quiet now - focussing on American politics feels like an escape from that reality.

tangled_metal

Matthewfalle wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote:

Lunatics running the asylum. And anyone who thinks america isn't an asylum just look at who's at the top of the tree. Trump!

At least they didn’t vote for Farage and Brexit.

Now that’s lunacy. Imagine what bunch of idiots would do that......

I don't think many ppl voted for Farage.

As for Brexit well, stupid is as stupid does! We're a nation of forest Gumps. Well worse! We get what we deserve. Self inflicted.

Still, as bad as our politicians are, even Boris wouldn't be as bad as trump.

surrey_commuter

Robert88 wrote:

Trump's Iranian decision can only be grandstanding to his fanbase since it is otherwise counter-productive. It alienate SUS allies and playS into the hands of China. China uses Iranian oil and will continue to do so, possibly at a reduced price.

The US can use the might of the dollar to hurt Iran but that's a stick to be used sparingly when there is the risk of China's Renminbi eroding the US dollar's STATUS as premier reserve currency.

Our bank made our company sign an agreement that we would not pay any money from iran into our account or they would fire us as a client. If they handled money from Iran then they faced massive fines in the US. This means that US sanctions are pretty far reaching

rick_chasey

His move has seriously consolidated the position of the hard line conservatives; exactly the lot the US would be keen to weaken.

It's beyond a moronic move.

Matthewfalle

Tangled Metal wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote:

Lunatics running the asylum. And anyone who thinks america isn't an asylum just look at who's at the top of the tree. Trump!

At least they didn’t vote for Farage and Brexit.

Now that’s lunacy. Imagine what bunch of idiots would do that......

I don't think many ppl voted for Farage.

As for Brexit well, stupid is as stupid does! We're a nation of forest Gumps. Well worse! We get what we deserve. Self inflicted.

Still, as bad as our politicians are, even Boris wouldn't be as bad as trump.

i think if you look t the general election voting when UKIP got that massive percentile vote that yup, they were voting for Farage, the Emperor of the idiots.

anyhow, back on track.

Dotard - WTAF is he doing? or did he see the headlines about payments from Russian controlled cos going to his lawyer and decide to take some distractory action?

kingstongraham

I think his advisers are expecting it to generate negotiations of a more wide ranging agreement.

When it doesn't happen, at some point he'll come out and say "Noone knew It could be so complicated".

briantrumpet

Matthewfalle wrote:

Dotard - WTAF is he doing? or did he see the headlines about payments from Russian controlled cos going to his lawyer and decide to take some distractory action?

It's something else that Obama did. I think Trump works on the simple metric: Obama=bad, Russian money=good. That's about the extent of his analytical thought, and everything he does flows from that. If something doesn't fit into that, he just makes stuff up to make himself feel important.

TheGardenGnome

Don't ever underestimate the Trump, he's smart enough to surround himself with stable geniuses that see the bigger picture and command a high salary because of it. Its like the skinny weakling that gets the big guys to be his bodyguards, that requires some smarts, and money too. Don't mess with the skinny kid.

Iran getting nukes means another backwards derka derka land is going to join the big boy club, and he's gonna be the odd one out because he's got a bumpy forehead and he's friends with that other guy that the Sunnis hate (hint: he looks a bit like Hitler and he even gasses his own citizens). Iran also funnels its economic power towards funding proxy wars, akin to kicking the Sunnis, our allies, on the shin under the table. Sanctions means less shin kicking and less jumpy middleeasterners. We can have both sanctions as well as bomb Iranian facilities that are suspected of being involved in developing nuclear technology, there may also be instances of assassinations done on Iranians to further improve the security in the middle east.

rjsterry

Careful not to overplay it.

tangled_metal

Is TGG on form today or lacking something? I think he needs to up his game to match previous day's output. Although derka derka is a new racial slur to me. What's wrong with the old classic raghead? Is it the case that the passing of yasser arafat and Colonel Gaddafi made that abusive racial epithet outdated?

robert88

Rick Chasey wrote:

His move has seriously consolidated the position of the hard line conservatives; exactly the lot the US would be keen to weaken.

It's beyond a moronic move.

For a moment I thought you were referring to his GOP mates.

kingstongraham

Korea Aerospace Industries say it paid Michael Cohen's company $150,000 for “legal consulting concerning accounting standards on production costs”.

robert88

TheGardenGnome wrote:

Don't ever underestimate the Trump, .. Don't mess with the skinny kid.

.. We can have both sanctions as well as bomb Iranian facilities that are suspected of being involved in developing nuclear technology, there may also be instances of assassinations done on Iranians to further improve the security in the middle east.

I'd never call Trump a 'skinny kid'; he's a fat bastard. And when you say 'We' I take it you are an American?

The problem for the Fat Bastard is that Saudi action will be taken on the understanding they will be shoulder to shoulder with US forces. i.e. Trump will have to send 'your boys' in. He'll need to step in the dog shit (excrement). In all probability it'll turn into asymetric warfare at which the US has a proven track record of losing. He may well back off before that happens; right now it's important that the rest of the world (apart from SA, Israel, etc) doesn't back him.

FishFish

KingstonGraham wrote:

Korea Aerospace Industries say it paid Michael Cohen's company $150,000 for “legal consulting concerning accounting standards on production costs”.

What is wrong with that. It is a South Korean Company owned by a South Korean Development Bank. It probably needs external advisors to value assets to International Standards so that the company can develop. It would also be accounting advice and not legal advice.

They got away lightly. If it was a West Coast advisor it would cost twice as much.

FishFish

Robert88 wrote:

TheGardenGnome wrote:

right now it's important that the rest of the world (apart from SA, Israel, etc) doesn't back him.

I don't think that anyone but Israel is backing him and if they are they are doing so silently.

The issue is who opposes him - only Iran by the looks of things. So that does not seem to be a difficulty. Pakistan will be in there too but very discretely.

Who is not going to get involved. Britain for sure because they want to keep in with Europe because Europe seem to take a passive aggressive stance against Trump.

We have enough nuclear powers - we don't need Iran taking greater influence in the world they should be f'd off. Nice country though and nice people - I've been there twice. Interesting that given the amount of sanctions they still trade dollars and operate pc's with MS op systems and office app - and sell oil. In the past the sanctions have been fake. Now they are going to be real.

rick_chasey

FishFish wrote:

.

- I've been there twice. Interesting that given the amount of sanctions they still trade dollars and operate pc's with MS op systems and office app - and sell oil. In the past the sanctions have been fake. Now they are going to be real.

I know a bunch of ex BNP Bankers who would say the sanctions were fairly punitive, on both sides....

kingstongraham

FishFish wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Korea Aerospace Industries say it paid Michael Cohen's company $150,000 for “legal consulting concerning accounting standards on production costs”.

What is wrong with that. It is a South Korean Company owned by a South Korean Development Bank. It probably needs external advisors to value assets to International Standards so that the company can develop. It would also be accounting advice and not legal advice.

They got away lightly. If it was a West Coast advisor it would cost twice as much.

Michael Cohen seems to have so many areas of expertise.

cooldad

Rick Chasey wrote:

His move has seriously consolidated the position of the hard line conservatives; exactly the lot the US would be keen to weaken.

It's beyond a moronic move.

It would appear others agree with your sentiments.

"....If the JCPOA now collapses, it will be the result of the greatest outbreak of organised stupidity in international politics in recent memory."

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/midd ... -stupidity

orraloon

Rogue state. Regime change needed.

PhilipPirrip

KingstonGraham wrote:

Korea Aerospace Industries say it paid Michael Cohen's company $150,000 for “legal consulting concerning accounting standards on production costs”.

Now we know that he wasn't providing any professional legal service but money paid to the shell company was for access to the president;

"An official with one of those companies, who requested anonymity to speak openly, was more blunt. The official said Cohen “was promising access to Trump and members of the administration, positioning himself as a lobbyist.”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mi ... 3b2c8ffe23

Like Trump, Cohen is nothing more than a shyster always looking to scam people.