Trump thread 6

[amispartacus]

And it's only been a day since no 5

Mort

Ari Berman ‏*@AriBerman* now
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If confirmed, Sessions will be most dangerous member of Trump cabinet & huge threat to civil rights/Constitution
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-hard-line-actions-have-an-intellectual-godfather-jeff-sessions/2017/01/30/ac393f66-e4d4-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html?utm_term=.643d04545e46

www.teenvogue.com/story/donald-trumps-national-security-advisor-met-with-alt-right-freedom-party-leader

I'm very wary about polling at the moment

Daily Express Headline - but they did an online poll of its readers. I really really think the media should be very careful with polls - they need to look at EXACTLY what was asked, who and when.

There was a poll of Muslim opinions recently. Except it wasn't. The pollsters went to Muslim areas as it was easier to find Muslims. So that introduced a bias. Go during the day time. Introduce bias. Ignore findings and only publish certain findings.

Nudge, nudge.

You see the same on Mumsnet. People using crap data to nudge others towards fear. Fear controls. Fear breeds hate.

Senator Brian Schatz ‏*@SenBrianSchatz* 6m6 minutes ago
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The world is watching. History is watching. And we have to ask ourselves—what do they see?

They have put trump's approval rating at 57

And then the White House can quote 1 poll and ignore the rest.

bahahahahaha Ed Milliband - there were MILLIONS of people outside (deliberate joke)

Ed Milliband is really coming across well

Even Fox News is shocked by this and the NSC machinations.

Obama is not as good as he looked, Trump is not as bad.

We know that Obama wasn't perfect. We aren't looking for a hero, just a vaguely sane leader of the free world.

For instance, a sane, intelligent response to comments on the inauguration crowd size would have been for Trump to agree that he doesn't have much support in Washington, but to talk about the greater efforts that his supporters made to attend. Instead Trump forced his Press Secretary to lie and obsessed for days about his 'ratings'.

A sane, intelligent president could have increased security measures, but in a way that didn't cause mass chaos and confusion. It's not as though there was any particular threat of attack this weekend - and particularly not from 5 year olds. www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/30/14442528/trump-muslim-ban-sean-spicer-5-year-old

A sane intelligent president would have accepted that the election was divisive and that he had lost the popular vote and would have attempted to build bridges. Trump is apparently convinced that 5 million people voted illegally based on something to do with a golfer, and maybe the sloppy admin of Tiffany Trump?

We hoped that Trump wouldn't be as bad as he seems. Days into his presidency he seems far worse.

what are you all watching? Where is Ed?

Place marking

It's just finished now Mort, it was on parliament tv.

Abby I hardly think your president is repairing race relations!

The only time I (slightly) warmed to Ed Miliband was a couple of weeks ago when I saw he was in the audience at the Snooker Masters

Although he was fairly good on R4 World at One today

I wonder what people in the USA are thinking when the Parliament of their closest ally has its representatives calling his actions despicable and their were few people defending him.

We are his closest ally.

Abbylee

leave the Middle East
Trump has no plan. He basically demanded other people come up -within 30 days - with a plan to defeat ISIS. Because obviously until now they've been sat about twiddling their thumbs. He also wants to enlarge the US Navy to help in this fight. Yes. Perhaps he's getting ISIS & Atlantis confused?

repair race relations
And you really, truly, think that the Trump administration is going to do that? What about the past eight days brings you this hope?

employ Americans
I'm ALL for better employment prospects for the Native Peoples after centuries of shameful treatment by the Federal Government. Or is that not what you meant? After how many generations IS one "an American", just out of interest?

stop gangs from Mexico from kindnapping and bringing drugs in
That ridiculous wall wouldn't stop drug trafficking. Well, not that it's likely to be built, given the engineering issues, fact it would need to cross private land, and the bit where Mexico really REALLY won't ever pay for it & they have a lot more leverage in this than Trump is willing to discuss. Also, if you support that sodding wall you're supporting massive environmental damage. But that's Trump policy all over. The way forwards is investment in policing & in [re]building relationships with marginalised communities so they trust said police forces. If you will be deported when you report a drug dealer because you're not in the country legally, you're not going to be rushing forwards with information, now are you...? Superb policy-making there by Trump, particularly the bit where it has caused yet more unrest & division.

affordable healthcare
And Trump trashing the Affordable Care Act is likely to bring you this how? I have the utmost compassion for people who are unable to access the medical care they need because of the frankly grotesque American system, but how do you think Trump will fix this?

jobs
If you think Captain Self-Interest really has any plans to create jobs for anyone other than his cronies I fear you will be doomed to disappointment.

peace
Trump's actions at the moment are MASSIVELY antagonistic on an almost unprecedented scale. Are you aware he's essentially trying to squeeze South Korea for protection money? The shockwaves from his INSANE "Muslim ban" will be far-reaching (& I can only pray they will not be truly catastrophic). There are mentions upthread of the civilian casualties (including children) of the strikes he's ordered without actually having his plan in place yet.

So, um your pay has not increased in 10 years while food & good $ trebled.

I think you'll find TEN years is the key part of that sentence. Expecting Obama to fix the effects of the global economic meltdown that happened on Bush's watch is... unrealistic, to put it kindly. Somehow, though, even without Weimar hyperinflation & associated catastrophic economic collapse etc, the U.S. somehow decided to aim for a Fourth Reich. At least Hitler had a bit of charisma. And marginally less ridiculous hair...

*An executive order from President Donald Trump opening up discrimination against the LGBTQ community on the basis of religious belief is expected sometime this week, possibly as soon as today.

Several sources spoke with LGBTQ Nation on the condition of anonymity who have told us that the order will allow for discrimination in a number of areas, including employment, social services, business, and adoption.

From what we’ve heard, the executive order could be far-reaching, and could include: making taxpayer funds available for discrimination against LGBTQ people in social services; allow federally funded adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ parents; eliminate non-discrimination protections in order to make it possible to fire federal employers and contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity; and allow federal employees to refuse to serve people based on the belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and that gender is an immutable characteristic set at birth, which would impact a broad range of federal benefits.

The order is expected to come in the packaging of so-called “religious freedom,” which argues that someone’s religious beliefs should be enough to prevent them from having to provide goods and services to members of the LGBTQ community if doing so would conflict with said beliefs.*

What the actual fuck?

Please be fake.

Hear, hear merrymouse.

I've never thought a political 'leader' (ha!) was actually insane before, even the ones I don't agree with. Never come close to it. Not even the fascist ones. Not even Holocaust deniers. I may think they're evil and wrong. But not insane.

He is a madman. It's the only explanation. And, as has happened in history before, people have fallen for the rantings of a madman.

Trying to say that it's all because of food prices and drugs from Mexico is pathetic hand-wringing. I have no fucking money, my job prospects are pretty dire myself. I would never ever ever justify that by voting in a fucking lunatic who couldn't organise, as my dear grandfather (who fought Hitler and freed Japanese POWs btw) would say, a rice pudding.

Bold fail

Oh and hear hear Zebra. Particularly on your point about the hair

Jessi: I assume the Frustrated Artist used brylcream, perhaps we could club together to get some for his tribute act?

Does anyone think that there will be a big march in London in the coming week (s)? Would love to have gone up to Downing Street this evening but just not possible.

The Lead CNN ‏*@TheLeadCNN* 38s38 seconds ago
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Rep. Schiff on Trump's travel ban: It's a terrible misstep & it's going to cost us dearly cnn.it/2jOrrM8

finally, I think there is one this weekend?