Looking from the outside, I'd say the psychological rot set in when the first cowboy actor, Reagan, got elected. It's been government by fantasy ever since.

I am old enough to remember when Reagan got elected and people made a big deal out of the fact that he'd been an actor -- in a negative way, as if that somehow disqualified him. "He's an actor who plays cowboys, he's not really a cowboy! And now he's an actor playing a President, he's not really a President!" That sort of thing. But to be fair, Ronald Reagan had been involved in politics for sometime and was Governor of California and had become educated by the time he ran for President. I am no Reagan fan, but he was much more qualified for the job than Trump. The idea that Reagan wasn't 'serious' when compared to Republicans of today like Trump, MTG, Boebert, Jordan... well, that just makes me long for the old days. Even Nixon, when he knew he was caught and the evidence was all against him, had the sense to resign. Now we're living in Bizarro-land with conservatives and liberals not able to refer to the same set of facts when having conversations.

But to be fair, Ronald Reagan had been involved in politics for sometime and was Governor of California and had become educated by the time he ran for President. — GRWelsh

Yes, sure; but who was elected, the governor or the cowboy?

I get that things have gone from cowboys and indians to nightmare on Elm street, with Nixon as the honest crook somewhere in the middle. I guess it's arbitrary in a way to pick a moment to begin the story of 'how it came to this pass'. But politics as pure media performance with no relation to reality is where we're at, and Reagan was the first. It's not personal to him as politician, it's the obvious fact that his fame was as a fantasy, and that was what won the votes. It's the voters that had lost touch with reality, rather than Reagan himself.

:rofl:

“I have to take all of my things out…”

"Uhuh... co-mingled is the word".

Don't know why that stuck out to me.

I also love his defence is "I was too busy to comply with the law".

He’s also looking and sounding a lot older these days. Not as old as Biden, but it still shows through the bronzer.

Have you guys considered providing your leaders with a secretary or some such, to keep their papers in good order for them?

CNN obtains the tape of Trump’s 2021 conversation about classified documents

Except it is like, highly confidential.
...
Secret. This is secret information.
...
See as president I could have declassified it. Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret.

Trump is the only living president who isn’t a descendant of someone who enslaved Americans.

In researching the genealogies of America’s political elite, a Reuters examination found that a fifth of the nation’s congressmen, living presidents, Supreme Court justices and governors are direct descendants of ancestors who enslaved Black people.

Among 536 members of the last sitting Congress, Reuters determined at least 100 descend from slaveholders. Of that group, more than a quarter of the Senate – 28 members – can trace their families to at least one slaveholder.

Those lawmakers from the 117th session of Congress are Democrats and Republicans alike. They include some of the most influential politicians in America: Republican senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton and James Lankford, and Democrats Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.

In addition, President Joe Biden and every living former U.S. president – except Donald Trump – are direct descendants of slaveholders: Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and – through his white mother’s side – Barack Obama. Trump’s ancestors came to America after slavery was abolished.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-slavery-lawmakers/

Trump is the only living president who isn’t a descendant of someone who enslaved Americans. — NOS4A2

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Who fucking cares?! What an absurd thing to point out.
:lol: :lol:
I think your boy is done, as is any semblance of “the misunderstood and demonized victim of liberal hatred” shtick you got going.
Not descended from slave owners :rofl:

Trump is the only living president who isn’t a descendant of someone who enslaved Americans. — NOS4A2

Thank you so much for this piece of information. Up to now I was convinced that Trump was a horrible person and the worst president we ever had, but you have totally changed my mind. Trump's lack of slave holding ancestors demonstrates beyond all reasonable doubt that he is innocent of all the nasty terrible things that the evil communist Democrat controlled justice system has falsely accused him of doing.

No problem. I’m glad you liked it.

You don’t like that he averted a war with Iran? That says enough for me.

Pulled right outta your ass. I didnt say anything about him averting war in Iran. Nice try though.
Im not the guy who cant admit Trump did good things, I’m the guy who had a good chuckle at your expense.
Now Im the guy pointing out your pathetic attempt to sidestep to Iran rather than take accountability for this moronic introduction of :lol: Trumps status as a descendant of non-slave owners.
You need to stop having such dumb conversations with people, its making you dull.

Oh dear, he’s using emojis. Is this how you get across your mockery? I usually read your words in a valley-girl voice, but this is hilarious.

Your chuckling is exactly what I wanted to see. I’ll let you know if your opinion ever means anything. For now, I’m happy you’re so risible.

Oh dear, he’s using emojis. Is this how you get across your mockery? — NOS4A2

No, I used words for the mockery. The emoji’s express emotions such as laughter hence the name “emojis” for the little cartoons we use to express emotions via text. Neat huh?

I usually read your words in a valley-girl voice, but this is hilarious. — NOS4A2

No you don’t.

Your chuckling is exactly what I wanted to see. I’ll let you know if your opinion ever means anything. For now, I’m happy you’re so risible. — NOS4A2

No you didnt. At best you were trolling the anti trumpists but Im not one of them so me chuckling couldn't have been your goal. My well rounded sense of humour has little to do with your expectations.
See this what I mean…you pick too many low hanging fruit and now you cant stand up straight anymore. Sad.

You assumed, wrongly, that I was posting it for any other reason than a joke. Sorry pal. Your humor isn’t as well-rounded as you are pretending it is.

You're sounding kind of bitter of late. Cheer the fuck up.

I do not believe you. You wanted to provoke a response so you can go low hanging fruit picking. The idea that you posted that in jest is implausible to me. Who exactly did you think would respond with something like “good one Nos!”??
Lol, nobody. Nice try though…sorta.

Happy as a clam, friend.

I thought it was pertinent info for those who believe one man should be another’s master. Either way, believe what you want.

Happy as a clam, friend. — NOS4A2

Well, this:

Your chuckling is exactly what I wanted to see. I’ll let you know if your opinion ever means anything. For now, I’m happy you’re so risible. — NOS4A2

is not happiness. It's bitterness.

Trump is the only living president who isn’t a descendant of someone who enslaved Americans. — NOS4A2

Very interesting, I had always heard that all the whites were descendents of slave owners, and ispo facto, all racists. :chin:

Except it is like, highly confidential.
...
Secret. This is secret information.
...
See as president I could have declassified it. Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret.

The tape just reaffirms what everyone with a brain already knew. But his supporters will come up with something — anything — to minimize or outright deny what he did. I don’t see it changing any minds there. Still, it’s the jury that counts.

Too bad this is what he’ll get nailed for and not attempting to literally overturn the election and then inciting an insurrection. He continues to lie about the election to this day — and roughly 80% of Republicans believe it.

Anyway — may he rot in jail if he gets there. Traitorous piece of shit.

Very interesting, I had always heard that all the whites were descendents of slave owners, and ispo facto, all racists. — Merkwurdichliebe

I've also heard James Lindsay and Tucker Carlson claim that woke leftists generally believe this, but I've never heard a leftist actually say it.

Too bad this is what he’ll get nailed for and not attempting to literally overturn the election and then inciting an insurrection — Mikie

All the indications are that he will be indicted on those charges, and also on the Georgia election interference charges. He's going to have a very busy 2024, what with scheduling campaign rallies between court appearances. Although there is something grotesque about the fact that, even after all that, he can be regarded as a legitimate candidate. He really is a knife at the throat of the Republic.

Donald Trump Fantasized About Having Sex With Ivanka, New Book Says

“Aides said he talked about Ivanka Trump’s breasts, her backside, and what it might be like to have sex with her, remarks that once led [former Chief of Staff] John Kelly to remind the president that Ivanka was his daughter,” Taylor, who served as a Department of Homeland Security chief of staff under Trump, wrote in his book.

“Afterward, Kelly retold that story to me in visible disgust,” Taylor writes. “Trump, he said, was ‘a very, very evil man.’

Surprising no-one.

He's basically been saying it outright for years.

Prosecutors are prepared to hit Trump and his allies with new charges, sources say

The Department of Justice is prepared to seek indictments against multiple figures in former president Donald Trump’s orbit and may yet bring additional charges against the ex-president in the coming weeks, The Independent has learned.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the department has made preparations to bring what is known as a “superseding indictment” — a second set of charges against an already-indicted defendant that could include more serious crimes — against the ex-president in the Southern District of Florida.

But prosecutors may also choose to bring additional charges against Mr Trump in a different venue, depending on how they feel the case they have brought against him in is proceeding.

The Independent understands that prosecutors’ decision on whether to seek additional charges from a grand jury — and where to seek them — will depend in part on whether they feel the Trump-appointed district judge overseeing the case against him in the Southern District of Florida, Aileen Cannon, is giving undue deference to the twice-impeached, now twice-indicted former president.

The team of federal prosecutors working under Special Counsel Jack Smith is currently prepared to add an “additional 30 to 45 charges” in addition to the 37-count indictment brought against Mr Trump on 8 June, either in a superseding indictment in the same Florida court or in a different federal judicial district. In either case, they would do so using evidence against the ex-president that has not yet been publicly acknowledged by the department, including other recordings prosecutors have obtained which reveal Mr Trump making incriminating statements.

In a recent conversation with the esteemed Duran team, Attorney Robert Barnes argued that the myriad indictments paraded before us are nothing more than a grand theatrical performance, devised for the up coming election. Barnes observed that the labyrinthine nature of these cases renders their completion prior to the 2024 election an insurmountable feat.

Hence, should Trump emerge triumphant in the electoral arena, the entire spectacle becomes inconsequential, for he wields the power to grant himself a pardon. Conversely, should he taste defeat, the pursuit of these indictments would be abruptly abandoned. Barnes postulated that the most plausible outcome involves the Democrats nominating an alternative candidate, owing to the grave concerns surrounding President Biden's health. The dread of his well-being faltering during the campaign, thereby unwittingly ceding victory to Trump, or the prospect of Vice President Harris assuming the mantle of the presidency, both present intolerable choices.

Thus, in these peculiar circumstances, Biden may relinquish his position to someone like Newson, perhaps enticed by the assurance of receiving a pardon from future prosecution. This maneuver would effectively render Trump's further prosecution untenable even for the Democrats. Consequently, the indictments serve no purpose beyond their endeavor to derail Trump's pursuit of the GOP Presidential nomination.

One has to marvel at the media's prowess— to successfully ring the same Pavlovian Bell for a span of seven years. It's an unwaveringly consistent collective outcry, replete with breathless exclamations, uncontrolled spittle, and a voracious yearning for Trump's imminent demise.

Such too is the allure of predicting Armageddon or any calamitous event—regardless of how frequently one's predictions falter, the tantalising prospect, the fervent hope, of being proven right tomorrow never wanes. Yes, this time, Wild Coyote has finally caught the Roadrunner! ...beep beep...