The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: No smocking guns. - Page 9 - Politics and Economics

God I hope you're wrong. I agree there wasn't much to be done about candidate Trump or president-elect Trump, but now that he's president he owns his actions and so do his cabinet picks. If they break the law or do not follow the constitution there will be consequences.

There was a phenomenal article that bobman posted here right after election day:

Quote:

But Llewellyn was a leading thinker of the school of thought known as "legal realism," and "The Bramble Bush" is also a major statement of that philosophy. In a famous passage, Llewellyn wrote:

Quote:

This doing of something about disputes, this doing of it reasonably, is the business of the law. And the people who have the doing of it in charge, whether they be judges or sheriffs or clerks or jailers or lawyers, are officials of the law. What these officials do about disputes is, to my mind, the law itself.

He went on:

Quote:

And rules, in all of this, are important to you so far as they help you see or predict what judges will do or so far as they help you to get judges to do something. That is their importance. That is all their importance, except as pretty playthings.

In short: the law is a set of guidelines that tells you how actors involved in the law are likely to act in a given matter; the actual, de facto, law in practice is, ultimately, whatever those people decide it is, regardless of whether it conforms with the written law or not.

The Trump administration is probably going to be a major test of whether Llewellyn is right. I'm not optimistic for the "constitutional principles will win out" side.

01-21-2017 , 04:14 PM

#203

David Sklansky

Administrator

Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 17,060

Trump quickly trying to mend fences with the CIA is not surprising. He never believed what he was saying about them. But he was scared that giving them credibility just might give those still in power an excuse to reverse the election.

01-21-2017 , 04:34 PM

#204

Huehuecoyotl

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Hell yea, all the cool kids are doing it.

01-21-2017 , 04:39 PM

#205

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,838

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Sklansky

A considered 'scared' or it it just a reflex to lash out at anyone who attacks him in any way.

01-21-2017 , 05:35 PM

#206

goofyballer

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Look at the dishonest media covering all these protests while failing to report on a very successful pro-Trump rally yesterday...

Spoiler:

01-21-2017 , 05:44 PM

#207

Loki

binary duo

Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 12,772

David,

Still waiting to hear if you and Mason will keep this website running after Net Neutrality is torched and your operating expenses overwhelm the tax breaks you get.

TIA

01-21-2017 , 05:47 PM

#208

Riverman

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Mason was pro Trump because poker. Then Jeff Sessions. looooooollll

01-21-2017 , 05:48 PM

#209

Max Cut

Guest

Posts: n/a

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Sklansky

Did a pathetic job of that, and intentionally or inadvertently suggested US forces commit war crimes.

give_him_a_chance.jpg

01-21-2017 , 05:50 PM

#210

Jbrochu

banned

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 16,054

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

Mason was pro Trump because poker. Then Jeff Sessions. looooooollll

Everyone in the thread agreed with him!

Last edited by Jbrochu; 01-21-2017 at 05:50 PM. Reason: * not counting all the posts he deleted

01-21-2017 , 06:09 PM

#211

daca

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this stuff isnt a joke anymore. americans are in the middle of a war in iraq and he's the president. if the coalition against isis falls apart real people will suffer

01-21-2017 , 06:11 PM

#212

Loki

binary duo

Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 12,772

it was never a joke. People were always going to needlessly die under a trump administration.

But like, emails!

01-21-2017 , 07:08 PM

#213

markksman

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Quote:

Originally Posted by daca

this stuff isnt a joke anymore. americans are in the middle of a war in iraq and he's the president. if the coalition against isis falls apart real people will suffer

Bbbbbbbut trump was against the Iraq war and the war hawk liar Clinton was the one who was going to ruin the world.

By the way nobody be surprised to see trump try to retake Iraq then leave it for Iran as a favor to his bff Putin.

Imagine if the US joined the axis in WW2. We got our chance now to team up with Russia, Syria and Iran.

01-21-2017 , 09:08 PM

#214

Kukraprout

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From Trump's disjointed ramblings at the CIA:

Quote:

“Radical Islamic terrorism - I said it yesterday - has to be eradicated, just off the face of the earth. This is evil.
“We have not used the real abilities that we have. We’ve been restrained. We have to get rid of ISIS. We have to get rid of ISIS.”

Wtf is he talking about with these "real abilities" that were not used? Is there any possible interpretation where it's not something terrifying?

And his Russian friends have a definition of "radical islamic terrorism" that tends to include (but is not limited to) any political opponent of Assad. That **** cannot end well.

01-21-2017 , 09:25 PM

#215

Clovis8

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It really is impressive what a rambling moron Trump is in every situation. He is easily the least articulate politician I have ever heard speak.

01-21-2017 , 09:46 PM

#216

Huehuecoyotl

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Kukraprout

From Trump's disjointed ramblings at the CIA:

Wtf is he talking about with these "real abilities" that were not used? Is there any possible interpretation where it's not something terrifying?

And his Russian friends have a definition of "radical islamic terrorism" that tends to include (but is not limited to) any political opponent of Assad. That **** cannot end well.

CIA torture that was banned.

01-21-2017 , 09:48 PM

#217

MrWookie

Don't Call Me Meredith

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 94,159

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huehuecoyotl

CIA torture that was banned.

And nukes.

01-21-2017 , 09:49 PM

#218

LostOstrich

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don't forget the murder of family members of suspected terrorists! USA#1 still has some room for improvement in that area.

01-21-2017 , 09:59 PM

#219

Jiggymike

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Quote:

Originally Posted by markksman

Because it contributes to fewer homes bought by those in the middle class which then allows rich people to buy those houses and rent them out. Then the rich people use that money to create jobs and MAGA

Had to check the poster to see if this was said completely seriously or in jest...

01-21-2017 , 10:33 PM

#220

Clovis8

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lol trump even plagerized his inauguration cake.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slate...uguration.html

01-21-2017 , 10:39 PM

#221

campfirewest

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Clovis8

lol trump even plagerized his inauguration cake.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slate...uguration.html

I'm just surprised he didn't have a hooker jump out of it and start pissing.

01-21-2017 , 10:45 PM

#222

ScreaminAsian

For President

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 33,333

on day 1 of the trump presidency, trump declared, in front of the memorial for fallen cia officers, that we might get another chance to take iraq's oil

01-21-2017 , 10:52 PM

#223

Clovis8

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreaminAsian

on day 1 of the trump presidency, trump declared, in front of the memorial for fallen cia officers, that we might get another chance to take iraq's oil

Don't forget, while standing in front of a memorial honoring more than a thousand people who died for his country, he never once thanked them but instead spent 9 of 15 minutes talking about how the media was being mean to him by telling the truth.

01-21-2017 , 10:59 PM

#224

markksman

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Clovis8

The contrast of what he says in front of neutral audiences and what he said in his rally's makes me realize even more, if possible, how flat out dumb many Trump Supporters have to be.

Does anyone think Trump could sway or influence an indifferent / neutral audience with his oratory skills? Even W. could clear that bar on occasion.

He is just too tone deaf to speak to anyone except his band of merry men.