Hanaguma

Nice work Joe. Denying weapons to an ally of many decades, the only democratic country in the region, the only country with rights for women and LGBT people, lovely. All for what? To appease a small segment of the Democratic electorate in an election year? Unbelievable.

That is just old Joe trying to appease the loony left of his party. Completely unconscionable, given that there are still American hostages being held by Hamas. Craven political pandering at its worst.

Yeah, it is a specific example. Because Trump is a world class BS artist, and it makes the story sound better. Guys talk like that, the more details the better the story (true or not).

Nah, he is simply a rich Alpha Male who acts like one. Rich guys get away with stuff because they are rich. Women in turn LET rich guys get a way with stuff that poor guys couldn't dream of getting away with. All because they want to have access to the rich guy's money/power/connections. That was the thrust (sorry) of the whole "grab them by the..." conversation. A frank discussion of what rich/powerful men can do. Not a specific discussion of what happened in a specific situation.

You didnt see the wreckage and trash left behind by the spoiled little darlings? Get a grip. These kids were LARPing as actual protesters, egged on by malign outside influences who took advantage of their naivete. Most probably couldnt find Palestine on a map.

I quoted Ben Sasse a couple of days ago. He was right then and is right now. This is not a free speech issue. Students can protest, shout, hold up signs, say hateful and stupid things. All OK. BUT... when they start infringing on OTHER peoples' rights by disrupting classes/campus life, trespassing, destroying/defacing property etc, THEN the line is crossed.f Encampments? No. Get rid of them. Suspend the students involved. Fire the faculty. Imprison outside agitators.

Possibly true. But from my limited understanding, the standard for the charge is that the money was paid EXCLUSIVELY for that purpose. Proving that might be tough. Just as easy for Trump to say he paid so that his wife didn't find out, his business didn't suffer, etc. There are many plausible reasons to keep an affair quiet.

Completely irrelevant to Gaza. There have been no Jews in Gaza since, what , 2005? They were forced to leave by the IDF as part of a deal. Left behind lots of valuable agricultural goods etc., which were promptly either seized or used to make weapons by Hamas.

In case you have forgotten why this war is being fought: here is a reminder. This teenage girl was gang raped by Hamas, then kidnapped. Note the bloodstains on the back of her trousers, which indicate the violence of her assault.

Yeah, the 'generous' deal that would see 33 Israeli hostages, either DEAD OR ALIVE, returned. And Hamas gets 30 live prisoners freed for EACH hostage/body returned. Generous.

Don't be so sure. Secretly, the Saudis probably LOVE seeing Hamas get its butt kicked. It makes Iran look bad. But they have to make the correct noises in public, so they put out statements like this. Sound and fury, meaning nothing.

He said it for sure. But your implication that he goes around DOING it is wrong, deliberately so. He was discussing the positives of being a rich celebrity. And one of them is access to women. And it's true. There are always women, usually younger, hanging around where rich powerful men congregate. And yes, they will let men do almost anything, just to gain access to their money or connections. Now a perv like Harvey Weinstein actually did it. Trump was just vocalizing the reality of the situation.

Why would a dictatorial fascist worry about getting re-elected? I mean, he's a fascist, right? Hitler never worried about being re-elected. One and done. Instant dictatorship. Unless of course, you may be a bit hysterical about the situation...

Sure. And how did he pursue those ideas in his FIRST four years in office? He had his chance, and did not do anything like that at all.

Hahaha! Very nice. Note that he said "ILLEGAL immigrants" and not all immigrants. I think that is the point. He is highlighting the fact that the southern border is wide open, and any scum can cross as long as they pay the Cartels in Mexico their fee. It shows the utter failure that the Biden policy has been. Plus, he deliberately uses language like that just to make people jump up and get their collective panties in a twist. Seems to work. More free publicity

...what "playbook" would that be? Could you provide a reference?

Sure. The 'white supremacist' who welcomes his Jewish son-in-law and Jewish grandchildren into his home, as well as his Jewish (convert) daughter. But polls are showing a move towards the GOP and away from the Democrats by minority voters. You may be right about abortion, at least as a political weapon. The Democrats will trot it out in October, and some idiot GOP candidate will say something stupid. Inevitable, but hopefully survivable.

...and looking down on people who disagree with you politically, rather than trying to understand where they are coming from, may just cost Democrats the election. They are already paying the price for ignoring African American and Hispanic voters, and insulting them if they dare stray from their 'natural' affinity for the Democrats.

Gee, imagine that. The Nazi fascist, when he got power, did NOT go after his opponents, jail/kill them, cancel elections, or install himself as dictator. If we ar to believe that pasy performance can indicate future behavior, that means that there is no reason to fret about a possible Trump victory in November. And all the hysteria about 'the end of democracy' and the like can be ignored.

True, and IF Trump was a Nazi fascist, the same would have happened to various lefties and Democrats. So perhaps both can tone down the useless rhetoric, hmm?

It's a bit pathetic really. DeNiro has spent too much time playing tough guys in movies, now he thinks he really IS a tough guy. Nah, he's just a guy that memorizes and reads the words of others in front of a camera. Even funnier, I heard DeNiro criticizing Trump for not having any 'real world experience'.....this coming from a man who has spent his life in the pretend world of Hollywood. Spoken about a man who ran a real estate business for decades in New York City. Self parody doesn't do justice.

Well, the GOP actually tried that a few times. They nominated morally unimpeachable characters like John McCain or Mitt Romney. Seemed not to matter, the Democratic smear machine was able to cast mud and drag the campaign downwards. Funny nobody mentions those things with the Democratic candidates though. And Democrats seem very happy to 'claim' the current economy as a win for Biden, not to mention inflation...

One way to look at it. Another way is that today's protesters are just trying to piggyback on the misfortune of others, trying to feel oppressed when they are actually living in a rather free society. Hence the inevitable narrative shift from protesting the war to protesting America as somehow a terrible and evil place. I don't think I ever saw a protester with a sign that said, "I support the Palestinian people, but I hate Hamas!". I guess that would be a little too nuanced.

Oh, no disagreement here. I am sure that there is some genuine sympathy among students. Especially when it ties to an underdog narrative or a comfortable racial narrative. University age students are adults, true. Yet they are unique among all adults in many having very little life experience or anything in the way of adversity or responsibility in their lives. Which gives them time and energy to engage in these activities. It was funny (to me anyway). The biggest thing my wife said about the protests was, "don't they study? Don't any of them have part time jobs? Why do they have so much free time to do this?!?" A very... Japanese... perspective on the situation. But the actual protests and how they were organized/held clearly show other players were present than simple student protesters.

As I have written many times, not a fan of either the senile geriatric OR the Bad Orange Man. Not tied to either. But in this election, it is the rare case that BOTH candidates have records to run on. Both have had a shot at the Presidency. So I look at the Trump years- 2% inflation, two dollar gas, record low unemployment for minorities, steps towards peace in the Middle East, attempts to engage with North Korea, etc. and from a pragmatic point of view, it ain't bad. Then compare the Biden years...not so good. It is also a position held by a majority of American voters.