Helsinki -- Just WOW!

[Hawkmoon]

So now the President not saying what the Ds want him to say is treason.

https://news.grabien.com/story-john-brennan-trumps-press-conference-impeachable-offense-tre

TDS is clearly an epidemic, and should be decalred such by the World Health Organization.

[DittoHead]

Treason? No.
But that press conference was pretty bad.

[brimic]

Brennan looks like he's projecting...

[dogmush]

I'm on limited internet for a while, so I can't search for videos.

What did POTUS say?

[DittoHead]

There's a full transcript here:
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/16/629462401/transcript-president-trump-and-russian-president-putins-joint-press-conference
But this is a decent summary:

In retrospect, we shouldn’t have been surprised: President Trump said nothing in the course of his dismaying, obsequious press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin that he hasn’t said on Twitter and in person a hundred times before. We shouldn’t have been surprised to see Trump blame America for Russian meddling in the 2016 election; to see him not only refuse to hold Putin’s feet to the fire, but actively to cover and make excuses for the Russian leader; to deflect again and again, as he has done for months, to Democratic obstruction and to Hillary Clinton’s email server and to the supposed duplicity of special counsel Robert Mueller.

[makattak]

There's a full transcript here:
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/16/629462401/transcript-president-trump-and-russian-president-putins-joint-press-conference
But this is a decent summary:

For the... intrepid journalists.... who seem to be unable to understand how diplomacy and, in specific, Trump diplomacy works, allow me to elucidate:

At a face-to-face meeting, in public, in the press, you don't attack the other side during the press conference or in public. (This is just "normal" diplomacy, not even Trump diplomacy. Grievances and problems are not and can not be resolved in a press conference.)

I realize these.... intrepid journalists.... think Trump is a bull in a china shop, but look at how he's handled EVERY meeting with a world leader. Whatever he may think or say in private, in public they're the greatest person in the world. Look at his meetings with the Mexican president, Teresa May, "Rocket Man," etc...

Trump doesn't attack these people in public and in person. Public Trump is a different character than Twitter Trump who is further different from Private Meeting Trump.

And these... intrepid journalists... are unable to grasp that.

[DittoHead]

Even if you want to give Trump a diplomatic pass for the sucking up, taking Putin's word on the same level as his own DNI, and for blaming America - it was still a bad performance.

Trump reading his opening statement sounded like a 6th grader reading a paper his parents had written for him. Putin was asked a question about his credibility and Trump jumped in to rant about how the electoral college was a big advantage for Democrats and almost incoherently repeating "NO COLLUSION" a few times just for good measure. He also keeps talking about a joint cyber-security unit with Russia. Dumb! About the only positive I noted was that he managed to not talk about himself in the third person.

[brimic]

“For instance, we can bring up Mr. Browder in this particular case. Business associates of Mr. Browder have earned over one and a half billion dollars in Russia. They never paid any taxes, neither in Russian army in the United States and yet the money escaped the country, they were transferred to the United States.

They sent huge amount of money - 400 million - as a contribution to the campaign of Hillary Clinton.

Well, that's their personal case, it might have been legal, the contribution itself, but the way the...”

My, oh my... this must be the Russian collusion that Hillary and the left have been crowing about.
I think it needs to be investigated, by a new special council.

[De Selby]

The whole controversy is drummed up to undermine the election. Trump is right to call bs on it and encourage us all to move on.

[230RN]

People are going to jump all over me for this, but so be it.

I have a feeling that President Trump is being realistic in terms of the cultural aspects of Russia as being more similar to us than of just about any of the orient.  This, apart from Russia's politics per se.

To me, it's kind of in keeping with his rather realistic (and hence sometimes rough to take) general point of view.

Flame suit on,
Terry

[Unisaw]

For background on Bill Browder, here is an excellent book:

https://smile.amazon.com/Red-Notice-Finance-Murder-Justice-ebook/dp/B00LD1ORX6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531793681&sr=1-1&keywords=Bill+browser

Putin has a hard*n for Bill Browder and recently tried to have him arrested in Spain on an Interpol warrant.

[Daniel964]

I've thought for the last couple of years that China is the real threat.  And that we should be Building a relationship with Russia.  We have much more in common with them than the Chinese.

[Perd Hapley]

I've thought for the last couple of years that China is the real threat.  And that we should be Building a relationship with Russia.  We have much more in common with them than the Chinese.

For example, both our countries are run by evil dictators.  

[Ron]

Trump must have an ace in the hole.

He trolls his enemies on the left and right without mercy and is governing like a honey badger, and the honey badger don’t care.

He must have some network that is helping him with all his winning.

Is he possibly the military’s guy?

Who else would go up against the FBI and CIA?

[Perd Hapley]

Trump must have an ace in the hole.

He trolls his enemies on the left and right without mercy and is governing like a honey badger, and the honey badger don’t care.

He must have some network that is helping him with all his winning.

Is he possibly the military’s guy?

Who else would go up against the FBI and CIA?

It's the KlaNRA, Chick-Fil-A, and the Christian baker oligarchy.

[dogmush]

People are going to jump all over me for this, but so be it.

I have a feeling that President Trump is being realistic in terms of the cultural aspects of Russia as being more similar to us than of just about any of the orient.  This, apart from Russia's politics per se.

To me, it's kind of in keeping with his rather realistic (and hence sometimes rough to take) general point of view.

Flame suit on,
Terry

I've said this since my first visit to Russia in 1994.  Russians and Americans (as people) are more similar than dissimilar.

[Scout26]

What happened to the "Asia Pivot" ??

Did the 1980's call back and offer their foreign policy ??

Did China and Best Korea "meddle" in our election(s) ??

And since no votes were changed, nor voting machines hacked, what exactly was the "meddling" that they did ??  Did they send people from "Organizing For Russia" to work for Trump and help canvass neighborhoods ??  Did they donate large amounts of money to help defeat our sitting Prime Minister ??  What exactly did they do ??

[RoadKingLarry]

They may have had a hand in exposing a fraction of Clinton's and the DNC's corruption

[Perd Hapley]

They may have had a hand in exposing a fraction of Clinton's and the DNC's corruption

Russian hackers: rooting out the corruption that Americans are unwilling to expose.

[Scout26]

That's the thing. (A couple actually).

1.  No one has denied that DNC and Podesta e-mails were not the truth. (i.e. claiming they are fakes).

2.  No one has specified, other then claiming the e-mail hacks, what meddling the Russians did.

3.  Didn't they also say that they tried to hack the RNC but since they had much better IT security, they were unable to get in ?

4.  Clinton got a $400 million campaign contribution from Bill Browder ??

5.  One of the Russian firms initially accused by Mueller actually appeared in court seeking Discovery...and Mueller Team is backing down/slowwalking Discovery.



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-concord/russian-company-charged-in-mueller-probe-seeks-grand-jury-materials-idUSKCN1IF2YW

The government disclosed at the hearing it had collected nearly two terabytes worth of social media profiles as evidence.

An estimated 310,000 photos or 17,000 hours of music could fit into one terabyte alone, according to a blog post by an IT expert and professor at the University of Oregon.

Dubelier complained that no evidence has been turned over, and said the social media data was largely in Russian and irrelevant to his client’s case.

[230RN]

...

And since no votes were changed, nor voting machines hacked, what exactly was the "meddling" that they did ??  Did they send people from "Organizing For Russia" to work for Trump and help canvass neighborhoods ??  Did they donate large amounts of money to help defeat our sitting Prime Minister ??  What exactly did they do ??

Let's remember:

Accusations are cheap.
Defense is expensive.

A working tactic of the Leftists.  Accuse, accuse, accuse.

So defend, defend, defend, and lose sight of the real issues.

Terry, 230RN

[brimic]

Trump must have an ace in the hole.

He trolls his enemies on the left and right without mercy and is governing like a honey badger, and the honey badger don’t care.

He must have some network that is helping him with all his winning.

Is he possibly the military’s guy?

Who else would go up against the FBI and CIA?

If you think in terms of Trump as the NSA’s/Military’s champion and Hillary as CIA/FBI/Deep State’s champion, things start to make sense.

[DittoHead]

And since no votes were changed, nor voting machines hacked, what exactly was the "meddling" that they did ??  Did they send people from "Organizing For Russia" to work for Trump and help canvass neighborhoods ??  Did they donate large amounts of money to help defeat our sitting Prime Minister ??  What exactly did they do ??

It's not just what they did do, it's what they are still doing.

focusing on the potential impact of these actions, on our midterm election, misses the more important point: These actions are persistent, they're pervasive, and they are meant to undermine America's democracy on a daily basis, regardless of whether it is election time or not. Russia actors and others are exploring vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure as well.

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-warning-lights-are-blinking-red-again/

[makattak]

It's not just what they did do, it's what they are still doing.https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-warning-lights-are-blinking-red-again/

Uh huh. Breaking news- governments try to affect the elections in other countries.

I know I'm supposed to get all up in arms because RUSSIA!!!! and just ignore all the meddling our country has done. Some of it was blatant, like Obama trying to unseat Netanyahu, and much more is clandestine, like the Russian efforts.

Seriously, Russia, China, heck, probably even North Korea try to do things to muck with our elections. I'm fairly certain that England, France, Japan, Australia, etc... do so as well.

I'm supposed to be angry about it this time because the Democrats got embarrassed in an election they thought they had won? Because they thought they would control the Presidency for the foreseeable future and are now frustrated that they lost, instead?

Yeah, Russia is acting like Russia has always acted. Since the Left needs some explanation that absolves them of the responsibility for running a terrible candidate that lost, we now have to saber rattle about what RUSSIA!!!!!! has done... and ignore the actual reasons they should be pariahs like their actions in Georgia and Crimea. Oh right, we don't talk about that because of who was in charge of the response then.


<countdown to "WHATABOUTISM!!!!" in 3,2,1....>

[freakazoid]

Good and funny talk/rant on the situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUoG4Tahd24 Use to do mostly movie and game review rants back in the day.