The Trump Impeachment Inquiry

[iiandyiiii]

@Fiddle_Peghead

In my first post on this, I did say it was the biggest mistake or words to that effect by a Democrat this year. That was an exaggeration. I have made no specific claims since then about the effect of the parody, for ill or good, but that has been implied and that is what I object to.

Glad you recognize this. This is an incredibly tiny thing in the scheme of things. Even in the scheme of things in 2019.

[JohnT]

@johnt

the “transcript”, testimony, etc. You are arguing that the public mood in december is going to be more influenced by a 4 minute statement made in september than the entire documentary and testimonial evidence provided next week and subsequently, an argument which is preposterous.

I am stunned that you think the public is mulling schiff’s statement. It’s a complete non-issue.

@fiddle peghead

but john, i am not arguing any such thing. This is a perfect example of what i just wrote. And they don’t have to be mulling it. It is there on videotape, for any propagandist who wants to use it to do so. Will they? And if they do, will it help their cause? I have no idea. But why give them the ammo?

---

@fiddle peghead

he did both, but that isn’t the main point: it was stupid of schiff to do what he did because in addition to adding to the “fake news” fire, it gives the impression that he thought what was said on the phone call wasn’t in and of itself enough to convince people that trump was doing something wrong. it makes him look weak and untrustworthy, and that will not help him convince those who need to be convinced of trump’s wrongdoing.

@johnt

who gives a shit what schiff said? He paraphrased a document. Boo hoo.

@fiddle peghead

i don’t know who else gives a shit, but some people might. Seems you aren’t interested in my point, though, so that’s fine.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[Fiddle_Peghead]

Cool. How do you get the double quote and parenthesis to turn sideways like that?

[drad_dog]

@Fiddle_Peghead

In my first post on this, I did say it was the biggest mistake or words to that effect by a Democrat this year. That was an exaggeration. I have made no specific claims since then about the effect of the parody, for ill or good, but that has been implied and that is what I object to.

You are calling it a parody, and not a paraphrase which is what it was. You have an agenda. Why?

[eschrodinger]

Schiff himself said the summary “was meant to be at least part in parody." And it clearly was partly parody. His summary was this*:

It reads like a classic organized crime shakedown. Shorn of its rambling character and in not so many words, this is the essence of what the president communicates. We’ve been very good to your country, very good. No other country has done as much as we have. But you know what? I don’t see much reciprocity here. I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you though. And I’m going to say this only seven times so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand. Lots of it. On this and on that. I’m going to put you in touch with people, not just any people, I am going to put you in touch with the attorney general of the United States, my Attorney General Bill Barr. He’s got the whole weight of the American law enforcement behind him. And I’m going to put you in touch with Rudy. You’re going to love him. Trust me. You know what I’m asking. And so I’m only going to say this a few more times. In a few more ways. And by the way, don’t call me again. I’ll call you when you’ve done what I asked.

This is in sum and character what the president was trying to communicate with the president of Ukraine. It would be funny if it wasn’t such a graphic betrayal of the president’s oath of office. But as it does represent a real betrayal, there’s nothing the president says here that is in America’s interest after all.

“I’m only going to say this seven times” and a few other lines are obvious parody. But he also clearly set it up as a characterization and not as quoting, so I have no blame for him at all. The Trump propaganda side is happy to strip things of context and twist them to serve their purposes. That’s on them. This wasn’t some gaffe on Schiff’s part, and I’m sure we could find many examples of similar summary/parodies by Republicans. It’s a common enough rhetorical device.

• Quoted from here: Schiff's 'Parody' and Trump's Response - FactCheck.org

[drad_dog]

@eschrodinger

Schiff himself said the summary “was meant to be at least part in parody." And it clearly was partly parody. His summary was this*:

“I’m only going to say this seven times” and a few other lines are obvious parody. But he also clearly set it up as a characterization and not as quoting, so I have no blame for him at all. The Trump propaganda side is happy to strip things of context and twist them to serve their purposes. That’s on them. This wasn’t some gaffe on Schiff’s part, and I’m sure we could find many examples of similar summary/parodies by Republicans. It’s a common enough rhetorical device.

• Quoted from here: Schiff's 'Parody' and Trump's Response - FactCheck.org

I’d like to see an instance of a republican going off on a rant and having it called any name at all, much less parody. They are interpreting, projecting, and massaging conspiracy, totally recklessly, into every crack they see in the sidewalk. But it’s not a parody… because they have no sense of humor?

[Sherrerd]

@guizot

Because most of them are useless. They mostly just ask useless yes-no questions where it’s obvious which answer is going to be given. “Senator Graham, should the President be impeached?” “Mr. President, did you break the law?”
What the fuck do they think is going to be the answer to such stupid yes-no questions?

Yes, this is way too common.

@Fiddle_Peghead

Cool. How do you get the double quote and parenthesis to turn sideways like that?

I think it’s the font. Comic Sans, maybe.

¯_(ツ)_/¯ <– cut and paste

¯_(ツ)_/¯ <—Franklin Gothic Medium (as an example of another font).

¯_(ツ)_/¯ <—Garamond.

…No, it’s not the font. ???

[JohnT]

I just copy and paste the Google result from “ASCII shrug”

[JohnGalt]

Oh! Oh! I know: it’s Katakana Letter Tu (you can see it as Unicode character 30C4 or decimal 12484.) ツ To display it, type & #12484; (with the space after the & removed)

[Sherrerd]

Cool, Johns!

[Locrian]

@JohnGalt

Oh! Oh! I know: it’s Katakana Letter Tu (you can see it as Unicode character 30C4 or decimal 12484.) ツ To display it, type & #12484; (with the space after the & removed)

Kantakakaka whoosit? Either I’m whooshed or too old for this.

[steronz]

Unicode is from the 80s, so I doubt you’re “too old” for it, although new characters are constantly being added and it was only within the last decade probably that use of Unicode characters in emojis became common. Someone figured out that this Japanese character could be used to make a shruggy face, and everyone since then has just Google “shrug emoji” and then copied and pasted it from somewhere else.

Anyone manually typing in the Unicode character code for an emoji like JohnGalt suggests is a psychopath and shouldn’t be allowed near the internet. Probably hangs their toilet paper the wrong way too.

[Locrian]

@steronz

Unicode is from the 80s, so I doubt you’re “too old” for it, although new characters are constantly being added and it was only within the last decade probably that use of Unicode characters in emojis became common. Someone figured out that this Japanese character could be used to make a shruggy face, and everyone since then has just Google “shrug emoji” and then copied and pasted it from somewhere else.

Anyone manually typing in the Unicode character code for an emoji like JohnGalt suggests is a psychopath and shouldn’t be allowed near the internet. Probably hangs their toilet paper the wrong way too.

Wait, what’s the wrong way again? (NO, don’t allow my hijack. I’m sure there’s a dozen threads on here about that crap.)

[Locrian]

My bold and dumb-ass prediction, BTW, is Mitt Romney announces his campaign the day before public testimony starts. That ousts Dotard’s campaign and chances at GOP nominee and, unfortunately, brings all the fence sitters to Romney’s side.

Of course, I thought Hillary would win in landslide, and this is why I don’t bet on anything.

[JKellyMap]

Man, if your scenario came true, I’d be so relieved to not have Trump on the ballot, I might even vote for Romney myself, just out of gratitude! (Not really — he would still be a tool of his party when it came to judge appointments and the like — but seriously, to be able to spend the summer and fall of 2020 getting good sleep and not stressing so much — that has real value. Life is short.)

[BobLibDem]

So Bill Barr denied a request to declare Individual One innocent in the Ukraine incident.

People familiar with the matter told the Post that Trump wanted Barr to publicly state he had broken no laws when he pressured Ukraine’s leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and his son during the July 25 phone call.

I am astounded. There are limits to Barr’s fealty to the Dotard.

Open testimony starts next week. Let’s hope enough people tune in and that public opinion moves enough to wake up the Republicans.

[Dinsdale]

@JohnGalt

Oh! Oh! I know: it’s Katakana Letter Tu …

OK - do we have a winner for the most extreme hijack of a thread? (Sorry, can’t do shrugs.)

[JohnT]

Thank you, I do my best. :bashful:

[bobot]

@BobLibDem

So Bill Barr denied a request to declare Individual One innocent in the Ukraine incident.

I am astounded. There are limits to Barr’s fealty to the Dotard.

Open testimony starts next week. Let’s hope enough people tune in and that public opinion moves enough to wake up the Republicans.

If Trump had asked him to state something vague, like “no collusion” he’d have jumped at the chance.

[DesertDog]

@BobLibDem

I am astounded. There are limits to Barr’s fealty to the Dotard.

He’s smelling hot tar and hearing the chickens squawk as their feathers are plucked.

Of course, Donny Two-scoops will whine about the Deep State even corrupting his lap dog.