We already do have a committee, which includes a wide variety of experts, who vets presidential candidates in great detail and determines whether they’re fit to hold office. And in 2016, 62,984,828 members of that committee decided that he was fit.
Do you think that his base would stay with him if there was incontrovertible proof that his businesses helped to launder and funnel money to the 9/11 terrorists?
That’s easy - “Fake news created by the Deep State and Crooked Hillary. Her deleted emails showed how they were doing it, that’s why they were acid-washed”
Are you testifying that this shows the current system works, or are you testifying that this shows the current system doesn’t work?
I’m testifying that this is what the current system does. I don’t claim that it actually works, but nor do I claim that any other alternative would work any better.
You can either have a democracy and take the chance that the people elect someone that you don’t want them to elect, or you do not have a democracy, and take a chance the leaders are people the people wouldn’t want to elect.
The only system that would work any better would be to put me in charge of everything. 
Perhaps, but many of us are of mature years, and might not be available to offer you guidance.
Speaking of McConnell, I saw an article today that he’s being Trump’s wingman in a possible attempt to replace Pence as VP on the 2020 ticket.
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This makes absolutely no sense. McConnel has virtually no chance to survive to and then win election as president, so the title of vice president (which is a fancy word for “useless spare” unless you’re attempting the Biden->President route) would be a massive downgrade to his current position. And by massive, I mean most powerful human on earth to literally an insurance policy with no actual authority except sometimes maybe a tiebreaker.
Remember, the Senate is more powerful than the presidency, though it has loaned a lot of that power to the office of the executive. If sufficiently motivated, all of this (historical) executive overreach could be curtailed in short order and McConnel could reassert his real power.
Why bother with VP when he’s already at the top? Only reasonable if he thinks he’s going to loose his congressional seat, and that doesn’t seem likely from where I’m sitting. I hope Moscow McTurtle gets crucified, but that doesn’t seem likely.
I’m bumping this thread after a few weeks.
There’s reporting I’m seeing on TV that speculates that Deutsche Bank has confirmed that they have Trump’s tax returns in the course of a House lawsuit (his name is redacted, but a filing with the court does confirm that they are in possession of the returns for a certain person and his family members).
There’s further speculation that Deutsche Bank also has a series of loans for Trump which included Russian oligarchs as co-signers.
Deutsche Bank has already been identified as a means of Russian money laundering. The plot continues…
Since this part wasn’t answered - it is a factor that will be evaluated as part of the security clearance process.
My understanding is that if you disclose the past drug use and can show that you have quit, it’s generally OK. If you don’t tell them and they find out, that’s probably very bad. Generally, having any secrets or weakness that someone can use to pressure you to do stuff is a security risk.
“Speculation” = liberal fantasy
Ah, the classic liberal fantasy in which Russian oligarchs have compromised our president. A windmill turns quietly in the background. Off in the distance, a Mexican child can be seen receiving a flu shot.
I’m not quite sure what you are saying here. Are you of the opinion that Trump has not been compromised by the Russians?
Thank you (well, not with the snark, but with the confirmation that this is speculation, the word I chose).
I actually tried to edit my post because, while I found a link to Deutsche bank money laundering Russian money, there was nothing confirming the Russian co-signing (and, indeed, O’Donnell - who I am not really a fan of; it was in the background while I surfed the Dope and waited for the 11th Hour, a show I do like because it largely consists of interviews with the reporters who wrote the biggest stories of the day - confirmed that he had only been told the info by one source and that neither he nor NBC had confirmed it). It was late, I was too late to edit, I didn’t want to double post…
Having said that, liberal fantasy is, in my opinion, a step too far. I’ve already cited the fact that Deutsche Bank was a means to launder Russian money. It’s already shown that Deutsche Bank eventually became the only bank who would loan Trump money. And we know how much Trump defers to Russia. And there’s recent reporting that Trump engaged in suspicious banking activities that were covered up by Deutsche officials.
These dots aren’t too far away to be connected, if only as a form of speculation.
The word you chose was “reporting”. If what O’Donnell did qualifies in your mind, that goes a long ways towards explaining the mess we’re in as a country. The 4th Estate went off the rails sometime back in 2016 and has never recovered.
That admittedly was just a drive-by post, eyerolling at the equivalence being made of investigative leads into a sitting president’s malfeasance with some sort of partisan wishful thinking, as if this were anything but a necessary grim investigation. For the record, I believe that Trump is compromised by Russia six ways from Sunday.
Its entirely fair to point out that just because there is smoke doesn’t mean fire, necessarily. We all know incidents when suspicions were investigated, fully and openly, and found to be baseless. All well and good. But the operative words are “fully and openly”. When the potential crux of the corrupt biscuit furiously works to prevent such investigation, suspicions gain legitimate weight. They are not proven, but they are substantiated. Trump may be the innocent virgin at the center of the clusterfuck. Can’t say that isn’t *possible!
*
And there are other explanations than a compromised President. He may, for instance, have developed a very positive approval of Mr Putin. After all, he has had plenty of opportunities to bask in his presence and access his character. Some private conversations, quite possibly exchanges in perfect candor and honesty, man to man. Didn’t Putin directly and personally assure Darth Shit-for-Brains that Russia had nothing to do with any alleged “interference”? There is no more authoritative source in Russia! Trump has frequently expressed his admiration, Putin’s “brass balls” that clank when he walks. ('Course, ice probably does too, but less melodiously…)
By the same token, maybe Douchey Bank simply sees something that evades other bankers, that Trump is a splendid investment opportunity and they are eager to take advantage of his acute business savvy. Trump Steaks, Trump University, the Bed Bug Resort Chain, all stand as monuments to bold entrepreneurial adventures! Who can say for sure that Russian investors don’t see the same things the Douchey Bank does, and just want to get in on a sound investment!
Me, I kinda doubt it. Ever since the Republican Convention, when Jar-Jar Binks gave the nominating speech…
nm answered already
Let’s play that semantic game, shall we?
I wrote
I stand by that. There is, in fact, “reporting” that speculates that Deutsche Bank has confirmed that they have Trump’s tax returns (the use of ‘speculates’ is because the reporting is not based on an outright admission, but rather a redacted confirmation that Deutsche Bank does, actually, have the taxes of some unnamed individual after a court required them to confirm, under seal, whether they have Trump’s returns, which was after Deutsche lawyers told the judges in open court that they were prevented from even confirming whether or not they had the tax returns as a predicate to deciding whether they had to be turned over to the House of Reps).
You don’t like Lawrence O’Donnell? Fine, I’m not a huge fan, too.
So, here’s more reporting on this issue:
Deutsche Bank says it has Trump-related tax records Congress wants
Deutsche Bank admits it has Trump’s tax returns
Deutsche Bank has Trump-related tax returns sought by House Democrats
Deutsche Bank Tells Court It Has Some Tax Returns Related to Trump Inquiry
I also said that there is further speculation about Russian co-signers. This has not been confirmed in reporting; it’s just a rumor at this point. Did I not make that clear?