Politics
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- Fax_Benson-2
Russia isn't directly influencing the outcome of elections. Any idiot can post a facebook ad. Corporations are having more of an influence.
The entirety of Western politics and the poltical commentariat moved itself into the world's least secure and unregulated chat room and convinced itself that what happens there is real life and that retweets are genuine endorsements by real people validating whatever opinion piece they've just shat out.
Top politicians arguing with bots in public in the hope that picking up a few followers will paper over the fact that they've literally no fucking clue what's happening in the world.. Everything that's wrong with us is now laid out in public and on a platform that powers itself on trolling and anonymity. It used to be about spies and subterfuge and poison umbrellas. Now all you need is a phone and one of the gormless Trump progeny's email address. What self-respecting autocrat isn't going to take advantage?
- me likes this, Adam Curtis could have said this in an interviewfadein11
- RT is clearly propaganda but it looks totally sane compared to half our media outlets.Fax_Benson
- I believe the MSM, CIA, GOP, DNC, etc. thought they influenced, but by merely underestimating Trump and the voting public, they lost all control.robotron3k
- This is a mind-numbingly stupid issue. The dollar amounts on these campaign are tiny. Plus everything that has a political slant is propaganda.IRNlun6
- Unfortunately most people have no clue as to the budgets of some of these campaigns, and how little impressions these campaigns would have.IRNlun6
- Facebook's Q3 earning was 4.7 billion. Russia spent $46k in ads, pre-election.IRNlun6
- the spend isn't the point is it - have you seen the combined reach - 120 million people. But I agree turds like Alex Jones prob had more influence.fadein11
- $46k with a reach of 120 million. Trump campaign alone spent approx. $90 million. Hillary around the same.IRNlun6
- $46k sounds more like an opportunity to earn a little cash, rather than influence the outcome of an election.IRNlun6
- Where's Spider Jerusalem when you need him?!jaylarson
- @irnun6 - yes those ads reached 120million people including shares etc. those stats are easy to find out if you want to check.fadein11
- The ad spending does not seem very high but you are ignoring the fact that it's just one small part of their efforts.yuekit
- Most of it was bots and trolls rather than ads. I've randomly encountered what seem to be Russian trolls on Reddit, YouTube and Twitter many timesyuekit
- BLM also had fake accounts. They targeted both sides. These government officials/media empires making this out to be a coordinated attack have ulterior motives.IRNlun6
- Of course it was coordinated. They might have played both sides but ultimately wanted to elect Trump.yuekit
- For instance, as a Trump supporter you probably visit the_donald subreddit right?yuekit
- It's been suspected that a large proportion of users on that sub are Russian bots. And that's the main meeting place for Trump supporters.yuekit
- How do you tell the difference between a real Trump supporter posting mindless pro Trump comments or memes and a bot? It's difficult.yuekit
- However there's no doubt that having a lot of bot accounts doing this stuff serves to amplify the message.yuekit
- Hell, these companies have far more influence and are openly progressive. It was found that twitter blocked 50% of traffic for DNC leaks.IRNlun6
- fadein11, you're missing my point. 120mil people seeing an ad maybe 1-2 times at most, is nothing compared to a sustained, year long $90mil campaign.IRNlun6
- Really is there proof they blocked or manipulated anything? Sounds like made up right-wing BS to be honest.yuekit
- After all, these sites such as Twitter, YouTube etc. are largely the platforms on which the right-wing pro-Trump spammers operated.yuekit
- Thats just DNC/RNC. Now factor in CNN, MSNBC, Fox, Breitbart, Prison Planet...IRNlun6
- If they were really controlling things to bias towards the left, you wouldn't expect that to be the case.yuekit
- This is not to dismiss how inspiring Jesus arm wrestling Satan is.//IRNlun6
- Twitter admitted to it and blamed it on an algorithm. The entirety of media was convinced Trump would lose... clearly why it's still such a shock.IRNlun6
- Talk about made up BS, what makes you certain Putin wanted Trump? The Russians hacked the DNC/Hillary after all, or so claimed.IRNlun6
- You do realize Trump being labeled as the new racist, sexist, homophobic, islamophobic, Hitler was also propaganda?IRNlun6
- I mean it's very obvious Putin wanted Trump to win. If you haven't progressed that far in your understanding I would question your basic comprehension.yuekit
- Yes they hacked the DNC because they wanted Trump to win...same reason RT openly supported Trump...this is not rocket science.yuekit
- It's amazing how much of an alternate reality you guys have constructed for yourselves.yuekit
- How so is it obvious Putin wanted Trump to win? Please, explain.IRNlun6
- Trump literally called for banning all Muslims from entering the country...but him being Islamophobic is "propaganda."yuekit
- The whole premise around the dirty dossier is they have potential blackmail material against Trump. You don't think they have anything on Hillary?IRNlun6
- Just to give one example out of many. It would be very easy for Trump not to say racist, sexist things if he doesn't want to be labelled that way.yuekit
- All Russians have to do to influence US politics is buy off our politicians, like they have been doing for the past decade or so.IRNlun6
- I'll agree that it is amazing how comparatively different our perceived realities are.IRNlun6
- Yes in your version of reality banning all Muslims is not Islamophobic...yuekit
- You blame the people reacting negatively to such an divisive and inflammatory statement, not the person making the statement itself.yuekit
- Words and actions are two very different things. You dismiss the context. At the heels of several terror attacks across the world.IRNlun6
- Attacks from clearly Islamic radicals, at a period where even the slight mention of them being Islamic would get you labeled as Islamophobic.IRNlun6
- The comment took the larger narrative of nothing to do with Islam, to only a tiny minority are terrorists. Purposefully controversial as it was it added nuance.IRNlun6
- It would be political suicide for Dems to take that as anything other than an example of how monstrous he's labeled to be.IRNlun6
- That comment forced DEMs to articulate a more nuanced response.IRNlun6
- So Trump says intentionally controversial things about racial, religious and other issues...and you blame the people reacting to him?yuekit
- For instance he says a reporter who asked him tough questions is on her period. And you blame the people calling that sexist.yuekit
- Maybe you are so partisan you can never blame Trump for anything but for most of the world it's extremely obvious who is creating the problem.yuekit
- And to be honest, it makes the entire country look like idiots when you have the president or presidential candidate making such a crude and divisive comment.yuekit
- I'm not necessarily blaming anyone. It definitely benefits Dems/Reps to over hype an issue. Never said Trump's an angel.IRNlun6
- It's a tough sell to convince anyone that yeah he might be an asshole, but he's not Hitler. And boy is he not stupid.IRNlun6
- "$90mil campaign" - lawful US spending from non outside influence - what don't you get?fadein11
- and reverse both the points you make in your last comment and it may make sense lolfadein11
- The issue is being overhyped. Thats why the focus is on the big boogeyman Russia and not ALL outside influence. Which is way more pervasive.IRNlun6
- I'd agree if all outside influence was being discussed. It's the way in which it's presented that I think there's ulterior motives.IRNlun6
- dorf2
GOP Tax Plan Released... and the Winners are:
Big corporations.
American mega-businesses would get a substantial tax reduction. The bill cuts the top rate that large corporations pay from 35 percent to 20 percent, the biggest one-time drop in the big-business tax rate ever. On top of that, companies would get some new tax breaks to help lower their bills, such as the ability to deduct all the costs of purchasing new equipment, as well as a special low rate on any money they bring back to the United States from low-tax countries such as Ireland. Many businesses have been holding cash overseas to avoid 35 percent U.S. taxes. Now they would get to bring the money home at a tax rate of 12 percent. The entire business tax system would also change from a worldwide system, in which money anywhere around the globe is taxed, to a territorial system in which it's mostly money made in the United States that is taxed. Businesses have long lobbied for this change.The super-rich.
The estate tax, often called the “death tax” by its critics, would go away by 2024, meaning wealthy families would be able to pass on lavish estates and trust funds to their heirs tax-free. At the moment, only estates worth over $5.49 million face the estate tax (the GOP plan doubles that amount immediately until the tax goes totally away). The mega-wealthy also would get to keep charitable deductions, a popular way to lower their tax bills, and they no longer would have to pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT), a safeguard against excessive tax dodging that's been in place since 1969.People paying the AMT.
The bill eliminates the alternative minimum tax, which forces people who earn more than about $130,000 to calculate their taxes twice, once with all the deductions they can find and once with the AMT method, which prevents most tax breaks. There is perhaps no better example of how much this will benefit the rich than that fact that Donald Trump would have paid $31 million less in taxes in 2005 (the one year for which we have his tax returns) without the AMT."Pass through" companies.
Some wealthy Americans who run businesses structured as sole proprietorships, partnerships or LLCs would get a sizable discount on their taxes. Under the GOP bill, these "pass through" companies would pay a tax rate of only 25 percent on 30 percent of their business income, a big reduction from the 39.6 percent rate some pay now. The bill tries to prevent "service firms" like law firms and accounting firms from being able to pay the lower 25 percent rate, but a good tax lawyer can probably make the case for these firms to qualify. Also, on the campaign trail, Trump said that hedge funds were “getting away with murder” on their taxes and that he would take away carried interest, the popular opening in the tax code these Wall Street titans use. But the bill does not change or eliminate carried interest, which is also used by some real estate developers.- you forgot robomgtronix333kkk********
- lol. "he understands us, he's different, he's anti-establishment"fadein11
- robotard3KKK & Trollomg are ecstatic ...
this will help them get out of mom's basement cave.Ramanisky2 - Your mom's basement cave is warm and cozy. A playground for fun and adventure.********
- good one you filthy troll
good oneRamanisky2 - meanwhile, Paul Ryan says you'll get $1100 big ones or $100/month to live big and live lavish. an american with avg $50k salary gets 2% tax break. #winningdorf
- only 2 kinds of people would support this bill, billionaires, and idiots.GuyFawkes
- so we can def cross out trollomg & robotard3KKK off of the billionaire list which makes them ....Ramanisky2
- hold on, so you don't want an extra $1100? That's like free service for your iPhone.********
- I wonder how many kids in poor countries get to carry computers in their pockets to access the WWW and all it provides.********
- ^ weak trolling #saddorf
- lolGuyFawkes
- oh yurimorazal
don't change man.GuyFawkes - omg will finally be able to afford classes to get that GEDzaq
- and put up some new wallpaper inside his mom's cave... spruce it up real nice.Ramanisky2
- Fuk yeeee my LLC will be buying a Maserati before EOY. Eat it poor peoples!robotron3k
- tax INCREASES for the lower and upper middle class. It's a fucking joke.formed
- lol, a maserati? you fucking peasant!dorf
- you forgot robomgtronix333kkk
- ********-5
- pretty cool even if not accurateGuyFawkes
- posting cartoons instead of preparation for GED?zaq
- notice the lack of downvotes, omg you're losing your triggering touch!robotron3k
- but Hillary isn't pres. why you still obsessed?inteliboy
- why are you still crying about Hillary not being president. geez.... get over it already!********
- he's notmonospaced
- inteliboy0
The Trump administration said Thursday it would exit an international effort to fight corruption that targeted revenue from oil and natural gas extraction.
The U.S. will no longer participate in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global initiative that requires member nations to disclose their revenues from oil, gas and mining assets, according to Reuters.
Under the agreement, the U.S. was required to reveal all the revenue it received from oil, gas and mining companies, and required those companies to publicly disclose the payments they make to the U.S. and other governments.
http://thehill.com/policy/intern…
winning!
- robotron3k0
the Democrats imploding before our eyes...
DNC adds to debt after falling behind RNC in June fundraising
The DNC has $7.5 million on hand, after a string of losses to Republicans in special congressional elections, including the race for Georgia's 6th District, which broke fundraising records to become the most expensive congressional race. The RNC has $44.7 million in cash on-hand, according to the filings.
http://thehill.com/homenews/camp…
I'm not sure anybody should be giving Donna a platform but she's covering her ass here and trying to make a buck:
Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC
'Before I called Bernie Sanders, I lit a candle in my living room and put on some gospel music. I wanted to center myself for what I knew would be an emotional phone call.
I had promised Bernie when I took the helm of the Democratic National Committee after the convention that I would get to the bottom of whether Hillary Clinton’s team had rigged the nomination process, as a cache of emails stolen by Russian hackers and posted online had suggested. I’d had my suspicions from the moment I walked in the door of the DNC a month or so earlier, based on the leaked emails. But who knew if some of them might have been forged? I needed to have solid proof, and so did Bernie."
- The RNC is going to need all the rubles they can stash.mathinc
- The laundering of rubles is easy thanks to the super pac work-around.dorkKn1ght
- "Dear DOJ and FBI, Hillary Rigged an election, deleted subpoenaed emails(felony), lied to congress (felony) & much more... DO YOUR JOB!!!"********
- LOL .. the Troll of ComedyRamanisky2
- they are imploding though, stupid crooked fucksmoldero
- Salarrue2
Aide Told Trump and Sessions of His Russia Contacts
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/…Court documents from the special counsel investigation show that the aide, George Papadopoulos, mentioned his connections in front of Donald J. Trump and Jeff Sessions during the campaign.
It was the first concrete evidence that Mr. Trump was told of Russian ties, something that both he and Mr. Sessions have denied.
- allthethings4
It doesn't seem at first glance that it belongs in the Politics thread, but everything is political these days...
https://deadspin.com/the-nfls-st…
The NFL's Stupid Pizza Wars Were Always Coming
Excerpts:
"If Trump has one single accomplishment as President, it is how thoroughly he’s revealed extremely rich people as being not somehow braver or smarter or more disciplined than the rest of us but somehow exactly the opposite—consumed by pettiness, enslaved by vanity, and perfectly willing to fuck important things up in order to make some point to themselves and their rancid peers."
"Pizza Hut, which is not affiliated with the NFL, put its oar in to say that the NFL’s protest movement had not impacted their bottom line at all. This set up a partisan binary that doubles as a crystalline metaphor for life in these times. You could eat an awful Papa John’s pizza to Trigger The Liberals—they love the NFL now, and they get real upset when you eat pizza that tastes like a couch cushion soaked for 48 hours in margarine and brine ...
Or you could Stand Up For Your Values by ordering from Pizza Hut and subjecting yourself to one of the few pizza experiences more reliably disappointing than Papa John’s. It’s also possible that Little Caesar’s is the ethical choice in Appallingly Shitty Pizza. Even if you’re a smug, apolitical shitposter, there’s an option just for you..."
- hahahah I am literally laughing so hard I just snorted.kona
- https://media.giphy.…Ramanisky2
- LOL********
- lolsofakingback
- allthethings-7
So anyway...this thread explains that Donna Brazile is full of shit:
https://tttthreads.com/thread/92…
And this post demonstrates the way Russia is amplifying such things and driving the narrative:
- Wikileaks showed it all, in their own words. Brazile is now just publicly admitting guilt.IRNlun6
- Ramanisky20
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will serve no prison time for desertion.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sgt…
I wonder what the Orange Cuntmuscle will tweet today?
- #WeNeedAnotherTwitte...
#SaveUsBluejam - My cousin was wounded, and his best friend died while out trying to find this asswipe. Bowe was in his unit.kona
- How the FUCK does he get NO TIME??? MEN DIED trying to find this DESERTING POS. Sorry for you cousin and his loss, kona... serious lack of justice here.PonyBoy
- No soldiers died looking for him.
https://serialpodcas…face_melter - face. Tell that to my cousin, who was there, in the Humvee, behind his friend who died.kona
- I’ve listened to multiple iterviews of soldiers who say men died searching... I tend to believe the soldiers live in the field over an articlePonyBoy
- Don't mean to sound like a cunt but they know what they signed up for.BusterBoy
- You failed, Buster... you sound like a cunt.PonyBoy
- Sound familiar?BusterBoy
- Yep... pretty in tune w/the majority of your responses.PonyBoy
- And the orange cunt in chiefBusterBoy
- I knew exactly whom you were referencing... and I did see irony in your comment... just not as you intendedPonyBoy
- I can be as cuntish as the best of them...just not the type of cuntish you'd expect.BusterBoy
- #WeNeedAnotherTwitte...
- ********0
- as much as i think you are the king of qbn trolls, you got a chuckle out of me on this one. Why are you so obsessed with HRC? asking for a friend.capn_ron
- lolGuyFawkes
- Ahahaha. Nice!wagshaft
- i found this funny. you see omg, if you posted more stuff like this and if you were coherent instead of defending certain policies then maybe unicorns.********
- allthethings1
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/e…
Republicans Sneak Anti-Abortion Language Into Tax Bill
Democrats denounced the move as a back-door attack on Roe v. Wade.
Buried on page 93 of the 429-page tax proposal is a provision that would allow fetuses to be named as beneficiaries of college savings accounts known as 529 plans ― investment vehicles that come with a range of tax breaks.
“A child in the womb is just as human as you or I yet, until now, the U.S. tax code has failed to acknowledge the unborn child,” Jeanne Mancini, president of the anti-abortion group March for Life, told Politico.
There’s nothing in current law stopping parents from opening a 529 savings account before a child is born, explained Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, a personal finance site. A parent opens the account in his or her own name, and once the baby is born, changes the account beneficiary, he explained. McBride said he did this for one of his sons.
“I don’t know how this makes it different,” he said. McBride said at most, the tax reform provision would allow parents to skip the step of naming a new beneficiary. “Taking a nonstop flight instead of changing planes,” he said.
- Funny how republicans do everything in their power to ensure a future, baby killers want to protect the right to slaughter adorable babies.********
- A back-door attack actually prevents pregnancies. HEYOBonSeff
- lolaliastime
- proving yet again republicans only give a shit about children before they're bornkona
- how the hell is a fetus supposed to go to college kona?********
- bootstraps omg, bootstraps.BonSeff
- https://media.giphy.…
meatloaf is ready trollRamanisky2 - fetus ≠ baby********
- Funny how republicans do everything in their power to ensure a future, baby killers want to protect the right to slaughter adorable babies.
- ********11
- okay, this is funnyGnash
- lolGuyFawkes
- you see? you are improving. i upvoted you twice in the last 10 minutes.********
- omg, who the hell are you! making me laugh with you and not at you! i'm liking this.capn_ron
- they're becoming human - the game's upFax_Benson
- haharobotron3k
- teeheePonyBoy
- lolKrassy
- not accuratemonospaced
- the most accurate thing I've ever witnessed in the politics thread TOO DATE!!PonyBoy
- +1 funny at last mate.fadein11
- *toPonyBoy
- finally a funny cartoon. i need to lie down.lowimpakt
- omg's head explodes from upvotes!!moldero
- lol moldero. it just shows the omg bullying claims were bs.fadein11
- fadein114
Trump commerce secretary's business links with Putin family laid out in leaked files
https://www.theguardian.com/news…
- PonyBoy4
Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation
"The investigators are speaking to multiple witnesses in coming days to gain more information surrounding Flynn's lobbying work, including whether he laundered money or lied to federal agents about his overseas contacts, according to three sources familiar with the investigation."
- lowimpakt2
Trump's energy secretary said fossil fuels may prevent sexual assault
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us…
eh, wat?
- #MAGAutopian
- lolmoldero
- what assholesmonospaced
- "when the lights are on, can't do the rape"sofakingback
- Morning_star7
Huge leak of information detailing off-shore investments of the lovely rich folk of the Planet Earth.
Waves at The Queen, The Russian Government, UK Government, US Government and oh so many more. Sit back friends. Grab some popcorn and....
- moldero3
for omg
- Thanks Obama. oh wait... no. That was the previous one...sofakingback
- my left and right guns go to sleep with me every night.********
- that's patheticmonospaced
- ********1
Paradise Papers?
Well, my answer is kill them all!
