U.S. Presidential Election 2016 (Sponsored by Betty Croker's Hamburger Helper)

[Disco]

He's been mostly hawking his 'brand' since the 80s when he managed to go out of business running casinos of all things.

[Boydy]

BBC News - Ron DeSantis suspends campaign for president
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68051757

[Lewis]

1748526221653098531

lolled out loud at that weary 'He's a terrible guy'.

[Shindig]

Again, what politician is going to deliver that? He's one of a kind.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If the CIA were any use to man nor beast they'd have popped him by now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

For every lol Trump clip there are probably five of these:

1749638608577761385

Both candidates completely gone upstairs.

[Kikó]

Meanwhile Biden was having cookout.

[Bernanke]

A debate between the two in their current states would be absurd. Trump really isn't the same as even 4 years ago.

[Yevrah]

We get a debate, right? :drool:

[Raoul Duke]

It'll just be like watching two of the Drunk Lord guy from the Fast Show. Blathering unintelligible nonsense and a few shouty soundbites

[Lofty]

The District Attorney in the Trump case is fucking one of her prosecutors, which will likely tank the case against him. He's definitely getting in.

[Lewis]

Proper lolling at refusing to charge the sitting President with an offence because he probably has dementia. The end of the Soviet Union was more dignified than this.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm still not entirely sure how their democracy has managed to back itself into the corner of having literally no feasible alternative for high office than two addled geriatrics so old that their combined ages take you back to the Battle of Bull Run.

[Kikó]

It's genuinely tragic how bad their choices are. Biden should not be running at 81. Trump only looks young because he's orange but makes a similar amount of mistakes.

[Shindig]

I'm still not entirely sure how their democracy has managed to back itself into the corner of having literally no feasible alternative for high office than two addled geriatrics so old that their combined ages take you back to the Battle of Bull Run.

It's bizarre. When everyone else has favoured younger leaders, the US candidates have all faded away. I also find it wild that keeping documents at home is what started this debate. Every President since Reagan's managed that.

[Don]

The age of the candidates is a mark of the entrenched power dynamics and how difficult it is to break theor stronghold. Democracy :D

[Yevrah]

And yet one of them managed to break through from seemingly nowhere to get the gig eight years ago.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Supreme Leader of forward-looking progressive state Iran is of course a spring chicken at 84.

[Don]

1755861904948416721

Democracy :D

[Boydy]

1755757290953515479

:lol:

[niko_cee]

Did Smokin' Joe B really refer to France's President Mitterrand today?

Although I see he's been up to as much confusing Egyptians and Mexicans.

And Helmet Kohl and Merkel. Man's on a roll.

:cab:

[Pepe]

He should just claim that he did it on purpose to troll the young'uns.

[Disco]

I think Jobe Iden could forget which country he was president of and still be a better choice than Donald Trump.

[Bernanke]

It would be hilarious if "HISTORICAL FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT" is just some pointless placeholder, who takes it after they elect a dude whose mind is more calcified than my showerhead.

[Kikó]

Did Smokin' Joe B really refer to France's President Mitterrand today?

Although I see he's been up to as much confusing Egyptians and Mexicans.

And Helmet Kohl and Merkel. Man's on a roll.

:cab:

Not yesterday but recently.

An 81 year old against a 79 year old for the hardest job in the world. Incredible.

[Pepe]

That Democrats are willing to vote for Biden is every bit as insane as Republicans voting for Trump.

[Spikey M]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68266447

Our payments are up to date, right?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Even for him that's pretty insane.

[Disco]

Yeah I'll take doddery over unhinged lunatic.

[niko_cee]

It's all just bluster though. He'll be an even more lame duck/useless president second time around than he was first, where he did what exactly? Sat down with a few despots and built about 5% of a really shit wall? I have faith in the US military industrial complex/chain of command/whatever to keep him at bay on the off chance he gets in, which I'm increasingly convinced won't happen anyway, mainly because of this sort of insane utterance.

He's already won the nomination, he really needs to be pivoting towards not being a maniac if he actually wants to win/stay out of jail.

[Don]

Lol at thinking Trump is the dangerous one with a track record.

[Lofty]

I think him saying fuck everyone we aren't bailing them out with out money/brave boys will probably play quite well with voters so we could go full isolationist US who sit on the sidelines whilst the world burns ala 1918-1941.

[Spikey M]

Which is what we should do.

We have no army. None of us would sign up and I'd go to prison if they tried to conscript me. Why would I fight for this shithole? Never mind for Ukraine, Israel and the Suez fucking Canal.

[Disco]

I think him saying fuck everyone we aren't bailing them out with out money/brave boys will probably play quite well with voters so we could go full isolationist US who sit on the sidelines whilst the world burns ala 1918-1941.

Can you really do isolationism with 700-odd bases on other peoples turf?

[Jimmy Floyd]

It'll be like last time, he'll fire this stuff out for rhetoric but will have semi-adults to do the foreign policy stuff for him.

[niko_cee]

The yanks seem to be going fully through the rabbithole with this impeachment stuff now.

[niko_cee]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68302071

Top trolling.

[Lofty]

I love the little dig at Carlson again, he must feel like on of those Dubai porta potties now, used and abused except his was broadcast around the world and he probably didn't make as much as they do.

Funny how they are all bravado until faced with someone you know has likely signed a load of death warrants and killed his fair share of people in his time, no wonder the questions weren't that 'sharp', Vlad. Tucker's scrotum was in his stomach.

[randomlegend]

Lol at Trump.

[niko_cee]

Cohen being deemed a credible witness doesn't bode well for other legal travails, and hats off to the judge for the pornography allusion.

He's so going to be in jail this time next year.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Would it not be too much of a civil war risk to put Donald behind bars? Especially when Crooked Hillary remains a free woman.

[niko_cee]

Another civil war is probably their only route to effective gun control, so maybe it is necessary in a Machiavellian sense.

[Lewis]

It's pretty terrible luck for Trump to have been done for this just as he looks well-placed to win another election. This crackdown on wealthy people taking out loans based on inflated wealth estimates will presumably run and run.

[Disco]

I think the election rigging is the one that will do him in, being recorded asking people to 'find' a few thousand votes so he can win is pretty damning.

[Disco]

Lol, I've just seen the ruling, get ready to see a 'billionaire' fail to have the cash he testified in court that he definitely does have.

[Lewis]

1761213226220757347

The highlight reel as we approach the election is going to be immense.

[Don]

1761348217155756087

[Disco]

Didn't he also say black people would support him because he started selling (appropriately tacky and shitty looking) trainers and the blacks do be loving their trainers. The man is shamelessly unhinged.

[Yevrah]

There it is and he’s only just getting started. He is going to win.

[Lofty]

Apparently the christian right want Trump to ban recreational sex :D

[Spikey M]

*clown world intensifies*

[Disco]

Trump mixes up the woman he raped for his ex-wife lie the stable genius he definitely is.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0tq3rh6bh_8

[Yevrah]

Is that meant to be the counter argument/gotcha to Biden clearly having dementia? If so, lol and Joe may as well start packing his bags now.

[Spikey M]

If we're honest, none of it really matters anymore, does it? America has 2 old men that are starting to rattle upstairs. We have a robo-manlet and a damp squib that has no positions on anything.

Politics is dead. They all just do what big-money tells them to do. The colour of their tie is about the only real difference.

For all the rants, lololols and falls, how different have Obama, Trump and Biden really been when it comes to action?

The west is a mess. The same mess across the board, regardless of leader.

[Boydy]

You'll say stuff like this but when you had an actual alternative who didn't answer to big money you didn't want it.

[Spikey M]

Correct, because he wasn't offering what I want to vote for either.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'd vote for a patriotic left candidate tbh, as would a lot of the population.

[Spikey M]

As would I. That's all I want. Someone that likes our country and wants it to be a better place for normal people.

[Boydy]

I'd vote for a patriotic left candidate tbh, as would a lot of the population.

Don't lie.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I absolutely would. Sadly the left hasn't had any patriotic traces since about 1975.

[randomlegend]

I'd vote for a patriotic left candidate tbh, as would a lot of the population.

:D

You'd vote Tory even if your local candidate did a shit through your letterbox.

[Yevrah]

This reminds me when Elth said he'd have happily entertained someone ahead of Moyes had there been anybody else available. When I suggested some he came up with every spurious reason under the sun why they weren't.

I was going to push Jimmy on why he hadn't voted for Blair, but then it dawned on me that he'd just give me a million reasons why he wasn't.

[Lewis]

The main one that he was at school.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I wouldn't have voted for Blair. Always thought he was a twat. Might have voted for Champagne Charlie Kennedy if I was in one of my foppish phases.

In general I just disagree with putting self-appointed clever people in charge of people's lives, which is all left politics is, and prefer to leave things as they are. However, if the stewards of leaving things as they are turn out to be embezzling traitors then I reserve the right to vote for any patriotic candidate who has the country's best interests at heart.

Would I have voted for Adolf in 1933? Possibly, I don't know.

[Yevrah]

The main one that he was at school.

Fair point. :D

[Spikey M]

Had I been able to vote for his first term, I would have definitely voted for him. That said, aside from my experiment with Clegg (cunt), I always have.

It's the party of None of the above this time round. I've no faith in Labour being any better than the Tories.

[7om]

The conservative party could do with finding a few self-appointed clever people. Because right now the party is populated by retards.

[phonics]

Is a real battle for me this time around as in 17 years of voting, I’ve never voted for the guy who won so should I just embrace it and go full Rishi.

[Ben]

Can we not get past the point that even though this iteration of the Labour Party is shit, they’re at least not capable of the incredible corruption exhibited by this Brexit Tory clan. Wave your fist as you put your X next to the Labour candidate if you wish, but you know it will at least rid the country of an incredible cancer.

[niko_cee]

I was thinking the same, I've never backed the winning side in an election overall, maybe the 2010 coalition, spent most of my time in London voting against Frank Dobson and Emily Thornberry on general principle. Think I may have sneaked Justine Greening in in Hammersmith and Fulham in a losing cause once, so should probably stick with it and go for Dear old Jeremy Quin this time although he may be at risk from lib dems and none of the above/voter apathy.

[Kikó]

I'm doing my overseas vote to whoever Labour has running against Corbyn in Highbury.

[Lofty]

Isn't Corbyn by all accounts a top local MP, Abbott style?

[Ben]

Yes but don't let that get in the way of narratives.

[Kikó]

Yeah he is/was.

[Spikey M]

The problem there, is that my local councillors are brilliant. They're also Tory. That doesn't translate well to their party running the country, as we've seen.

[Lofty]

Yeah but as we have already litigated a really good local MP means a lot to people who haven't reduced politics to United vs Liverpool and will defend their pet biter/rapist as long as they wear the one true symbol. Whereas in my constituency there is a lot of 'lol Labour' and always has been even in the face of multiple Tory MPs who are uncontactable until they break cover for an unannounced impromptu photo op with the PM at a local attraction before disappearing again.

Of course that may or may not lead to a more effective system of government nationally (perhaps not, given the current situation) but accessible MPs of any rosette colour should be the rule, not the exception. I know a lot of people don't like them for various reasons but when my mate was having issues with his offshore wind farm company and he and others wanted to unionise due to dangerous working practices, it was John McDonell and Jezza Corbyn who met them for lunch and listened to their concerns on a trip to Westminster when they could have easily fucked them off.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Don't know if this happens everywhere, but around here a lot of the councillors constantly switch parties so that they're in the party who are likely to get voted in at that particular time. There's one woman who has been Tory three times, Lib Dem twice and is now an independent.

I know it was also said of many of the New Labour Scots (Alistair Darling, John Reid etc) that they might have been Tories except for the fact that they came from Labour-voting cities in Scotland so to be a politician they had to join Labour.

We're in a slightly more true believer era now so there might be a bit less fluidity than there has been.

[Ben]

MPs are another matter, but I can absolutely understand councillors jumping back and forth. A lot of their work is apolitical and like Spikey's area, many of my good councillors are (currently) Tory, but I'd still rather die than vote for one of their MPs.

[Lofty]

Oh without doubt there are still vast swathes of the house of Commons who would just back the party most likely to get them on the gravy train if they hadn't already nailed their colours to the mast. Look at the likes of Woodcock who was a Labour MP in Barrow until he knew his time was up then went to the papers slating Corbyn in exchange for a Tory peerage.

[niko_cee]

I quite enjoyed the reply to this:

https://x.com/aubrey_savela/status/1763009734607843777?s=20

1763009734607843777

Bodybagged.

[Shindig]

That context feature is a genuinely great addition.

[Disco]

Telling that Musk seems to have disabled it on his account because he keeps getting absolutely teabagged by corrections to his bullshit.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68440150

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/107A/production/_132781240_fake_trump_1-nc.png.webp

:lol:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Jeez we're through the looking glass now aren't we on AI. At what point do criminal defence lawyers start to claim that any CCTV of their clients in the act has been faked by AI?

[wullie]

Always look at the hands.

[Raoul Duke]

Also this (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68465057):


The Trump Campaign, however, was quick to dismiss Ms Haley's win, calling her the "Queen of the Swamp".
"While Nikki has been soundly rejected throughout the rest of America, she was just crowned Queen of the Swamp by the lobbyists and DC insiders that want to protect the failed status quo. The swamp has claimed their queen," Trump Campaign press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said.


I'll miss him when he's in jail forever

[Lofty]

If he wins will he pardon all the insurrectionists from their sentences?

[Jimmy Floyd]

They should reduce his sentence if he agrees to publicly 'roast' 10 deserving cases a day for the duration of it.

[niko_cee]

So now the shit sandwich versus the giant douche II is official has that ever happened before? Has a defeated candidate ever stood again at the next election or is Donny T the first? I'm thinking that if it has happened before it will be in the dim and distant past.

The more you know (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/16/a-biden-trump-faceoff-in-2024-wouldnt-be-the-first-presidential-rematch/)

[Shindig]

Apologies if it's mentioned in the link but I know Nixon lost to Kennedy before getting the gig.

[Spikey M]

So now the shit sandwich versus the giant douche II is official has that ever happened before? Has a defeated candidate ever stood again at the next election or is Donny T the first? I'm thinking that if it has happened before it will be in the dim and distant past.

The more you know (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/16/a-biden-trump-faceoff-in-2024-wouldnt-be-the-first-presidential-rematch/)

I don't know the specifics, but Churchill had a round 2, didn't he?

[Jimmy Floyd]

We've had loads of repeats. Yanks quite rare, but I know Adlai Stevenson had a couple of unsuccessful cracks at Eisenhower, which was fortunate because 'Adlai' is a terrible name.

[niko_cee]

I make no judgment as to the merits of the decision, and as with anything I am sure their is nuance to explain it away, but on a surface level is it not a bit odd to have a legal system whereby courts/judges are able to impose staggering fines on people who are then effectively denied a right of appeal unless they can stump up the cash? My suspicion is that, were this a matter of debate or argument then perhaps that wouldn't be the case, and Donny T is in this predicament because of the scale and flagrancy of his 'offending', but it does strike me as odd that a judge can effectively insulate their decision from appeal or review by imposing an insurmountably large enough penalty.

Bet Michael Bloomberg is absolutely loving this and will be only too happy to make a derisory offer for Trump Tower.

[Lofty]

Donny probably checking the market value of Ivanka.

[randomlegend]

I make no judgment as to the merits of the decision, and as with anything I am sure their is nuance to explain it away, but on a surface level is it not a bit odd to have a legal system whereby courts/judges are able to impose staggering fines on people who are then effectively denied a right of appeal unless they can stump up the cash? My suspicion is that, were this a matter of debate or argument then perhaps that wouldn't be the case, and Donny T is in this predicament because of the scale and flagrancy of his 'offending', but it does strike me as odd that a judge can effectively insulate their decision from appeal or review by imposing an insurmountably large enough penalty.

Bet Michael Bloomberg is absolutely loving this and will be only too happy to make a derisory offer for Trump Tower.

But isn't inflating his assets part of what he's in hot water for? So setting a high penalty means he can only appeal if he wasn't lying in the first place. If he can't meet the bond it proves he is/was lying and an appeal is moot.

[niko_cee]

Not really, as the fine/bond needs to be covered by liquid assets, not real property which is what he was/they were inflating the value of, which I'd say is a fairly standard thing to do, they just seem to have done it to absurd levels.

Like I said, I'm sure there is a reason, just on its face it seems odd for a court at that level to essentially be able to make its ruling unappealable. From further investigation I think it is within the gift of the appeals court to stay the enforcement/require a lesser bond, but I guess you have to have a reasonable prospect of success for them to contemplate that and maybe Donald and Co don't really.

[Disco]

He also had plenty of warning, real estate firms tend not to have stacks of cash lying around (despite him claiming under oath to have 400mil in cash on hand) but for someone as rich as he's supposed to be he should have been selling off stuff to meet the bond. As usual he just does lots of crimes, boasts about how rich he is then when it actually comes to paying for something he's weirdly strapped for cash.

It's almost like he's not being entirely truthful.

[John Arne]

Big Joey Bidenz with the burn...

1772084227200164325

[Disco]

Does he still play his round on a different day to everyone else? That's a good wheeze that one.

[Shindig]

1772133508288246066

It has the same energy with the CAPITALISED words and I'll never not notice it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I imagine his method is the same as when I played with the 80+ year old 'big man' president of our cricket club at a golf day once.

*he can barely make contact with the ball, hacks about six shots down the hole and drops a couple by the greenside, then three putts and turns to me*
'That was a five, wasn't it?'
'Erm...'
'I'm pretty sure it was a five.'
'Yeah, it was a five. Good playing, Bill.'

[niko_cee]

Is Trump now appearing in blackface?

[Disco]

I was hoping we'd see him staring directly at an eclipse again.

[Lewis]

1778112247924937072

His hand gestures are even loller in such an informal setting.

[niko_cee]

I can never not call Chick-fil-A chick-a-fil, it's hard wired into my brain somehow.

Watching US news coverage these past few days I can't help but feel the republicans and Trump are going to get buried under a reproductive rights landslide, which they rightly should.

[Pepe]

Not like the Executive can do much about "reproductive rights." That is the purview of individual states (thank you, Supreme Court) or Congress, if they ever get their act together (lol).

[John Arne]

I don't get that video? What is so unique about their reaction?

[niko_cee]

Not like the Executive can do much about "reproductive rights." That is the purview of individual states (thank you, Supreme Court) or Congress, if they ever get their act together (lol).

Can you not just make a law if you have Congress and the presidency? Which is what will happen, although all the ballot business that ends up putting reproductive rights into various state constitutions as a rider to the judgements in these various cases are quite funny. The reality is that an overtly politicised judiciary is clearly a terrible idea and quite an amusing outcome from a system so wildly obsessed with the separation of powers.

[Pepe]

I believe that they would need 60 votes in the Senate (out of 100 members.) Never gonna happen.

Abortions have gone up, not down, since the famous decision. If the Supreme Court wanted to BAN ABORTION, as some claimed, they did a pretty terrible job at it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

How do you even say that restaurant's name? Chick filler or chick fill-ay?

'Some chicken' is a strong order from him.

[Spikey M]

How do you even say that restaurant's name? Chick filler or chick fill-ay?

'Some chicken' is a strong order from him.

Fill-ay. Because yanks. Loads of 'erbs, I imagine.

On the subject of "reproductive rights", I saw something the other day about our tap water being full of Estrogen (along with Cocaine), because of "the pill", which means we're essentially all taking the pill involuntarily and the rivers are now full of fucked up gender bending tranny fish with fannies, balls and attitude problems.

Now, it sounds like bollocks and I'm treating it as such, but if it's true, then oral contraceptive is need to go straight in the bin.

[Bernanke]

Not like the Executive can do much about "reproductive rights." That is the purview of individual states (thank you, Supreme Court) or Congress, if they ever get their act together (lol).

As if voters have ever cared about what a specific branch of government can do. It's literally this:

https://i.ibb.co/pPSjjf9/Screenshot-20240411-085142.png

[niko_cee]

I believe that they would need 60 votes in the Senate (out of 100 members.) Never gonna happen.

Abortions have gone up, not down, since the famous decision. If the Supreme Court wanted to BAN ABORTION, as some claimed, they did a pretty terrible job at it.

Is that to make it constitutional? Can they not just pass a Federal law with a basic majority? Always seemed a bit daft to try and frame it as a constitutional issue, but they are obsessed with THE FOUNDERS so hey ho.

And whilst the Dobbs decision etc isn't really changing the numbers, it is having loads of really stupid/bad unintended consequences like that Texas woman or the IVF in Alabama thing which could really do with being ironed out.

[Pepe]

https://www.aei.org/op-eds/the-real-lessons-of-the-alabama-ivf-ruling/


The case had essentially nothing to do with abortion. Three families pursuing IVF sued their clinic after another patient apparently wandered into the facility’s freezers without the staff realizing it and picked up a container of embryos. The extreme cold burned that person’s hand, causing them to drop the container onto the floor, which killed all of the embryos it held. The families contended that this amounted to negligence on the part of the clinic that had led to the wrongful death of their embryos, and brought a civil claim under Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. The law has long been interpreted as applying to events that cause the death of a pregnant woman’s unborn child, regardless of that child’s gestational age. By the same logic, the families insisted, it should also apply to their embryonic children.

Alabama allowed parents to sue for the death of an unborn child even before the latest decision.

[Lofty]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68821646

Somehow she looks even thicker with every passing month.

[Clunge]

Paywalled: https://www.ft.com/content/75511127-c7eb-40a9-a1ac-22aed92d1424

But this excerpt is superb:

Unfortunately, her approach worked a bit like this: imagine a bunch of people are stuck in a warm, stuffy room together. Everyone wants the windows to be opened, but they are fastened shut by complicated locks. While people try to work out how the locks operate, one of them, Liz, attempts to throw a chair through the window. The chair bounces off and hits her in the face.

[niko_cee]

Interesting trend of self-immolation among wackos in the US of late.

Elsewhere:

To protect their identities, New York Judge Juan Merchan limited the amount of information reporters can share about the 12 [jurors in the Trump case].

So here's BBC's in depth piece about WHO THEY ARE (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68848665).

:face:

[Shindig]

Erm ... could that possibly throw the case out?

[niko_cee]

Doubt it, although if it somehow does it'll just be another one of those things, like DON'T GIVE MASS SHOOTINGS AND MASS SHOOTERS 24 HOUR NEWS COVERAGE, that the media takes, completely ignores and then refuses to acknowledge as a root cause of a later problem arising therefrom.

Guess a mistrial would fully kick this into the long grass never to be tried again, but then it's a pretty rubbish case so that might be the best outcome for the anti-Trump movement. #conspiracy

The documents case and the Supreme Court's view on total presidential immunity look more interesting, particularly from a political machinations perspective seeing as there's a load of Trump judges involved in those.

[Kikó]

Finally the US have approved an aid package for Ukraine after months of stalling.

[Don]

Fantastic news. Bring on the weaponry.

[ItalAussie]

It'll be interesting to see if some of the Republicans see the next few months - while Trump courtroom drama is occupying him - as a chance to create a bit of political seperation. If it turns out to be a good election for the Repubicans, then there's likely no consequences. But if it's a bad election for them, they have a little distance from Trump and could hold on to their own jobs.

You get the feeling that Johnson was a little more willing to let the Ukraine funding go through while Trump is raging against courtroom sketch artists and headlines that he farts in his sleep.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Trump absolutely fucked lol.

Guilty on all charges.

[Gray Fox]

Biden wins by default?

[niko_cee]

His poll numbers will probably go up.

[Boydy]

Is he going to prison now or what?

[Gray Fox]

I feel like your normal guy would see lengthy jail time for this, but I expect he wont do any time.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

11th July is his sentencing.

[Magic]

I feel like your normal guy would see lengthy jail time for this, but I expect he wont do any time.

Weren't the secret service inspecting a jail the other day for him lol. Apparently if he does end up there he's entitled to full secret service protection because he's a former president.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Instantly claiming it was a rigged trial and a biased judge, lol.

[Shindig]

What does this do for his candidacy? Is the answer something other than nowt?

[Gray Fox]

Afaik he can run in November, win, then absolve himself of everything and grant himself immunity going forwards.

He just cannot vote for himself now.

[Shindig]

Truly a land of freedom and opportunity.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He's not winning now.

[Spikey M]

I wouldn't be so sure. Whilst it would be ridiculous (and very, very funny), this is America and he's up against a fucking dementia patient.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Betting odds still favour him.

[John Arne]

This will affect him not one jot. I reckon we are in for an almost repeat of the previous election.

[Pepe]

This will affect him not one jot. I reckon we are in for an almost repeat of the previous election.

The previous one? The one he lost?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Not even the yanks are stupid enough to elect a man with 34 criminal convictions as their President. I'd put his chances at 5% tops.

[John Arne]

The previous one? The one he lost?

Yeah.

[Yevrah]

Not even the yanks are stupid enough to elect a man with 34 criminal convictions as their President. I'd put his chances at 5% tops.

It’s such a low grade crime (in the view of the public) at the heart of this though that I wouldn’t be sure.

[Spikey M]

I cannot stress enough how funny it would be. It needs to happen.

I'd also appreciate it if we could get another insurrection thrown in.

[Lofty]

Not even the yanks are stupid enough to elect a man with 34 criminal convictions as their President. I'd put his chances at 5% tops.

Those who are going to vote for him will believe his rhetoric that he's been stitched up for political reasons. It's not like he was denying booting toddlers into the grand canyon and a video of him doing it has convicted him.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Those who are going to vote for him will believe his rhetoric that he's been stitched up for political reasons. It's not like he was denying booting toddlers into the grand canyon and a video of him doing it has convicted him.

All of them? It's not just the true believers who voted him home in 2016, he needs waverers like any politician does.

[niko_cee]

I think there's a fairly strong chance a lot of people will overlook this as it is a bit of a stitch up, and the core sensationalist aspect of it is not at all sensational really, however many years down the line. It's also arguably going to die on appeal as it has been a pretty 'novel' case from the DA. Not that it isn't deserved, in the infamous words of Nasty Nick, if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Donald's not been shy of a technicality here or there in 40 years of ripping people off and abusing every aspect of capitalism imaginable. Same as the fraud case. Small businessman no harm done says why is this happening, but again, if you want to exist at the margins of what is allowed don't be surprised when you get a train run through you if the man ever gets wind of a way of doing it.

[Bernanke]

1799900643034857547

Yeah this will blow Joe out of the water.

[Ben]

What the fuck. :D

[Shindig]

Jerry Senilefield in "What's the deal with shark attacks?"

[SvN]

He's obsessed

1708587099706830853

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's like me and The Balloon.

[Yevrah]

Lolling his way to a second term.

[Manc]

It's like he's just been introduced to the concept of would you rather.

[Shindig]

Sounds like he could use elexecution lessons.

[Dquincy]

It really is a worry.

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[Spikey M]

In the first one he is quite clearly saying something to the guy packing the other parachute away. The second one is a bit harder to explain away though.

[Yevrah]

He has dementia and as a result the democrats have somehow put a worse candidate forward than Trump.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They'd do well to pull him out before the convention imo and put literally anyone compos mentis in.

[randomlegend]

Yeah, as if Trump is cognitively intact.

[Spikey M]

Trump is old. Biden is on his deathbed.

[Lofty]

Trump is box office though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Imagine - hear me out here - if you had a candidate who was LESS into his dementia than Trump.

[Spikey M]

You and your madcap ideas.

[Yevrah]

Yeah, as if Trump is cognitively intact.

There's a whole World apart from having crazy ideas to actually having dementia, which Biden clearly does.

[randomlegend]

There's a whole World apart from having crazy ideas to actually having dementia, which Biden clearly does.

I'm not going to pretend I can formally diagnose Trump with dementia over the internet, but he is definitely not cognitively all there either.

[Bernanke]

It really is amazing that end of year we will either have President Ol Dusty Bones, President Electrocution > Sharks, or President Kamala. What a country.

[Pepe]

I'm not going to pretend I can formally diagnose Trump with dementia over the internet, but he is definitely not cognitively all there either.

Thing is, everyone seems baffled (rightly) about how anyone could vote for Trump, but we are supposed to pretend that voting for Biden is perfectly sensible.

[Yevrah]

Thing is, everyone seems baffled (rightly) about how anyone could vote for Trump, but we are supposed to pretend that voting for Biden is perfectly sensible.

We are. And also that anything negative said about Biden is an endorsement of the orange one.

[Pepe]

I understand democrats not wanting to vote for Trump or any other republican instead of Biden, of course, but that they are happy with that obviously way past it dude is just strange.

[Manc]

It really is amazing that end of year we will either have President Ol Dusty Bones, President Electrocution > Sharks, or President Kamala. What a country.

We won't have either. This obsession with US politics needs to end.

[Pepe]

Leader of the world mate.

[Spikey M]

*FREE world.

[randomlegend]

Thing is, everyone seems baffled (rightly) about how anyone could vote for Trump, but we are supposed to pretend that voting for Biden is perfectly sensible.

Voting for Biden is perfectly sensible when the only alternative is voting for Trump.

[Spikey M]

I wouldn't vote for either of them.

[Lewis]

If the best/only argument for Joe Biden is that he isn't Donald Trump, why didn't they pick literally anybody other than the only person Trump can call old and mental? They must have a normal person somewhere that isn't a nonce or a chippy black woman.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Even the chippy black woman would probably be a safer bet.

What are the odds that a man of Biden's age and health either dies or as-good-as-dies between now and November? Must be double figures %, surely that's a massive risk.

[Shindig]

Only if he does a William Henry Harrison and does a round of golf in a blizzard.

[Yevrah]

Voting for Biden is perfectly sensible when the only alternative is voting for Trump.

A criminal or a demented? It's a toss up for me.

[niko_cee]

A demented criminal.

[Pepe]

Voting for Biden is perfectly sensible when the only alternative is voting for Trump.

They could have run a primary or just picked anyone else. They chose not to.

[Spikey M]

I can only assume he's a useful idiot for some kind of Kissinger figure behind the scenes.

[Pepe]

Yeah, who is actually making decisions is the real question.

[wullie]

If Americans get the day off work for a funeral like we did with the queen there's a good reason to vote Biden.

[Bernanke]

1801632042544746812

Not sure if this should go here or in the AI thread.

[Kikó]

If Americans get the day off work for a funeral like we did with the queen there's a good reason to vote Biden.

Americans don't need a day off. Work is more important.

[Kikó]

It really is a worry.

1801300939372118420

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The first video is just editing away by someone with an agenda. There's plenty of reasons to worry about Biden being a doddery old man without creating them.

[Pepe]

This "debate" is tragic.

[Dark Soldier]

Its fucking hilarious and horrifying. Both absolutely fucking senile.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Dems really have to stand him down. Stage a heart attack or something.

[Ben]

That's got to be a massive swing in the polls now. Even BBC are calling him a dopey senile cunt at this point.

[Yevrah]

Just seen the ‘highlights’. He’s clearly deteriorating now, perhaps even rapidly.

[Magic]

"I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, and I don’t think he did, either,”

:D

[Spikey M]

Even with Trump being the only alternative, how could anyone vote for Biden for fuck sake?

[Yevrah]

Indeed. I'll say it, now if I haven't before, but given the (awful) choice between the two I'd be voting for Trump.

Biden is already past the point of minimum cognitive function to do the job, what the actual fuck is he going to be like over the next four and a half years? Jim is bang on, they need to nobble him and quickly.

[Lofty]

Just push him down the stairs ffs.

[Ben]

If they hadn't made Putin persona non grata then they'd be able to get loads of tips in how to do it.

[-james-]

To what extent is it true that the president is just some mug they elect to be jostled about as the forces of glorious capitalism see fit? Because that's the best explanation I can see for these two being the candidates.

[Alex]

Just push him down the stairs ffs.

Or just stop assisting him with them and he'll presumably fall down them himself at some point in the next 24 hours.

[Kikó]

They can still replace him in August and they should. Trump is not popular and a criminal so they should stop shitting themselves.

[Yevrah]

Trump is not popular

If this is the pervading view, it's going to hit the left so hard when he wins again.

[niko_cee]

Maybe we can send Gareth over once he's done winning the Euros, I'm sure they could overlook the whole born in America thing.

[SvN]

I've only looked at a few highlights, but Jesus, Biden looks and sounds like he belongs in a nursing home. Genuinely feel sorry for him, he shouldn't be doing this at his age.

[Yevrah]

It's remarkable isn't it.

[niko_cee]

Even if he does die/they push him down the stairs/someone sees sense isn't the likely next cab off the rank [VP Harris] the only living American legally qualified to stand who would probably do worse than Biden? It may not exactly be all-in on an 2-7, but they're stuck with Sleepy Joe and he's at best a jack-8.

[Spikey M]

To what extent is it true that the president is just some mug they elect to be jostled about as the forces of glorious capitalism see fit? Because that's the best explanation I can see for these two being the candidates.

It's absolutely the case that Presidents are largely useful idiots doing the bidding of their donors, but where dementia is so clearly involved you have to reach a point where a useful idiot becomes a useless idiot. I think we're well past that tipping point. As with Yev, if I was forced to vote, I'd be voting for Trump.

[niko_cee]

You wonder whether it might not be prudent for Trump to pivot towards not lying about everything all of the time and maybe saying straight up that he'll accept the election result, rather than doubling down on things likely to appeal to his base but not the middle so much. He should go into Starmer-mode.

Going to be hilarious when he gets sentenced to prison next month.

[Pepe]

Biden's issues are plain to see. How anyone can vote for him is incredible. As for Trump, he is so full of shit that the same thing applies.

I imagine that if the Republicans had run some vanilla politician, it would be piss easy to make Biden look bad. Just ask him a couple of trivia questions during the debate and he would flop immediately. As is, he is carried by "at least he is not Trump" mentality.

[Yevrah]

I hadn't seen him speak for a while and he was already pretty bad, but it's just laughable now. As Ben pointed out even the BBC aren't trying to shy away from it anymore, so it really is game over.

If the left and Democrats genuinely can't see this and absolute nonsense like "we can still replace him in August" is actually what they're going with then a) God help us and b) Do they actually want Trump to win?

[Pepe]

You wonder whether it might not be prudent for Trump to pivot towards not lying about everything all of the time

I don't think he can help it.

[Boydy]

1806533894327468335

This was very much my reaction. Jesus, he's so bad. Put him in a home.

[Spikey M]

Atleast all this makes me feel a little better about our own shit sandwich of an election.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sunak would wipe the floor with either of these, which is a scary thought.

[Ben]

Hit The Rock's music and suddenly there's no Trump danger.

[Boydy]

1806528742879039970

:lol:

[Alex]

I can't stop watching that Boyd. Top drawer. :D

[niko_cee]

I like that there was reportedly some sort of high level intervention planned over the weekend to provide Biden with a dignified pathway to recusing himself and the outcome appears to be to stick with him and instead fire some advisers.

[Spikey M]

Well, it's not much use giving a dementia patient advice anyway to be fair.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Probably time for the CIA to take him out.

[Bernanke]

Not the toughest job they've had.

[Shindig]

Dick Cheney's still alive. Is he available to shoot him?

[Spikey M]

The only conclusion I can come to is that there's nobody evil enough to do what's necessary now that Kissinger has stuffed it. I reckon he was secretly in charge all the way up to the end.

This is my conspiracy and I will die on it's hill.

[Shindig]

One nation under God. God has to do it.

[niko_cee]

If Biden could just put in the official execution order for Trump before they do him in that would be good, seeing as that's officially above board now.

[Bernanke]

Some of the interviews from dem reps today plus "the leaks" really makes it seem like they are laying the groundwork to move on from him.

[Manc]

The state of Boris. :D

[-james-]

Betting markets are increasingly convinced that Kamala is going to be the democratic nominee.

[Lewis]

Isn't that bit hasty when he was fine until the day before the debate? He might have just been off it that day.

[Pepe]

I thought he had a cold. Bit unfair to fire someone over a mild illness.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'd love to be wrong but Harris has far less chance against Trump even than the corpse of Joe Biden does.

[Ben]

I think the same. They need to push the whole team down the stairs.

[Lofty]

Could be a big brain move, Joe's toast regardless, Dems aren't going to win, get Kamala in to get annihilated at the polls and consign her to the political dustbin so she doesn't have a case to run again next time.

[niko_cee]

Any big brain move that ends up with President Trump has gone a bit wrong.

[Shindig]

Whilst all this has been going on, has Kamala said much to back up Biden?

[Bernanke]

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1809944158045339931

This really makes it feel like there's no going back. President Kamala for a few months and then back to Donny it is.

[Lewis]

All of the stories about journalists feeling duped by some White House cover-up have made me lol. Cover-up what, your eyes?

[niko_cee]

Big Joe B just introduced Zelensky as President Putin.

That should silence the doubters.

:face:

[Pepe]

:lol:

[Lewis]

Starmer saying he was 'on really good form' made me lol. Does anyone use that phrase for anything other than people with dementia?

[Shindig]

"Hello, Joseph. You look well. Doesn't he look well?"

[Yevrah]

All of the stories about journalists feeling duped by some White House cover-up have made me lol. Cover-up what, your eyes?

They’re still fucking doing it as well, citing his age being the problem, rather than the fact he’s, you know, clearly got dementia.

And then you get:

“Oh but Trump’s not all there mentally either”.

Have a day off.

[Ben]

Big Joe B just introduced Zelensky as President Putin.

That should silence the doubters.

:face:

Oh my word. :D

He's done.

[Yevrah]

Seen the 90 second odd video of his highlights of the day on BBC? :D

Absolutely tragic.

[Kikó]

I hope the democrats actually do the right thing and stop him running.

[Spikey M]

I see he also thinks Kamala Harris is Donald Trump.

1811564475167715403?t=dEIIxS6pDl8sbwW7KIkv7Q&s=19

I do love a shambles, but this is - let's say - not ideal, when the world is potentially on the brink of a world war.

[Magic]

The "I've gotta finish the job" bit sounds like you're taking over from packing his shopping because he's shit his pants.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Now that THE TORIES are out and we are once again a major centrist world power, it's probably time for us to put them into special measures. Maybe even assume caretaker presidency with our ambassador.

[Kikó]

I think Biden as the first black vice president needs to be cut some slack.

[Pepe]

https://i.redd.it/v3ks0uonmvbd1.jpeg

[Spikey M]

Jesus. There really is nobody home.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Macron with a keen eye for an older woman who might soon be going spare.

[Magic]

There's enough evidence without harmless, no context photos.