Want to talk about the 2024 election? Possible candidates? Platforms? Predictions? Showing 801-850 of 1,997

[Papaphilly]

Graeme wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "Biden is running unless he dies. I am not paying much attention to the polls right now. Trump certainly sucks the oxygen out of the room. As Scout mentions, I just do not see him..."

It is not that I am disagreeing with you, but something to think about.

Hillary and Trump have this in common, their egos. Their hubris puts people off.

Also, everyone has their mind made up about them. There is no one undecided about either of them.

Trump has legal issues and I think the Mar-A-Lago case is going to be troublesome because that is going to hang him because there is no doubt he had the materials.

I also suspect between the never Trumpers and the Anti-Trumpers there may be enough votes to end him.

My dark horse policy is the abortion issue. Regardless where anyone of us stand, it is a hot topic button issue and dangerous for him. It is a winner for Democrats so far and Republicans have not figured out it is a death case for them.

[Scout]

J., just watching Hillary is excruciating for me. I understand that many people have the same reaction to Trump.

Well said, Graeme!

And Trump could learn something from Nikki Haley on the abortion issue. She said: "“As much as I’m pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice, and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life,” she said. “Let’s find consensus. … We don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore.”

[[deleted user]]

RFK Jr (and pleasingly the MSM) highlighting an issue that matters:

https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/s...

[Graeme]

Biden still tanking in the polls.

REF: https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-inst...

[Papaphilly]

Graeme wrote: "Biden still tanking in the polls.

REF: https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-inst..."

It is a year out. Polls mean nothing for Joe. Democrats have two big issues, Trump and abortion. Trump will galvanize the opposition and abortion is going to be the gift that keeps giving for the Democrats until the Republicans learn.

[J.]

Polls aren't completely meaningless this far out. They can impact the whales' generosity.

[Graeme]

As I said in MSG 808 above.

The DNC are working hard to put Trump in the Whitehouse.

REF: https://twitter.com/FrankLuntz/status...

I've not seen a political campaign this self destructive since Hillary's famous lets-insult-the-voters 'deplorables,' comment in 2016.

The DNC is martyring Trump, is increasing his support, and in the process of putting him in the Whitehouse, and when it happens they'll blame everyone else and start rioting.

It's clear to me that the democratic establishment is so filled with self-righteous hubris they can't grasp for a second how counterproductive they are.

Hubris begets Nemesis.

[Papaphilly]

Graeme wrote: "As I said in MSG 808 above.

The DNC are working hard to put Trump in the Whitehouse.

REF: https://twitter.com/FrankLuntz/status...

I've not seen a political campaign this self d..."

This is the game they both play.

[[deleted user]]

RFK Jr, one of the heroes of modern America, issues a stark warning on the back of the Colorado ruling:

https://www-foxnews-com.cdn.ampprojec...

If Trump is kept out of office by judicial fiat, rather than being defeated in a fair election, the US will become ungovernable.

[Graeme]

Beau wrote: "RFK Jr, one of the heroes of modern America, issues a stark warning on the back of the Colorado ruling:

https://www-foxnews-com.cdn.ampprojec...-..."

I agree Beau.

Approx. 1M people in Colorado voted for Trump in 2020, and this is an attempt to disenfranchise those people.

Fortunately, this is only about the GOP primary, and the GOP have already stated they will simply run a caucus process with Trump on the ticket.

In any event, this should go to the US Supreme Court, who will hopefully make a unanimous (non-partisan) ruling in support of the US constitution and US legal precent where the 14th amendment does not apply to elected officials, and hence can't be used against anyone running for elected office.

[J.]

There are now four states, including my home state, in which the Democrats have decided to rubber stamp Uncle Joe instead of giving their members choices in primaries.
https://youtu.be/W2HuTv7u0KQ?si=wLD_i...

[[deleted user]]

None of us know what's going through the upper echelons of the DNC/ deep state's minds, so, as normal people, without access to full evidence, we can only pontificate...

Based on this bizarre anti-democratic behaviour, they are clearly very frightened of Trump. He's clearly going to put a spanner in the works of their grand plan for a technocratic, totalitarian one-Western-world government, isn't he?

I was wrong - he isn't paid opposition, he's a genuine outsider.

When he was elected first time out, Brexit happened, and populism became the order of the day, the DNC deep state globalist cabal panicked, lashed out and tried accelerate their goals through their response to covid, zero carbon, and various other bizarre policies.

But now, their vision is under even greater threat. Instead of a nieve Trump getting elected for the first time, he's promising to actually come after them and they're seriously panicking, even trying to undermine the democratic process itself to stop him.

Expect fireworks. The end game is in sight.

[[deleted user]]

Group members, if any of you are scratching your heads at my last post, you need to consider this...

Some people will explain things to you purely through what they call "facts'. These 'facts' might consist of evidence shown in courts, statistics, politicians' statements and articles in the MSM.

All of the above are what the movers and shakers of this world want you to know. And ONLY what THEY want you to know. At best, they are a partial glimpse into what is really going on.

Come on, you didn't think the people who rule this world were going to share ALL their knowledge, secrets and goals with you, did you?

It's not for me to say what's really happening in the corridors of power because I don't know. I'm just a simple guy from Main Street (UK version). But what I can tell you is this...

If you want to understand the world we live in and see beyond the so-called 'facts', you need to recognise that all these politicians, lawyers and journalists have their own agendas. Therefore, you need to observe events around you for yourself, taking other people's input with a pinch of salt, and then ask yourself life's key question...

Cui bono (who gains)?

Once you apply this question to life's contentious issues, use your gut instincts and apply cold, hard logic to join up the dots, you will come far closer to seeing the truth.

[Graeme]

Beau wrote: "Group members, if any of you are scratching your heads at my last post, you need to consider this...

Some people will explain things to you purely through what they call "facts'. These 'facts' mig..."

Well said, Beau.

I liken the challenge we all face to a process of interpreting a shadow play on the wall.

We can see the shadows (conseqeunces) but it's very difficult to grasp the true shape of what is causing the shadows, and the agendas therein.

[Graeme]

Beau wrote: "I was wrong - he isn't paid opposition, he's a genuine outsider...."

A flawed outsider.

Hence why I think his running mate is so important. He needs someone with him who is also an outsider, and who covers his flaws.

A Trump/RFK-Jr ticket would be a dream team - but I just can't see that happening.

[J.]

The Parable of the Cave is not a great comfort when dealing with those who are bound heart and soul to their teams' bs.

[Graeme]

J. wrote: "The Parable of the Cave is not a great comfort when dealing with those who are bound heart and soul to their teams' bs."

Indeed, J.

[[deleted user]]

Graeme and Plato explain it far more eloquently than I do but it amounts to the same thing.

I genuinely think RFK Jr is a better leader than Trump. He's more thoughtful, a better communicator, and generally a more well-rounded individual. That said, they would make a great team. Either of them backed by the delectable Ms Tulsi Gabbard would also represent a dream ticket.

As I know President Trump often reads this thread over his coffee and croissants, my one piece of respectful advice to him is this...

Do not pick Ramaswamy as a running mate!

This man is a fool. He's a loose cannon, who will bring out the worst in you. Other than that, you're good to go.

Btw, forgot to comment on J's point about Trump confronting Epstein and offering to testify against him. I always knew Trump wasn't tied up in that sordid affair.

Although he sometimes says ungentlemanly things about women, he clearly fancies himself as a bit of a lad (and has the success to back this up). He was never going to be calling upon underage sex slaves. That's more of a progressive DNC thing.

Talking of which, any further news on the Pelosi house intruder story? There were rumours he was a rentboy, hired by Mr Pelosi. Have these rumours been proven, disproven, or has the story just gone quiet?

[Nik]

With all second guessing behind the scenes agendas and act, it's more important to treat the known and seen as it deserves using your own moral compass. The unknown is unknown, you can't ignore the known or give it a different judgement just because something might not be known. An atrocity is still an atrocity, its known initiator is still a piece of shit, an idiot is an idiot and so on... If you want to distort for yourself a worldview allowing for unknown conspiracies is the way to go.

[[deleted user]]

That's true, Nik, but the known has to add up as being logical. When it doesn't, particularly when people who question it are silenced, that is when we need to start considering the unknown.

If the unknown/ 'conspiracy theories' are off the mark, they should be easy to discredit. Sadly, far too often, they aren't.

Members who read my posts will often see me do u-turns and change tack on things. This is because, deep down, I'm a conventional person who likes to see the best in people and takes them at face value. However, when their statements/ arguments don't add up, I start to think about the unknown/ 'conspiracy theories' in search of answers.

It's a constant battle - a default conventional mindset vs a dislike of being lied to.

I would like to ignore politics - it'd make life easier. Unfortunately, taking an interest in it can be rather addictive.

[Nik]

I think it's a fair attitude, doubting things that don't add up, as well as changing an opinion when an unknown becomes known and is so significant as to influence the entire perspective.

[Graeme]

The label 'conspiracy theory,' is a rhetorical tactic to mark any non-authoritative narrative.

The function of the label is to bypass the reasoning process to incite a defenseless emotional response resulting in the discarding of the selected narrative by the target audience.

This is an example of classic marketing technique which is also used in psyops because it works quite well.

It fails to work when it is understood by the audience.

Tactical knowledge provides innoculation against cognitive attack.

[Graeme]

J. wrote: "There are now four states, including my home state, in which the Democrats have decided to rubber stamp Uncle Joe instead of giving their members choices in primaries.
https://youtu.be/W2HuTv7u0KQ?..."

"All voters must be disenfranchised to save democracy!"

And so it plays out. The DNC will continue to remove the caucus system, disenfranchising their own voters, until they are in a position to parachute in their candidate of choice to replace an ailing Biden who will retire for health reasons.

It will be spun as a necessary and urgent compassionate step to defeat the present evil of a Trump presidency.

[J.]

Conspiracy theories?

Shortly before I was born, the Church Committee publicly acknowledged the existence of MK Ultra.

When I was a boy, Oliver North went down for Iran-Contra.

When I was a teenager, the president had to apologize for the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments. That same president oversaw the immolation of women and children in Waco.

In my twenties, we were saddled with the Patriot Act while Liz Cheney's daddy made all of his rich friends richer by killing thousands of people.

In my thirties, the banks nearly destroyed the economy, and were rewarded with trillions of our tax dollars while the only ones who went to prison were the ones who had defrauded rich people.

In my forties, dozens of intelligence insiders locked ranks to lie to the American people about Hunter Biden's laptop, and the bulk of the press and tech sectors helped them.

Shouting "Conspiracy Theory" as an appeal to incredulity proves that you haven't been paying attention.

[Graeme]

J. wrote: "Shouting "Conspiracy Theory" as an appeal to incredulity proves that you haven't been paying attention...."

The Shadowstone Psyops division endorses the method...

[Nik]

Good to pay attention, indeed :)
In the informational era it becomes ever harder to keep conspiracies secret. Many (appalling) things lie in the open and as such can hardly conform a definition.

[Nik]

I'll give some examples along the lines of our discussions:
It wouldn't matter if even Biden implored putler to attack Ukraine or whatever else happened in the background that we don't know - putler was ultimately responsible for giving an order to invade Ukraine and bears the brunt of few hundred thousand ppl dead. On the other hand, when medvedev replaced putler some time ago we still knew he was a puppet and putler remained a handler.
Where it becomes harder to discern - is a myriad of false pretexts putler invents to justify the unjustifiable. Those who aren't familiar with the details, can easily "buy" their false reality.
It doesn't matter who and what advised saddam, he was the one who invaded Kuwait, even if Rumsfeld was rubbing his hands in excitement.
Whatever consultants advised Yeltsin, the decisions and responsibility were his.
Boris Johnson might've been spectacularly convincing, but it was Zelensky who was to decide which course of action to follow.
Whatever conspirers are at the background, those holding formal levers of power can either play along or choose their own course of action, so they are always to hold accountable even though there may be more ppl involved. We see how Belarus dictator, totally dependent on putler for his physical survival even, still manages to steer clear of being involved in the war.
Having said that, I support J.'s call to pay attention as there is a lot of hidden and open stuff going on, which has an impact on general public and its perception of the events.

[Graeme]

Nik wrote: "Good to pay attention, indeed :)
In the informational era it becomes ever harder to keep conspiracies secret. Many (appalling) things lie in the open and as such can hardly conform a definition."

All successful conspiracies remain secret and only the results are visible and remain attributed to plausible, but false causes.

[J.]

Graeme wrote: "All successful conspiracies remain secret and only the results are visible and remain attributed to plausible, but false causes."

That's not necessarily true. The cabal which overthrew the crown's rule in the American colonies are now celebrated as our founding fathers.

[Graeme]

J. wrote: "Graeme wrote: "All successful conspiracies remain secret and only the results are visible and remain attributed to plausible, but false causes."

That's not necessarily true. The canal which overth..."

Indded, J. An excellent corner case.

If the original conspirators succeed and are able to come out in the open, they may reveal and celebrate their conspiracies.

[Graeme]

The corporate-state media (CNN in this instance) have just been caught deliberately misleading their viewers regarding RFK-Jr.

A classic example of deliberate mis-framing a speech to shift the meaning into a lie to then shame the (noted outsider) speaker.

REF (5 minutes of video): https://twitter.com/ChristianM_74/sta...

[Graeme]

Mike wrote: "The world is in $300 trillion dollars debt to someone unknown. That is $37,000 per human..."

It enables a bankruptcy debt for equity swap where the creditors will own everything and the rest of us will 'own nothing and be happy.'

[Graeme]

Interesting.

"A new national study by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia reveals a stunning number of Americans endorsing policies that could challenge the U.S. Constitution, even as a majority express a preference for democracy over other forms of governance. "

REF: https://centerforpolitics.org/crystal...

Well, if Western Civilization continues to undermine core values: human rights (Freedom of Speech, Association, Movement, Privacy, etc), Rule of Law, Individual liberty, etc, then it should come as no surprise that there are growing numbers who view our current methods and forms of governance to be indefensible.

One can only hope for sanity to prevail.

[J.]

I live in a nation in which people who have never read our constitution constantly proclaim what is or isn't in our constitution. We're screwed.

[Scout]

I've always been the conspiracy theorist here. Good to see my position defended. Conspiracies do, in fact, exist. Calling something a conspiracy theory has been the best way for conspirators to deflect attention from what's really happening.

[Graeme]

Scout wrote: "I've always been the conspiracy theorist here. Good to see my position defended. Conspiracies do, in fact, exist. Calling something a conspiracy theory has been the best way for conspirators to def..."

Indeed, Scout.

[Scout]

I re-read 1984 last year. Our freedom of speech is still protected by the First Amendment, although there have been serious challenges to those rights by social media and supported by our government. That doesn't mean that what we say online isn't monitored. Assume that it is. And what about the things we say in the privacy of our homes? If you have Alexa or something similar, it's always listening. I've tried to disable it on my iPhone and have had no luck. People are inviting surveillance into their homes willingly - or in my case unwillingly. Any thoughts on that?

[Graeme]

Scout wrote: "I re-read 1984 last year. Our freedom of speech is still protected by the First Amendment, although there have been serious challenges to those rights by social media and supported by our governmen..."

The US Bill of Rights is under attack by those who would destory all human rights and install tyranny in place of the Republic.

[J.]

Graeme wrote: "The US Bill of Rights is under attack by those who would destory all human rights and install tyranny in place of the Republic."

Pretty much.

Davos Elites Warn That Disinformation Is an Existential Threat to Their Influence
https://reason.com/2023/01/18/davos-w...

For a little more context to the above linked article, Brian Stelter was one of the loudest voices screaming that Hunter's laptop was Russian disinformation.

[Graeme]

The US constitution, and associated Bill of Rights, along with the New Testament encode the native value and dignity of us all - hence why both the US constitution and Christainity are targeted for destruction by those who would rule, oppress, and exploit us in perpetuity.

[Nik]

I think some forces in our systems understood that it's much easier to invoke basic even animalistic instincts and garner broad support than sell a good mannered and enlightened behavior that they themselves struggle to maintain. Hence the shift, which eventually may end up in a rather vile societal ambience..

[Papaphilly]

Graeme wrote: "The US constitution, and associated Bill of Rights, along with the New Testament encode the native value and dignity of us all - hence why both the US constitution and Christainity are targeted for..."

For the record, The Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution and not associated.

The other part (which tends to be forgotten) is that Christianity is not an official religion of the United States. It is one of a number of religions practiced here and has no more or less rights than any other recognized religion. Any religion can be and is used for both ill and good.

[Papaphilly]

Wow! I take a few days off and you guys go wild. So let me just start with not everything labeled a conspiracy is a conspiracy. I am of course much more bullish than it seems the rest of you when it comes to Western Society and the United States directly. It is not that I am not worried, but much less than everyone else it seems.

[Graeme]

Papaphilly wrote: "For the record, The Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution and not associated.

The other part (which tends to be forgotten) is that Christianity is not an official religion of the United States. ..."

Indeed, Papaphilly.

I stand corrected. Yes, the Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution. It's a pity its been under sweeping attack for over a century.

The Patriot Act drove a truck through the 4th Amendment after 9/11. There are constant attacks on the 1st and 2nd amendments today. But all that stands in the shade of what has been done in the past.

The existence of the US Federal reserve and the fiat US Dollar is a direct violation of Article 1, Section 10, and hence unlawful, and should have been struck down by the US Supreme Court back in 1913/14 when they were put into place.

"Section. 10.
No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

REF: https://www.archives.gov/founding-doc... "

[1] None of the US states are legally entitled to use anything other than gold or silver for the payment of debt.

Furthermore, Article 1, section 8 explicitly enumerates the powers of congress.

"To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

REF: https://www.archives.gov/founding-doc..."

[2] The congress has the explicit responsibility to coin money.

Given point [1] above, Money has to be based on Gold and Silver as the only enumerated lawful forms.

The fact that the US government has delegated the definition and value of money away from congress to a privately-owned bank to produce a privately owned corporate script that they can print on a whim is an abomination against the rule of law as articulated in the US constitution.

The US constitution and the Bill of Rights by defining and operating a constrained government under the rule of law is a living revolutionary object, as revolutionary today as it was at conception.

All attacks against the US consititution and it's spirit of constrained authority, the rule of law, and a society of free people are attacks against the lawful community of free peoples everywhere.

As for Christianity, obviously it's not a state religion. However, its core call to treat everyone with kindness and dignity is incompatiable with tyranny. Hence, why tyrants attack it.

[Papaphilly]

OK,

This is going to be tough.

Let us get the easy things out of the way. Not an issue about the Bill of Rights, I cannot tell you haw many times I have had this conversation. You would be surprised how many people "know" they are one int he same and yet, refer to them as separate. It is a pet peeve of mine. I only point it out to you because I know you are not an American and may not know. An educational point if you will.

As for the religion, Tyrants will attack any religion they think will challenge their power.

Now the hard part

First: The Federal Reserve is Constitutional.

It is a very sore point for many and the argument can be very heated. Usually the argument is much like you make. Not in the Constitution or not enumerated. Generally an Originalist argument. The following link is a great argument using the Originalist argument for the Federal Reserve.

https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndlr/v...

Second: The Supreme Court ruled on this in 1819. It was McCullough v. Maryland. It is one of the landmark cases of our country. It is where the Necessary and Proper Clause was first used.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/neces...

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/e-l...

Your siting is used quite frequently. It is flawed. When you read the Section 10, it notes "The State" may not. It does not say the Federal Government may not.

Section 8 as you noted gives the Federal Government the right to coin money. It does not say gold or silver. It says only the State may not make anything but gold or silver as bill payment. This means in very plain English, they may not make up their own form of payment. Yet the Necessary and Proper Clause gives the Fed the right to mint coinage and that can be paper, which in the end it is. It also give the Feds the right to accept this as payment.

The Cato institute, a prestigious think tank has long argued this meant gold or sliver for the Federal Government too. Their argument For many years the United States had a gold standard and it was universally understood to be such. It is the Penumbra argument or even the Necessary and Proper clause as to be understood if not enumerated. There are very good arguments made by both sides.

https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/f...

http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/essays/gene...

https://constitution.congress.gov/bro...

[Graeme]

Papaphilly wrote: "Your siting is used quite frequently. It is flawed. When you read the Section 10, it notes "The State" may not. It does not say the Federal Government may not...."

I'm crystal clear that this was about the states. The states are forbidden by the constitution from using money other than gold or silver to settle debts.

Yes, the congress could decide to issue a different form of money, but the states would be disallowed by the constitution from using it, rendering the issuing of a different form of money at best a very odd activity ...

[Graeme]

I'll need time to digest the rest of your comment to do it justice, P.

(Like Arnie...) I'll be back.

[Nik]

The thing with legal systems - if a court says something is legal even through a series of breakneck equilibristic then it's deemed legal until overturned by a higher or same instance or enacted otherwise by the legislator, which legislation can be again subject to a constitutionality review by the court. The Fed Reserve is cleverly devised to mute its private ownership to 12 regional branches, which then operate the most powerful tool in economic dimension. That's Atlanta random example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal... Hardly a good idea, which needs to be tackled on a congressional level, which may never happen

[Papaphilly]

Graeme wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "Your siting is used quite frequently. It is flawed. When you read the Section 10, it notes "The State" may not. It does not say the Federal Government may not...."

I'm crystal c..."

It is about not letting them use their "own" money. So I cannot pay my debt with "New Jersey" Dollars as compared to Federal Money (dollars). Think about it more as barter than actual money and it may more sense.

[Papaphilly]

Graeme wrote: "I'll need time to digest the rest of your comment to do it justice, P.

(Like Arnie...) I'll be back."

Take all of the time you need. But first, understand both sides make great arguments and I am not discounting the other side as nuts. It is a debate men of character may disagree.