Fortify the Fortress on the Friday Political Open Thread

[Z is for Zangie]

Good Morning! Have fun with your Friday1

[Randi]

I don’t like FB at all. I have to have it because one of the ways we advertise listings uses local FB ads
I also And I have been told by other agents that they find clients that way.
Social media has its uses. It’s a great way to publicize local events. But it’s a source of so much misinformation and causes so much grief, is it worth it?

[Tarmaque]

Trump DC hotel incurred more than $70 million in losses while Trump was president, documents show

So either:
A) Trump and his family are really terrible at business, and/or
B) The emoluments clause doesn't apply because he lost money on the deal, and/or
C) They cooked the books to make it appear it lost money to avoid tax and criminal liability, or
D) All of the above.

I think that the whole thing was an attempt to make money off the Presidency, but the Trump family is so inept at basic corruption that it backfired on them.

Further, I have to wonder after decades of failed business dealings and dumb decisions why Deutsche Bank continues to have anything to do with the Trump family.

Donald's ego is his worst enemy. Over the period of time he was President his DC hotel lost millions, his overall personal wealth has fallen so much he's no longer one of Forbes' 400 richest Americans, his "personal brand" has lost value, and he's having to borrow money to cover business expenses. And yet, he still wants to be President again because it hurts his widdle ego so much to have lost.

List of Trump failures (Does not include Trump real estate or golf courses, because they are a mixed bag and tough to sort out.)
Trump steaks
Trump airlines
Trump beverages (includes all Trump booze)
Trump casinos
Trump magazine
Trump: the game
Trump university
Trump football (USFL)
Trump walking down a ramp unassisted
Trump closing an umbrella
Trump trying to hold Melania's hand
Trump Presidency.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

List of Trump failures (Does not include Trump real estate or golf courses, because they are a mixed bag and tough to sort out.)
Trump steaks
Trump airlines
Trump beverages (includes all Trump booze)
Trump casinos
Trump magazine
Trump: the game
Trump university
Trump football (USFL)
Trump walking down a ramp unassisted
Trump closing an umbrella
Trump trying to hold Melania's hand
Trump Presidency.

You forgot Trump composing a coherent sentence....

[Senor Natural]

I like FB, use it for 2 reasons, 1 being communication with family and a tight circle of friends, the other for a neighborhood communications page.
I have unfriended political folks, bigots, angry people, annoying people. Ads pop up but I delete them and block them.
The neighborhood page is good for neighborhood security, lost dogs, warnings of weather and downed tree events, notice of brush pick up, neighborhood gatherings. It has no ads, just neighbors.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

What I learned today debt ceiling addition...

1. Ted Cruz thinks the game "Chicken" Involves actual feathered animals. Teddy baby, its best if you don't try to pretend like you are a real boy. Thank you.

In the game of chicken, Chuck Schumer won this game of chicken as two trucks drove towards each other on a country road one or the other was going to turn or you were going to have a lot of dead chickens. I wish Republicans hadn`t blinked we shouldn`t have done that.

2. Chuck Schumer is a poor winner. Act like you've been there before Chuckie.

Republicans played a dangerous and risky partisan game, and I am glad that their brinksmanship did not work. For the good of America's families, for the good of our economy, Republicans must recognize in the future that they should approach fixing the debt limit in a bipartisan way.

3. Once again Manchin is the voice of reason. 2024?

I don't think it was appropriate at this time. I know Chuck's frustration has built up, but that was not the way to take it out. We just disagree. I would have done it differently.

4. How do you know Mitch "Da Turtle" McConnell is lying? I think we all know the answer. He got something out of this, I just don't know what. (Okay I already knew this one going in.)

The majority didn’t have a plan to prevent default. So we stepped forward

[Tarmaque]

You forgot Trump composing a coherent sentence....

Damn your anal retentive addiction to completeness.

[Tarmaque]

Biden declines Trump request to withhold White House records from Jan. 6 committee

Hoo-boy. I bet Trump's sphincter just puckered up a bit.

Not that I expect anything explosive to be revealed by these documents, but the very fact that Biden is releasing "Them all" is staggering. It basically says that the Biden administration thinks that the contents of those documents are more important than the protection of executive privilege for ex-Presidents. This could, in theory, open up his own administration to future Presidents looking to discredit his actions.

Personally I think the idea that "executive privilege" being extended to ex-Presidents is ludicrous. Once they're out of office their communications and records should be available to all relevant agencies and congressional oversight. The ex-President is no longer an executive, and therefore no longer has this privilege.

I'm actually very much on the fence of the utility of executive privilege at all.

[Z is for Zangie]

You forgot Trump composing a coherent sentence....

Damn your anal retentive addiction to completeness.

Kind of like your penchant to be pedantic about spelling errors, typos etc right? ...lol

[Tarmaque]

Kind of like your penchant to be pedantic about spelling errors, typos etc right? ...lol

Damn straight.

[Z is for Zangie]

Kind of like your penchant to be pedantic about spelling errors, typos etc right? ...lol

Damn straight.

[Z is for Zangie]

I never read my feed anymore on FB, I stopped in 2016, shortly after I found Discus and AA
I have it for two reasons, to keep in contact with people ( family and friends ) who refuse to communicate any other and way and to play my games and be connected to the game friends I play with. I don't read anyone but maybe Jim Wright, one of my favorite pundits...and once in a while a post from my HS classmates or a family member.

I only have to deal with politics from a friend from HS who is very Trumpy now and sends me Dan Bongino and other right-leaning grifters in messenger, and I just refuse to comment to keep the peace.

I think FB has good and bad parts.

I do miss some of my friends I used to talk to all the time, but, can't just mute the politics crap.

[Tarmaque]

I do miss some of my friends I used to talk to all the time, but, can't just mute the politics crap.

I used to be an active member of a motorcyclist community. Then a new company bought the forum and rolled it into their giant web of automotive forums, and all the old members fled and moved to Facebook. Now I have basically no contact with them. I have most of their emails, but it's not the same as interacting on a forum.

Lately I've been more involved with a Discus group called Groupthink which is primarily a bunch of women and a few guys who are refugees from Jezebel and Kinja. They're mostly nice people. Kinja and the various Gizmodo blogs that use it is really going to hell in a handbasket. I don't know why I even comment there anymore. Kinja itself is a disaster currently, and most of the really good editors and contributors have moved on.

[Z is for Zangie]

I do miss some of my friends I used to talk to all the time, but, can't just mute the politics crap.

I used to be an active member of a motorcyclist community. Then a new company bought the forum and rolled it into their giant web of automotive forums, and all the old members fled and moved to Facebook. Now I have basically no contact with them. I have most of their emails, but it's not the same as interacting on a forum.

Lately I've been more involved with a Discus group called Groupthink which is primarily a bunch of women and a few guys who are refugees from Jezebel and Kinja. They're mostly nice people. Kinja and the various Gizmodo blogs that use it is really going to hell in a handbasket. I don't know why I even comment there anymore. Kinja itself is a disaster currently, and most of the really good editors and contributors have moved on.

Is Jezebel having problems too or gone?

[Tarmaque]

Is Jezebel having problems too or gone?

Mostly problems with Kinja, their commenting system. It's all forked up. I'm also not happy with much of their reporting anymore. Lots of fluff, and lots of retreading of old news. Gizmodo is barely worth even reading the headlines, and Jalopnik is just awful. I gave up on The Root quite a while ago too.