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![]() My father had a magnet on his refrigerator that said, “Stop GOP Lies”. The GOP is noted for false statements. But their falsehoods are dwarfed by the true danger to democracy, Donald. Trump told well over thirty thousand documented lies during his presidency. At first the press dismissed his outright lying as exaggeration or stretching the truth, or inaccuracies. This careful wording succumbed to deliberate lies as Trump’s utter mendacity exceeded all rational boundaries. Bush lies about WMDs were reported breathlessly at first, and later as claims absent compelling evidence. It proved impossible to be so demur with Donald, whose lies became legion. I’m not going to use this thread to document the thirty thousand whoppers forked clapper hissed in Parseltongue, save a few if the most egregious—such as the Big Lie, but instead will focus on his recent campaign lies. I will begin with the Haitian pet dinner lie. This lie provoked over forty bomb threats in the Springfield community, shutting down public schools multiple times and the local hospital once. It created unnecessary turmoil in legal Haitian communities not only in Springfield, but elsewhere as well. The lie fostered a lot of hate and bigotry. The missing cat, Miss Sassy, was found hiding in the owner’s basement. Despite this, Trump co it use pushing his hateful, harmful lie, while Vance insists making up stories to promote hatred and division so long as it helps propel their campaign is perfectly acceptable. Vance is not the first Republican to suggest lying is fine. Trump/Vance strategy in lying: www.theguardian.com Trump was aware the immigrant pet story was false prior to the debate, which is why moderators were so quick to fact check him over the lie. www.cnn.com JD defends lying: www.cnn.com Creating stories: www.theguardian.com In trying to find the link where Rand Paul (AIR) d3fended lying, I ran across George Santos and scads more links on JD Vance. But lying should only rarely be used, and NEVER for personal gain. The only lies I ever told I never regretted (or regretted NOT telling) were to protect others. As an example, I was doing my homework in fourth grade when a girl in the adjacent aisle poked me with her pencil. I yelped, and the teacher who was helping a student across the room asked me what was wrong. I ratted out the girl, and forever wished I had instead wisely said, “I am so sorry for disturbing the class, I accidentally poked myself with my pencil…” and lived with whatever punishment she chose to dole out. I would have been a hero in the eyes of a girl I had no reason or desire to impress, and a worthy example to the other students. It never occurred to me to tell this lie until much time later. But that is a trivial example of the kind of lie that springs immediately to mind to any genuine leader. Not the self serving, transparent lies dished up by Trump like cold gruel spoiled by listeria and fecal escherichia coli. |
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![]() In question after question, Harris took hard, focused, and effective swipes at an increasingly agitated Trump. Increasingly rattled, Trump’s voice sped up, louder and louder until he was yelling into his microphone, sounding hysterical, repeating lies like “after birth abortions”—provoking a rare fact-check from the moderators. In fact, more than one. “I’m not in favor of an abortion ban,” Trump barked, which will set off the right wing after he flopped all over the place on whether he’d vote for the Florida ballot initiative legalizing abortion in the state. (Trump ultimately said he will vote against abortion rights in his state.) He said he didn’t talk to his vice presidential nominee, which doesn’t speak well for either him, Sen. JD Vance, or the ticket overall. Then he claimed he has been a “leader” on IVF, which will further enrage his evangelical foot soldiers. Harris hit Trump for sabotaging the bipartisan immigration deal in Congress, and then mocked him for his boring rallies, inviting viewers to actually attend a Trump rally to see for themselves for his nonsense. Trump took the bait, saying crazy things like “Harris pays people for her rallies”—something easily disproved by the eye test. Moderators couldn’t help but offer a forceful and repeated fact check when he insisted the racist lie that “Haitians are eating dogs and cats”—pushed by his own running mate—is real. Harris burst out laughing. It was next-level unhinged, and will almost certainly feature prominently in post-debate clips. Trump also attacked the FBI; claimed he was shot because of Democrats, even though his assailant was a registered Republican; insisted Democrats are a threat to democracy; cried that he wasn’t given enough credit for his disastrous COVID response; sputtered Harris is “against the defund the police”; claimed solar farms are a problem because they take desert soil; demanded all sorts of people be prosecuted; claimed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was supposed to bring in the National Guard during his Jan. 6 insurrection; claimed that it was a good thing that Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban is called a “strongman”; yelled “our country has gone to hell” and that he could’ve “let [the country] rot”; and flubbed the name of the top Taliban leader—and flubbed it confidently wrong. He claimed in nearly every answer that the Biden-Harris administration was the worst in the history of the world. His sophomoric hyperbole doesn’t play in his own rallies anymore, and it certainly wasn’t playing Tuesday night. It was repetitive, rote, tedious, and boring. And for all the media hysteria about Harris’ policy plans, when asked by moderators about Trump’s Obamacare replacement plan, it was clear he had none. Pressed for a plan, he stuttered, "I have concepts of a plan." In a just world, Trump’s utter inability to have an answer should be the end of his charmed media coverage and campaign. Meanwhile, Harris seemed to be having fun, getting Trump on the ropes and keeping him there. "Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people," she quipped, sticking the shiv in. "Clearly, he is having a very difficult time processing that.” She ignored his attacks (beyond laughing or looking on bemused—fertile territory for a million TikToks). And by ignoring his attacks and launching her own, Trump couldn’t help but take the bait every single time. She landed hits on his crowd obsession, his anti-choice record, and his love for dictators. “It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on Day One,” she said. She slammed his desire to give up Ukraine to Russia. “If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv,” she said. “Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe, starting with Poland.” She was human, with personal anecdotes and heartfelt appeals to her work for the American people—a stark contrast to shouting, angry Trump. And she landed perhaps the best blow of the night when she asked people to pay attention to Trump’s rallies, and how he never talks about what he will do for voters, focused instead on conspiracy theories and personal grievances. Or was it her brilliant soliloquy on Trump’s history of divisive racism? [No, it was his focus on conspiracies and woe-is-me whining over what he can do for his non billionaire constituents.] Trump never made eye contact with Harris. Meanwhile, Harris would look right at Trump when ripping him apart. That, in itself, was as much a power move as her initial handshake. The moderators, David Muir from "World News Tonight" and ABC News anchor Linsey Davis, were perfect. No nonsense. They followed up when Trump wouldn’t answer a question. They fact-checked Trump’s nonsense multiple times, on everything from abortion to the 2020 election. Believe it or not, the first debate between Trump and President Joe Biden barely budged poll numbers. The pre-debate narrative was “Trump lies and Biden is old,” and that’s exactly what people saw. It was baked in. For this debate, it was “Trump lies and Harris doesn’t have any ideas.” And yes, people saw Trump lie, but they also saw him lose his composure, spittle flying as he screamed about dogs and cats getting eaten and other nutso conspiracies. As for Harris, they saw her in prosecutor mode, knowing her shit, and dominating Trump. She began the night with a power move handshake, and she ended it with another one: [A call for a second debate.] Will it move numbers? Who knows? Voters are weird. But if conservatives truly do hate weakness, they will be profoundly shook at how weak, small, and old Trump looked Tuesday. As of now, they’re trying to blame the moderators. End quote from Daily Kos. |
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![]() Donald says Kamala was provided with the questions beforehand, but the lie here is that everyone was well aware what the questions were going to be. What are the campaign issues? Immigration. The economy. Abortion access. My God, I don’t even need to look them up. Every person with a heartbeat who cast a ballot in the last election knows what the issues are. Donald just chose to wing it, putting his faith and trust in the power of Adderall and Mydayis. Kamala prepped for the debate with a Groper impersonator who took the trouble to deck out in blue suit and embarrassingly long red tie. I’m pretty sure she even practiced the power handshake and the “My name is pronounced…” line. Donald though bloviating bluster would win the day. He was up against a powerful prosecutor who rose to the rank of California State Attorney General, and from there to the Senate. She is a brilliant orator, and unlike Donald won’t be a sock puppet for every third world dictator on the planet. |
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![]() Which reminds me of Zorro's favourite pigeon. |
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![]() www.nbcnews.com newrepublic.com www.washingtonpost.com Donald said this horrible thing at an antisemitic event. www.cnn.com |
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![]() Nearly four years into President Trump’s tenure, it seems indisputable that he is the most corrupt president in American history. But with the near constant acts of corruption coming from the Trump administration, it is often hard to keep track or maintain perspective. CREW has not only exposed many of these offenses, but also provided vital legal analysis and research to pursue accountability for the president and his allies. Below is a brief summary of some of the most consequential categories and instances of corruption we have seen from this president and his administration. President Trump’s most egregious transgressions have come from his abuse of his office in order to maintain his grip on political power. This conduct, typified by Trump’s attempt to strong-arm Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, including by tying the demand for that announcement to an important diplomatic meeting and to essential military aid, led to Trump’s impeachment in the House and bipartisan repudiation in the Senate. Trump’s corrupt and destabilizing use of government power and authority to maintain power have escalated as he faces re-election in 2020, manifesting in numerous legal violations and scandals across the government, including misuse of the US Postal Service to undermine voting by mail and new concerns that Trump is pressuring the Food & Drug Administration to approve a COVID-19 vaccine before it’s ready in order to claim victory over the virus ahead of Election Day. These abuses include: Crimes Committed in Connection with Ukraine Abuses: In December 2019, CREW released a report documenting compelling evidence that President Trump likely committed several crimes in his Ukraine conduct for which ordinary Americans could be prosecuted and punished. CREW’s analysis found that those crimes include: Bribery (18 U.S.C. § 201); Soliciting foreign campaign contributions (52 U.S.C. §§ 30109, 30121); Coercion of political activity (18 U.S.C. § 610); Misappropriation of federal funds (18 U.S.C. § 641); and Obstruction of Congress (18 U.S.C. §§ 1505, 1512). Mounting Hatch Act Violations: The Office of Special Counsel has found at least 13 senior Trump aides to have violated the Hatch Act by using their official position for partisan politics, including 11 as a result of CREW complaints. In 2019, following multiple complaints by CREW, the Office of Special Counsel took the unprecedented step of recommending that Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway be removed from public service for egregious and repeated violation of the Hatch Act. As we get closer and closer to Election Day, the president and his staff have stepped up their mixing of official government functions with campaign-style events including during the Republican National Convention, which resulted in almost 20 Hatch Act violations and a formal complaint to the Office of Special Counsel. Trump has also abused government agencies like the National Park Service for its fireworks display during the RNC and its propaganda videos promoting Trump. Attacks on the Postal Service and Voting by Mail: For several years now, President Trump has trafficked in conspiracy theories about voting by mail and expressed fear that it would harm his electoral prospects. In June, Trump mega-donor Louis DeJoy was installed as postmaster general, and he immediately began taking steps to undermine voting by mail. CREW has been ahead of the curve in pointing out the risks of DeJoy’s political and financial conflicts of interest to the USPS and to voting by mail, including in the national media, congressional hearings, and by filing civil and criminal complaints as well as lawsuits to expose and oppose DeJoy’s corruption. Using Government Office for Personal Financial Benefit Among the hallmarks of the Trump presidency are his sheer indifference to the impropriety of his actions, particularly relating to his brand and businesses, and his clear interest in using the presidency for his own personal and financial benefit. He broke more than 40 years of precedent when he refused to divest from his assets upon taking office, and has been raking in personal profits from his hotels, golf courses, resorts, and various other ventures ever since. Rather than avoiding potential conflicts of interest between his public office and private businesses, Trump has instead doubled down, insisting on staying at his own hotels on official trips, hosting government events and special interest meetings on his properties, and even suggesting world leaders conduct their summit at his golf course. These abuses include: Emoluments Clause Violations: Even before Trump took office, CREW began its push for transparency about the government’s understanding of the unique constitutional emoluments violations created by Trump’s refusal to divest his business holdings. On January 22, 2017, CREW filed suit against Trump for violating the Constitution by illegally receiving payments from foreign and domestic governments, including through guests and events at his hotels, leases in his buildings, and eventually the federal government’s improper decision to let him maintain his lease of the Old Post Office for his DC hotel. DC and Maryland filed a separate suit against Trump on June 12, 2017 for foreign and domestic emoluments violations. While both cases were initially dismissed for lack of standing, CREW won its appeal in the Second Circuit in September 2019, and the court in 2020 refused to rehear the appeal en banc. DC and Maryland won an en banc appeal in the Fourth Circuit in May 2020. Trump has filed a petition of certiorari, and the cases may be heard by the Supreme Court. Conflicts of Interest: As of September 14, 2020, CREW has documented more than three thousand instances of Trump’s conflicts of interest since day one of his administration. These conflicts stem from his refusal to divest from his businesses when he took office, creating an unprecedented and ongoing stream of unethical behavior. There have been more than two thousand visits to Trump properties by government officials, most recently during the Republican National Convention where Trump Tower acted as de facto GOP headquarters. Countless special interest groups have hosted events at Trump hotels, possibly to buy their way to the president’s ear. Trump’s business deals abroad have also raised doubts time and time again about his interactions with foreign governments, such as when he visited two countries where he has business ties on his first overseas trip as president. It is impossible to overstate the problematic nature of these occurrences. Every time a government official visits a Trump resort, or when an event is held on Trump properties, or when foreign trademarks are granted to Trump brands, there exists a conflict between Trump’s duty to the American public and his own business and financial interests. Indeed, CREW has documented 24 government policies and actions under this administration that specifically appear to benefit the Trump businesses. Hosting the G-7 at His Own Resort: On October 17, 2019, the Trump administration officially announced its intention to hold the June 2020 G-7 Summit at the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort after first floating the idea in previous months. When confronted with Trump’s flagrant attempt to use the power of his office to benefit his struggling business, CREW sprang into action, requesting records and an inspector general investigation when reports of his conflict first became known. After the official announcement, CREW immediately sued the State Department and Department of Homeland Security for documents related to the decision to host the Summit at the Doral resort and hit hard in the press. After days of intense public outrage and bipartisan backlash, Trump reversed his stance on October 20. This rare and abrupt retraction from the Trump administration exemplifies the power of public opinion and mobilization in fighting to keep the government accountable and ethical. There is more… www.citizensforethics.org |
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![]() But that claim contradicts findings from the House committee investigating Jan. 6, which was told by Trump administration Defense Secretary Christopher Miller that Trump never ordered troop deployments. President Trump had authority and responsibility to direct deployment of the National Guard in the District of Columbia, but never gave any order to deploy the National Guard on January 6th or on any other day,” the Pentagon report reads. “Nor did he instruct any Federal law enforcement agency to assist.” Patel’s testimony also goes against findings by the House Jan. 6 committee, where Miller testified that an order to prepare at least 10,000 National Guard troops was never made. End quote. thehill.com Patel is a liar. |
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![]() During the campaign, President-elect Donald J. Trump swore he had “nothing to do with” a right-wing policy blueprint known as Project 2025 that would overhaul the federal government, even though many of those involved in developing the plans were his allies. Mr. Trump even described many of the policy goals as “absolutely ridiculous.” And during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he said he was “not going to read it.” Now, as he plans his agenda for his return to the White House, Mr. Trump has recruited at least a half dozen architects and supporters of the plan to oversee key issues, including the federal budget, intelligence gathering and his promised plans for mass deportations. The shift, his critics say, is not exactly a surprise. Mr. Trump disavowed the 900-page manifesto when polls showed it was extremely unpopular with voters. Now that he has won a second term, they say, he appears to be brushing those concerns aside. |
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![]() As for lying, it was explained Groper does this to establish dominance. He controls the truth. It doesn’t so a power move, exercised by despots to demonstrate their lack of constraint to any norm. This is why MAGAts are content with the lies, and reject accountability. They side with evil and corruption as they view this as further evidence for the moral rightness of their cause. |
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![]() Maths is your friend. |
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dmaestro 27-Jan-25, 13:22 |
![]() When I say we are just too different and perception rules over fact I mean it and data supports that. The idea that securing dogs in trucks given the factually known risks is an affront to liberty as claimed by thumper shows clearly our values are too different. Why we would subject ourselves to their rule under a failed union and whatever they say it is Constitution as if they would somehow see the light is the elephant in the room. |
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![]() 11.5k ReTruths 55.9k Likes Jun 15, 2025 at 6:41 AM |
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![]() 2. When the sun rises in the morning, it's because I make it so. When it sets, it's because there are too many rapists and drug dealers invading our borders. But I'm working on it. |
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![]() Vote for me in 2028 to create eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. The sun will never again rise on our despised enemies—the EU. |
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![]() My recollections are slightly hazy here, but I believe that there was at least one occasion where he referenced the 24 hours to his being sworn in, or words to that effect. It might have been something like "When I become President I'll end that war within one day" or similar, the first clause being the time reference. But I can't help the feeling that it was even more definite than that. Not that it matters to him or anyone else who follows him. All his hyperbole would be waved away as a 'figure of speech'. It's what I call 'weasel words', something that is deliberately phrased so that he can never be held to a definite statement. |
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![]() As for weasel words, he is eloquent in weasel. |
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![]() I recall quite a few years ago when there was a debate in the new South Wales Parliament that came to be called 'The Scarlett O'Hara Motion'. It is part of Standing Orders that the Third Reading of a Bill may not be taken on the same day as the Second Reading. But there was one Bill that the government wanted to push through quickly, and they didn't have the superiority in the Chamber to push through a suspension of Standing Orders. So they continued the session in which they had completed the Second Reading well into the night by bringing on more business. Then, just after midnight, the government moved the Third Reading. The Opposition objected, on the basis of Standing Orders. The government pointed to the clock showing after midnight. The Opposition countered that this particular sitting of parliament was an elongation of the sitting from that afternoon, and was therefore the same 'parliamentary day'. So the motion was put that "Tomorrow (by the calendar) is another day". |