Everything you didn't want to know about Trump and were not afraid to ask

[Tero]

No, I’m on the prairie. In Senate elections every vote counts, so urban areas get the proper vote. 1 million are urban/suburban as opposed to town/farm. Total about 2 million. Our two senators are as good as 2 Texan senators representing tens of millions. National Dems never had the sense to pour money into our election funds.

[Tero]

It was like two criminals being interrogated. Trump and Putin stuck to the same rehearsed story: no collusion. Trump is using Putin as proof of no collusion.

Reminds me of all the cop shows where the mayor is charged with a crime. He fixes it with a round of golf with the police chief.

[Brian Peacock]

Donald says that Vladimir's 'powerful' denial of the charge of Russian election meddling outweighs the findings of any US intelligence agency.

[JimC]

CIA and FBI - marxist shills the lot of 'em!

[Jason]

He has a lot of confidence in his personal judgement doesn't he? It seems he thinks he can outdo years of intelligence work simply by looking Vlad in the eye and gauging how confidently he says 'nyet.'

[Svartalf]

what's that effect which makes one grossly overestimate one's own competence?

[pErvinalia]

Dunning-Kruger?

[Jason]

That's the one.

I'd add a couple corollaries to it.

1) It takes intelligence to recognize intelligence.
2) The fewer intelligent people you recognize the smarter you think you are.

It follows from those two that people like Trump (or Seth) exist - so unintelligent they'll never realize just how stupid they really are.

[cronus]

Being president of the United States? That's 1,000 psuedo-IQ points right there. And why shouldn't Trump use them to sell the country/world out, one which constantly and everywhere mocks him?

[Brian Peacock]

So I watched the whole Helsinki press conference and transcribed that weird bit, which was a response to an invitation to condemn Russia's election meddling...

TRUMP: So let me just say that we have two thoughts - you have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the server... why haven’t they taken the server... why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee... I’ve been wondering that.... I’ve been asking that for months and months... and I’ve been tweeting it out... and calling it out on social media... where is the server... I want to know... where is the server... and what is the server saying...

With that being said, all I can do is ask the question... my people came to me... Dan Coats came to me, and some others... they said they think it’s Russia... I have President Putin... he just said it’s not Russia... I will say this... I don’t see any reason why it would be... but I really do want to see the server... but I have... I have confidence in both parties... I really believe that this will probably go on for a while... but I don’t think it can go on without finding out.,, what happened to the server... what happened to the servers of the Pakistani gentleman that worked on the DNC... where are those servers... they’re missing... where are they... what happened to Hillary Clinton’s emails.. 33,000 emails gone... just gone... I think, in Russia, they wouldn’t be gone so easily... I think it’s a disgrace that we can’t get Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 emails... so I have great confidence in my intelligence people... but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today...

And FOXNEWS' tells us what we should really think about this...

[Jason]

Being president of the United States? That's 1,000 psuedo-IQ points right there. And why shouldn't Trump use them to sell the country/world out, one which constantly and everywhere mocks him?

I have wondered at the wisdom of the mock Trump campaign from time to time, but I've come to the conclusion that its cathartic value far outweighs its opinion malus with Trump.

[Seabass]

Wonderful. Now the Kremlin can give the NRA & Republicans as much money as it wants without anyone knowing about it.

The government is making it easier for “dark money” donors to go unnamed
The IRS will no longer ask the NRA and other nonprofit groups to disclose donors.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... ina-donors

The United States government is making it easier for “dark money” donors to keep their contributions, well, in the dark. The Treasury Department on Monday said it planned to end requirements that certain tax-exempt organizations identify their financial contributors on their tax returns.

The decision means groups such as the National Rifle Association, Planned Parenthood, and the AARP will no longer have to tell the IRS who’s giving them money.

The decision landed the same day as the Justice Department announced the arrest of Maria Butina, a Russian national with NRA ties who is accused of trying to influence US politics. Ethics experts say Treasury’s maneuver will make identifying activities like those Butina has been accused of even harder to track.

continued: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... ina-donors

[Tero]

Old men in Washington have no clue what is going to happen next:
http://karireport.blogspot.com/2018/07/ ... -what.html

[Seabass]

He wasn't perfect, but goddammit I miss him. It was nice having a president who believed in facts and science.

[DRSB]

Trump now says he misspoke on Russian meddling, believes election interference took place

President Donald Trump says he meant the opposite when he said in Helsinki that he doesn’t see why Russia would have interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections.

Back at the White House on Tuesday, the president told reporters that he said he meant he doesn’t see why Russia “wouldn’t” be responsible.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/t ... took-place