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With the Epstein files Trump gave some of his base the experience we've all been having for a long time. He told them "No."
And then he went on to coddle Maxwell, basically saying "You don't get to know this about me. You have no power over me."
And it's not just taxes this time that's being hidden. It's the identities of many powerful people. Because he's always been on the side of the powerful (as long as they were on his side.)
When asked about who he might pardon our president is remarkably transactional. The first thing he wonders about out loud in interviews on the subject is simply "Is that person loyal to me? What have they done for me?"
Trump supporters hear "Is that person loyal to US?" The rule of law be dammed. He sat there considering if Diddy should get a pardon and never said anything about if he was guilty or if the trial was fair. The only question: "Is he one of the good ones?"
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When asked about who he might pardon our president is remarkably transactional. The first thing he wonders about out loud in interviews on the subject is simply "Is that person loyal to me? What have they done for me?"
Trump supporters hear "Is that person loyal to US?" The rule of law be dammed. He sat there considering if Diddy should get a pardon and never said anything about if he was guilty or if the trial was fair. The only question: "Is he one of the good ones?"
All leaders think this way. Trump is more honest about it and that offends people who want to preserve their unfounded ideas that imperial leaders are good people.
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When asked about who he might pardon our president is remarkably transactional. The first thing he wonders about out loud in interviews on the subject is simply "Is that person loyal to me? What have they done for me?"
Trump supporters hear "Is that person loyal to US?" The rule of law be dammed. He sat there considering if Diddy should get a pardon and never said anything about if he was guilty or if the trial was fair. The only question: "Is he one of the good ones?"
Being "one of the good ones" is no way to live.
Pardons should be about correcting the course of the justice system. The president shouldn't hawk perfume and cryptocurrencies.
Everyone *isn't* "in on the fix", or skimming off the top. I don't know how we claw our way back from this pit of cynicism.
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All leaders think this way. Trump is more honest about it and that offends people who want to preserve their unfounded ideas that imperial leaders are good people.
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All leaders of an imperial state do, yes. They just don't tell people about it.
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All leaders think this way. Trump is more honest about it and that offends people who want to preserve their unfounded ideas that imperial leaders are good people.
@richpuchalsky @futurebird Dear god I am beyond sick of both-sides BS when it comes to our current president. Holier-than-thou nonsense.
This is the EXACT same argument that MAGA supporters use. “All the other politicians do the same stuff, but Trump is the only one honest about it!”
Just wanted to make you aware that you are literally parroting the MAGA talking point.
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@richpuchalsky @futurebird Dear god I am beyond sick of both-sides BS when it comes to our current president. Holier-than-thou nonsense.
This is the EXACT same argument that MAGA supporters use. “All the other politicians do the same stuff, but Trump is the only one honest about it!”
Just wanted to make you aware that you are literally parroting the MAGA talking point.
I don't view "openness about corruption" as positive. But we can agree that this is part of what is going on, right?
I hear Trump talking about pardons like a mob boss "what has he done for me lately?" is the only thing he cares about and I'm disgusted.
I'm disgusted that it is happening, that it is out in the open and that a segment of people seem to have no higher expectations.
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All leaders of an imperial state do, yes. They just don't tell people about it.
All leaders of this particular imperial state are *not* equal. Grift, pay-back, corruption are 100-fold worse under Trump than any recent point in history. Folks who “admire”Trump for “being honest” are simply admitting that they too are transactional and supremacist; they think they will come out on top once the need to follow those pesky and inconvenient rules are stripped away.
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I don't view "openness about corruption" as positive. But we can agree that this is part of what is going on, right?
I hear Trump talking about pardons like a mob boss "what has he done for me lately?" is the only thing he cares about and I'm disgusted.
I'm disgusted that it is happening, that it is out in the open and that a segment of people seem to have no higher expectations.
Yes, he talks like a mob boss. As an anarchist, I oppose all US leaders. The people who defend mob bosses who talk more politely while doing the same things caused the same cynicism that they now decry.
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All leaders of this particular imperial state are *not* equal. Grift, pay-back, corruption are 100-fold worse under Trump than any recent point in history. Folks who “admire”Trump for “being honest” are simply admitting that they too are transactional and supremacist; they think they will come out on top once the need to follow those pesky and inconvenient rules are stripped away.
Blue MAGA in the US tells itself these fairy stories after they voted for and supported genocide. If the only choices are between the guy who supports genocide and says some kind of mealy mouthed deflection about it and the guy who supports genocide who is honest about it so that everyone can agree to hate them, the second guy is less damaging.
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... tax returns.
Donald Trump never released his tax returns for the years leading up to him entering office. Democrats tried to make an issue of this, but since there isn't any *law* that forces transparency we have people like Pelosi doing the soft corruption of stock deals and we know all about it, but we know much less about Trump and others.
I still want to see those tax returns because I think they may be connected to another set of famous files not exposed.
@futurebird I’ve always thought most people missed the point about the tax returns. Some thought he could be embarrassed by the revelation that he pays so little.
In fact, the full tax returns — including those for the many interlocking entities in his shifting web of shell companies — would enable journalists and other sleuths to trace decades of immense tax fraud that the IRS has been unable or unwilling to unravel.
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Yes, he talks like a mob boss. As an anarchist, I oppose all US leaders. The people who defend mob bosses who talk more politely while doing the same things caused the same cynicism that they now decry.
When these things happen with no shame there isn't any material recourse to redress the harm.
THAT is the problem.
And when it becomes clear to people inclined to exploit others that there are no social consequences if they kiss the right rings (or something else) more leaches and bottom feeders will exploit vulnerable people. More people will be harmed.
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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@futurebird I’ve always thought most people missed the point about the tax returns. Some thought he could be embarrassed by the revelation that he pays so little.
In fact, the full tax returns — including those for the many interlocking entities in his shifting web of shell companies — would enable journalists and other sleuths to trace decades of immense tax fraud that the IRS has been unable or unwilling to unravel.
I think since there are other less high profile people who benefit from this ... like the Epstein files, it has been allowed to slip away.
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Blue MAGA in the US tells itself these fairy stories after they voted for and supported genocide. If the only choices are between the guy who supports genocide and says some kind of mealy mouthed deflection about it and the guy who supports genocide who is honest about it so that everyone can agree to hate them, the second guy is less damaging.
Is everyone who voted for Harris "Blue MAGA" ?
I'm sincerely torn on this. I can't bring myself to be angry at people who didn't vote for Harris over Gaza. I don't even think they were "under-informed" ... they just didn't care about other issues where the difference is much greater as much as I do.
(If they voted for Trump I think it's incredibly simple minded)
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Is everyone who voted for Harris "Blue MAGA" ?
I'm sincerely torn on this. I can't bring myself to be angry at people who didn't vote for Harris over Gaza. I don't even think they were "under-informed" ... they just didn't care about other issues where the difference is much greater as much as I do.
(If they voted for Trump I think it's incredibly simple minded)
LGBTQ people I care about are being harmed, science is experiencing a huge disruption, racism and sexism are resurgent. This makes it harder for me to be a helpful ally as I'm suddenly very busy.
At the same time there is a rot, that's being expelled from the Democratic party and that could be a good thing.
But how many people will be dead of polio before that happens?
Will the world pull the breaks on the genocide in time?
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Is everyone who voted for Harris "Blue MAGA" ?
I'm sincerely torn on this. I can't bring myself to be angry at people who didn't vote for Harris over Gaza. I don't even think they were "under-informed" ... they just didn't care about other issues where the difference is much greater as much as I do.
(If they voted for Trump I think it's incredibly simple minded)
"Blue MAGA" refers to a certain subset of Democratic voters like the one guy in this thread who I already blocked -- raised on MSNBC instead of Fox News, fully bought in to US culture war, their people are wonderful etc.
Not all Democratic voters are Blue MAGA. All Democratic voters did, however, vote for and support genocide. They aren't ashamed: why should Trump be?
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"Blue MAGA" refers to a certain subset of Democratic voters like the one guy in this thread who I already blocked -- raised on MSNBC instead of Fox News, fully bought in to US culture war, their people are wonderful etc.
Not all Democratic voters are Blue MAGA. All Democratic voters did, however, vote for and support genocide. They aren't ashamed: why should Trump be?
I didn’t vote because I’m not an American. But suggesting that 2024 was a vote for or against the (obvious to anyone with eyes and ears) genocide implies that there was an actual choice available on that issue. It appears America is hell-bent on arming a genocide regardless of who holds office. But I don’t somehow admire Bibi and his ministers for “being honest” about his intent to wipe Gazans off the map, not do I give Trump a pass or props somehow for “being honest” about his corruption.
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I didn’t vote because I’m not an American. But suggesting that 2024 was a vote for or against the (obvious to anyone with eyes and ears) genocide implies that there was an actual choice available on that issue. It appears America is hell-bent on arming a genocide regardless of who holds office. But I don’t somehow admire Bibi and his ministers for “being honest” about his intent to wipe Gazans off the map, not do I give Trump a pass or props somehow for “being honest” about his corruption.
"that 2024 was a vote for or against the (obvious to anyone with eyes and ears) genocide implies that there was an actual choice available on that issue"
There was no choice, I agree. This is one of the reasons why I didn't vote for either party. But a state that is hell-bent on genocide no matter who is in office is not a good state. It should end. Having it obvious to everyone that it is run by evil people is therefore a good thing.
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"that 2024 was a vote for or against the (obvious to anyone with eyes and ears) genocide implies that there was an actual choice available on that issue"
There was no choice, I agree. This is one of the reasons why I didn't vote for either party. But a state that is hell-bent on genocide no matter who is in office is not a good state. It should end. Having it obvious to everyone that it is run by evil people is therefore a good thing.
If you say that, then you need to be willing to listen and accept responsibility for the people who are being specifically harmed under this administration, who would not be under another one, otherwise in my books you aren’t much different from the BlueMAGA you complain about.
*Every* action has consequences - vote for A, vote for B, don’t vote at all - and a mature politics accepts and recognizes those consequences.
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If you say that, then you need to be willing to listen and accept responsibility for the people who are being specifically harmed under this administration, who would not be under another one, otherwise in my books you aren’t much different from the BlueMAGA you complain about.
*Every* action has consequences - vote for A, vote for B, don’t vote at all - and a mature politics accepts and recognizes those consequences.
️It's a really common Blue MAGA trope to say that people who didn't vote for genocide have to "accept responsibility for the people who are being specifically harmed under this administration". It's a joke and it means that you are not serious or mature in any way. People can see through this bullshit.
