US Politics - Trump cancels summit having to do with North Korea

How odd is it that Putin wanted to interfere in American politics and yet the trail has been so easily picked up on. Makes you wonder if there's something even bigger going on than Russia "merely" interfering with American democracy.

edit:

Harry Ola wrote:Not sure how Sessions survives this. One of his answers is specifically about the campaign, but this is the killer:

“I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.”

That is at best deliberately misleading and you can't really have an Attorney General under Oath being deliberately misleading. It does not sit very well the job!

And this must now surely be heading to a special prosecutor. This would be Trump's National Security Advisor and Attorney General both lying about contact with Russia. How much deeper does it have to go before the Republicans are forced to act?

Trumpettes are saying "move along, there's nothing to see here" because it's clear he was saying he had no contact with Russia in his role as surrogate/as part of the campaign = not absolutely no contact of any kind.

In 1999, after saying Bill Clinton committed perjury, Jeff Sessions said the following:

When President Nixon resigned in the face of impeachment in 1974, he said, the message was clear that officials “couldn't play games with the law and the truth.” I hope we haven't sent a message that’s not as clear, that clever people can sometimes get ahead by spinning and not telling the truth. That worries me.

Saint of Killers wrote:How odd is it that Putin wanted to interfere in American politics and yet the trail has been so easily picked up on. Makes you wonder if there's something even bigger going on than Russia "merely" interfering with American democracy.

edit:

The trouble for Trump not being a normal politician, not playing by the same rules and not worrying about the usual political scrutiny is that they have left an almighty trail of dirt. It didn't kill his campaign, but it's not going away. After Sessions is laundered in the press for a bit, these allegations about Wilbur Ross, which are just dynamite, bring the conversation closer to Trump's door.

Anyone else catch LWTWJO, in particular the segment on what the Republicans plan to replace Obamacare with?

Harry Ola wrote:The Sessions story is some brilliant journalism by the Washington Post. Not only is the timing glorious, but to have contacted all 26 members of the Senate Intelligence Committee to show none of them had contact is genius.

Well, 19/26 anyway; there are still seven unaccounted-for members. Still, doesn't look great for Sessions right now, does it?

I'm unsure why republicans just don't come out and admit they don't want the government to pay for the healthcare of poor people. By not doing so they just end up tying themselves in knots by inventing plans that look like they cover people but in reality don't and they just end up with massively expensive plans that end up costing the government more than if they'd just gone full single payer.
Instead of ploughing extra money into the military that doesn't need it they could use that money to put in place healthcare policies that would help millions but for some reason Americans have been told to think that helping people is somehow a bad thing.

There is a Republican health care plan - it's called the ACA

Drumstick wrote:Anyone else catch LWTWJO, in particular the segment on what the Republicans plan to replace Obamacare with?

Is it really any easier to write "LWTWJO" than just "John Oliver's show"?

Yeah I saw it. And I am bloody glad I don’t live in America.

Getting rid of Sessions would be a big win.

Current annual healthcare spend: $170b+
New Republican planned spend: $3bn



The thing I will never understand about America is why it detests the idea of (cheaper) health coverage for all citizens so much. Like why do they want to actually pay through the nose for it all and deepen the pockets of the insurance companies.

Moggy wrote:Is it really any easier to write "LWTWJO" than just "John Oliver's show"?

Duly noted and my sincere apologies.

Drumstick wrote:

Moggy wrote:Is it really any easier to write "LWTWJO" than just "John Oliver's show"?

Duly noted and my sincere apologies.

Why are you making this an issue and as usual all about yourself? Just deal with the fact that we are all tired of your lame acronyms and that we all demand a little more respect when you decide to post. It is not hard to do! Just think of other people for a change and stop thinking “me me me” and pushing your anti-social bullshit onto everybody else. I am sure it gets big likes amongst your ilk, but the rest of us just see it as a very sad attempt at achieving a sense of superiority over others.

This is why your so called “posting” gets ZERO likes from the community, you see how you are not so high and mighty when people actually take the time out to show you why we do not respond positively to your crazed ramblings? Learn, just learn, that’s all we ask of you!

Did Drummy piss on Moggy's chips when I wasn't looking?

Drumstick wrote:Current annual healthcare spend: $170b+
New Republican planned spend: $3bn



The thing I will never understand about America is why it detests the idea of (cheaper) health coverage for all citizens so much. Like why do they want to actually pay through the nose for it all and deepen the pockets of the insurance companies.

Americans have actually bought into the conservative idea that keeping people from dying or being so impoverished by healthcare they end up on the street begging is a socialist and thus bad idea.
The notion that making it so that people can get treatment for stuff and not worry about the cost so they can then go back to work and help pay for that treatment is totally alien to them.
The main problem is the idea that "I'm not paying for someone to get sick and be treated as if they have free cover they'll just go and get sick on purpose so they don't have to work" which is both stupid and groundless but has plenty of support in the US.
They honestly think that because we have free access to GP's we must be going all the bloody time just begging for sick notes to get paid time off work.
This also explains why they have such disdain for people taking time off work for holiday or sick leave as doing so is obviously a sign you somehow hate work.

Drumstick wrote:Current annual healthcare spend: $170b+
New Republican planned spend: $3bn



The thing I will never understand about America is why it detests the idea of (cheaper) health coverage for all citizens so much. Like why do they want to actually pay through the nose for it all and deepen the pockets of the insurance companies.

I've had discussions with my missus about this. Her 'argument' is that Americans don't feel they need 'hand outs' they'll make it themselves. I argued the point that the majority of Americans will never GET the chance to make it themselves, ever. When all is said and done though she's happy that Ireland has a health service (under strain it must be said) and that our daughters college education will be a fraction of what it would be in the states.

I don't know how American society isn't in complete turmoil, there are far too many holes in their system that allow people fall through and be neglected.

Hexx wrote:Did Drummy piss on Moggy's chips when I wasn't looking?

I never really understood this phrase.
Chips are cheap so pissing on them while annoying is hardly the end of the world, if he pissed on your quail egg and smoked salmon on toast then you could get angry but not just chips.

Peter Crisp wrote:

Hexx wrote:Did Drummy piss on Moggy's chips when I wasn't looking?

I never really understood this phrase.
Chips are cheap so pissing on them while annoying is hardly the end of the world, if he pissed on your quail egg and smoked salmon on toast then you could get angry but not just chips.

It was my £50,000 poker chip he pissed on.

Drumstick wrote:The thing I will never understand about America is why it detests the idea of (cheaper) health coverage for all citizens so much. Like why do they want to actually pay through the nose for it all and deepen the pockets of the insurance companies.

Under the ACA it wasn't cheaper for all citizens - it put up premiums for a lot of younger, healthy people. Which as I understand it is why a lot of people objected to that implementation.

But yes, agree with the general sentiment!

OrangeRakoon wrote:

Drumstick wrote:The thing I will never understand about America is why it detests the idea of (cheaper) health coverage for all citizens so much. Like why do they want to actually pay through the nose for it all and deepen the pockets of the insurance companies.

Under the ACA it wasn't cheaper for all citizens - it put up premiums for a lot of younger, healthy people. Which as I understand it is why a lot of people objected to that implementation.

Yeah but that's the entire point of pooled insurance.

The healthy pay in, but take less out. You're mitigating the risk.

It's why the Republicans noises about "caps" on payouts or removing "high risk" groups is non-sense.