Politics of the Free - It’s because Democrats, stupid. - The Bear and Badger

hunk

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/the-great-russian-disinformation-campaign/564032/

Fascinating article on how Russia pioneered online propaganda disinformation in Ukraine. The Trump admin is just regurgitating the strategy obviously as it's very, very effective.

Further indication that Trump is modeling his kleptocracy to Putin and his oligarchs. Interesting stuff...

Brooks

Trump has no strategy.

Brooks

Also lol at Frum doing anything fascinating.

hunk

Trump is a bit ad hoc but you're wrong if you think he has no underlying principles or ideology. You only have to scan Breitbart to get the gist. The conservatives enabling him (Bannon, Putin et al) are very aware of it and are supporting him every way they can....

Though I do agree Trump is just a wannabe dictator. Putin and Bannon are the real deal.

Brooks

He really likes being praised and famous, I guess that's an ideology.

hunk

Brooks wrote:

He really likes being praised and famous, I guess that's an ideology.

Central part of fascism.
That's why dictators like to commission giant paintings and statues of themselves.

Yossarian

I agree with Trump having no strategy. Those around him have a strategy, and it’s one that they can bend Trump to, but Trump himself is pretty much an empty, if racist, vessel.

hunk

Ok that I can get aboard with.
Guess Bannon was speaking the truth afterall calling him a blunt instrument in his grand plan.

Kow

Trump not only has no strategy, he has no idea what he's doing, outside of trying to get positive news stories about himself. The chaos in the Whitehouse is enough evidence that he's at the whim of whoever he decides is his advisor today.

hunk

Point taken guys.

The chaos surrounding his Kefka-esque persona obviously serves as a smokescreen so his team
of experts can work in the background on the Trump admin's true agenda: dismantling US government, securing tax breaks, taking over US judicial order by appointing republican judges, tearing down Obama care (which failed) and the welfare system etc...Standard republican agenda no? And a fake news strategy copy pasted from the Russian playbook of divide and conquer; rule and propaganda

But then there's his foreign affairs stuff.
Trying to tear up NAFTA, trying to break up the EU and NATO. It's almost like he's adopted the Russian stance on these matters. A thank you gift to the Russians on helping him get elected? Classic Trump stupidity? An actual agenda from forces deep within Trump's inner circle (read: Bannon)? Or perhaps a bit of all three?

Whatever scenario it is, it doesn't bode well for the future.

Brooks

America doing much less military gadding about strikes me as a good thing, though as the recent Syrian airstrikes demonstrated I don't think there's any coherence from this admin re: even that change in policy.

hunk

The Syria bombings were just Trump doing his strongman thing beating his chest for the world to see. I predict eventually he's going to give up Syria to the Russians. He's submissive to Putin while doing his alpha male act to the rest of the world.

Diluted Dante

"Let's just bomb them"

*exasperated* For the hundredth time Mr President, we can't just bomb anyone who-actually yeah you could get away with this one.

Gremill

Trump has no strategy, ideology or beliefs in anything other than what someone puts in front of him from minute to minute ‘considered’ in the context of ‘how can this make me look as amazing as I believe myself to be’.

He’s a literal empty vessel and all the more dangerous for it.

hunk

Trump may very well be an idiot but as stated above the Trump admin (inner circle?) does have an agenda.
Ignoring them would be unwise.

Brooks

I am fairly certain the everyone is paying attention to the Trump admin whether they like it or not.

hunk

Everybody's looking at Trump and what he and his family are saying, doing and wearing. It's what his admin and inner circle are sneakily doing in the background that eludes most of his audience. Welcome to the 21st century Fox Trump tv reality show. Global edition.

The news media are an important actor in that normally they inform the public on focal matters happening in the nation and the world. Putin pioneered the fake news propaganda method in that by scrambling this information channel with disinformation, people become entrenched in their views and numb in perception. They lose sight of the important stuff happening in the background. If they can't see or hear anything, they can't oppose, no? Legislation being altered, social policies being scrapped, new judges being appointed, that sort of thing. It's a clever party trick and people keep falling for it. It works for Putin's Russia and it also works for the Trump administration.

So yeah Trump might very well be a clueless buffoon without vision. His plucky band of opportunistic enablers? Not so much....

[Deleted User]

Trump talked out of invading Venezuela.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/04/trump-suggested-invading-venezuela-report

Diluted Dante

Fuck it, let him do it next time he suggests something mental.

[Deleted User]

I imagine that for every "we can't invade Venezuela" there are several "Mr President take the fork out of the toaster", "Mr President you've had enough McDonalds, you'll ruin your dinner" etc.

Brooks

I think the key might be to escort him to a waterpark or an ice cream palour.

n0face

Ziggy Piggy

hunk

So, with the US backing out of NATO what's the point of NATO again? Originally, NATO's purpose was to prevent the nuclearisation of the western hemisphere. The US would be the main nuclear superpower protecting the rest of the alliance. With the US out that balance is gone and it's every bloc and country for itself.

If the EU acquires it's own nuclear arsenal, why can't North Korea? Or Iran? Or Syria? I sense a new cold war brewing.
Genius Trump was of course betting on creating an environment in which benevolent overlord Putin would be generous to the world's oligarchs (read: millionaires). Afterall, Russia's system just works for this select group of people.

Trump's tiny mind can't think ahead 2 or more moves. It can't even consider possible but likely worst case scenario's: increased chances of nuclear war due to rapid dissemination of nuclear weapons throughout the world because of the US backing out of NATO. Hint: Nuclear war, even the remote possibility of it is bad for US trade. That's why the US invested so much in NATO Mr. Trump.

Also, Trump seems to equal trade deficit to penis length. A bit like iq then? He's willing to start trade wars over this assumption.

Roujin

I don't even think it's that.

I reckon trump is such a narcissist he would actually go along with whatever Vladimir wanted, even if he knew the consequences as long as a tape of his little willy never made is way into the public sphere.

hunk

Agreed. One does not exclude the other however.

This is why allowing foreign influence on national elections is a baaaadd idea.

acemuzzy

Pruitt, EPA head, has quit. Woo!

GooberTheHat

hunk wrote:

So, with the US backing out of NATO what's the point of NATO again? Originally, NATO's purpose was to prevent the nuclearisation of the western hemisphere. The US would be the main nuclear superpower protecting the rest of the alliance. With the US out that balance is gone and it's every bloc and country for itself.

If the EU acquires it's own nuclear arsenal, why can't North Korea? Or Iran? Or Syria? I sense a new cold war brewing.
Genius Trump was of course betting on creating an environment in which benevolent overlord Putin would be generous to the world's oligarchs (read: millionaires). Afterall, Russia's system just works for this select group of people.

Trump's tiny mind can't think ahead 2 or more moves. It can't even consider possible but likely worst case scenario's: increased chances of nuclear war due to rapid dissemination of nuclear weapons throughout the world because of the US backing out of NATO. Hint: Nuclear war, even the remote possibility of it is bad for US trade. That's why the US invested so much in NATO Mr. Trump.

Also, Trump seems to equal trade deficit to penis length. A bit like iq then? He's willing to start trade wars over this assumption.

Trump won't last long enough to break NATO. His replacement will recomit to it.

GooberTheHat

acemuzzy wrote:

Pruitt, EPA head, has quit. Woo!

Wow, didn't see that coming. He was so brazenly corrupt I didn't think he would jump.

WorKid

The opposite of NATO is OTAN.

Kow

That's what it is in Spanish, actually.

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