Itinerant Air-Cooled

It honestly scares me that Donald Trump still has serious support amongst my fellow Americans. I know him as a fellow New Yorker who piled into his real estate goings-on, and I do not believe in the slightest that a Texas rancher, or a West Virginia coal miner or an Ohio auto worker would have given him the time of day had he shown up as a New York real estate developer. "Hi!" No, power was annointed upon his head by a system distorted by money. Money is not red, money is not blue, money is green.

I have discussed it at length with many members of this forum and with customers at Itinerant Air-Cooled appointments. These discussions start off by disengaging from our political affiliations, by promising each other that this is half time, not red or blue call to colors.

There are some folks who find it difficult to disengage from their team to just look at the American landscape as it is. We are, we are in this together. There are now trigger words that can speed out ahead of a conversation and make foregone conclusions that are just completely wrong about the person standing face-to-face with us. Stop it already.

How can you go to a corporate retreat and discuss "collaboration" "compromise" "synergy" "mutual respect" "actionable plans" in the service of making money, but we can't do the same for the direction of this country?

What on Earth happened to us? Why am I now utterly embarrassed to converse with a child about their future participation in this Experiment of Democracy?

We have to step up and collaborate, compromise, work together with mutual respect, and try to save this country from what is incontrovertibly our lowest moment in modern history.
Colin

Who here is keeping abreast of the Impeachment Proceedings?

Who here has an opinion of the Impeachment Proceedings?

Who here was alive during the Watergate Hearings?

Colin

Watching the hearings when I can.
I think they have caught Trump redhanded and Pence is also caught up in this sooo now what? I don't think the GOP Senate will do anything soo Censure of Trump is what will happen. There is no way Trump and Pence will be kicked out of office.
Yes, I was alive then and the GOP had a big hand in stopping Nixon unlike today where the GOP only cares about staying in Power and passing laws to benefit the Rich.

Here's some insight from 20 years ago. Listen to George Carlin (5:34 to 35:24).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc0ZHso ... _rel_pause

The only thing I can see gained from the impeachment is not being able to be pardoned anymore, because the Senate will just fall in line like they did once T was elected. They are decidedly Ride or Die, and they pretty much have to be. If you are on the right and you don't fall in lock step with your dear leader these days, T will start an all out war with you and your political career will soon be over.

I do believe Trumps talking point that this will just further push him to be elected again. He can literally do anything he wants, because he can turn around and keep holding his ego stroking rally's where he feeds his base all the nuggets of 'us Vs them' he can dish out.

While the nation started splitting a little further apart during the Obama era, due to all of the hardcore rhetoric against him during his time in office - now that the president himself is posting tweet wars like a 16 year old daily, the Us Vs Them battle went from 7 to a solid 10 almost nonstop.

As for the impeachment, I don't know how to feel about it. I think it does more harm to the Democrats chance at getting rid of him next year, but the bootlickers are already frothing at the mouth to get him in office it may not make as much of a difference as it feels like right now. The die hard supporters already showed that they literally don't care what he does or to whom, if it pisses off those Libtards and Hollywood Elite's they keep hearing about then they are all in on it - even if they are really the ones taking it up the ass policy-wise.

airkooledchris wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 19, 2019 1:16 pm

A) I do believe Trumps talking point that this will just further push him to be elected again.

B) As for the impeachment, I don't know how to feel about it. I think it does more harm to the Democrats chance at getting rid of him next year,

a) It may excite the base, and it may lead to more turnout amongst his supporters.
However, he did lose by 3 million popular votes, and the midterms showed us mightily what turnout amongst the democrats and independents looks like - at this point, I beg of the journalists and pundits and my fellow Americans to stop trying to cater to Trump's hard-core supporters!
No.
Inspire a record turn out. Because of sneaky gerrymanders and voting restrictions, the opposition to Trump actually needs to carry a majority by 6 million votes to overcome the Electoral College handicap.

b) I am of the mind that this proceeding is now well past political consideration. It is now in the realm of our foundational fealty to the Rule of Law.
Colin

"What on Earth happened to us? Why am I now utterly embarrassed to converse with a child about their future participation in this Experiment of Democracy?"

The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic not a democracy. There is a difference.

72Hardtop wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 31, 2020 3:09 am

"What on Earth happened to us? Why am I now utterly embarrassed to converse with a child about their future participation in this Experiment of Democracy?"

The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic not a democracy. There is a difference.

"A Republic ... if you can keep it."
Ben Franklin

I agree with you, Colin. Your reference to corporate retreats hit home with me; I attended many such when I was in business. Looking back, with the benefit of hindsight, I now feel that the majority of them were pure bullshit...events staged by someone in it for the money, “feel good” sessions, and lessons about how to manipulate others so that you can make some more money. Everyone leaves with a “glow”, that real work has been done, and that all of your fellow participants are special, and tuned in. Then, off to the bar, for drinks and more bullshit. Real life ain’t like that. Mitch McConnell isn’t wasting his time attending retreats and seminars about how to compromise with the people across he aisle. We are in some serious hot water here...people roaming the streets with military weapons, shooting other Americans because they disagree with their political viewpoint. I think that this must be similar to how things were in 1858, or ‘59. We know how that turned out. Sometimes you need to fight, in order to regain civility in a culture, weird as that sounds.

Jivermo wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:29 am

We are in some serious hot water here...people roaming the streets with military weapons, shooting other Americans because they disagree with their political viewpoint. I think that this must be similar to how things were in 1858, or ‘59. We know how that turned out. Sometimes you need to fight, in order to regain civility in a culture, weird as that sounds.

I am truly afraid that the United States of America will be reaching this point in the not too distant future.

So, we have a record here, don't we, right here in Free Speech, of our concerns about Donald Trump.
I would not have guessed that we beat my projection last December:

"Because of sneaky gerrymanders and voting restrictions,
the opposition to Trump actually needs to carry a majority by
6 million votes to overcome the Electoral College handicap."

by another million, and STILL Trump fought the results by hook and crook and tonight we have broken windows in the Capitol and representatives hiding in safe rooms.

Donald Trump needs to be removed from office immediately.
Colin

NewBeginningsAgain wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:07 pm

I am truly afraid that the United States of America will be reaching this point in the not too distant future.

Is that "distant future" now? With rioters storming the Capitol, and people all over the country demonstrating in support of them, and a President who said he would lead them in their march, and supposedly responsible members of Congress holding their tongues up until now, it kinda looks like it might be.

(But, of course, anybody who believes that the President would have actually put himself in harm's way would have to be an extra special kind of stupid.)

JLT wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 06, 2021 6:39 pm

NewBeginningsAgain wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:07 pm

I am truly afraid that the United States of America will be reaching this point in the not too distant future.

Is that "distant future" now? With rioters storming the Capitol, and people all over the country demonstrating in support of them, and a President who said he would lead them in their march, and supposedly responsible members of Congress holding their tongues up until now, it kinda looks like it might be.

Consider this, January 6, 2021, to be the inflection point.
Colin

DJT...0-2

DJT will be back bigger than ever in 2024.

Note how everything has gone to hell in less than Biden's first 100 days. Prices skyrocketing, gas skyrocketing, mass shootings, civil unrest, tax hikes, inbound hyper inflation etc...

72Hardtop wrote: ↑

Sun May 09, 2021 12:57 am

DJT...0-2

DJT will be back bigger than ever in 2024.

Note how everything has gone to hell in less than Biden's first 100 days. Prices skyrocketing, gas skyrocketing, mass shootings, civil unrest, tax hikes, inbound hyper inflation etc...

Gas prices are skyrocketing due to shortages caused by Gulf Coast refineries not able to work due to weather, plus the usual summer surge due to people actually starting to move around again. Low Consumer prices are skyrocketing due to shortages caused by the pandemic crippling the economy last year and this year. None of this is Biden's fault. Economists have been predicting this for the last year, long before the election. That's basic economics: Low supply plus high demand equals high prices.

No tax hikes proposed, except on people making over forty million a year. Are you one of them? I didn't think so. And as Senator Warren explained, that "tax hike" will take only two cents out of every dollar earned after that forty mil point.

If the Trumpster comes back big in 2024, it will be due to relentless efforts of the Repugnican Party to suppress turnout of voters who wouldn't vote for them, and to the conservative media doing their usual fine job of garbling the news to reflect Trump's ideology (and then copping out by proclaiming themselves to be only "entertainment" media).