Michael Cohen

[Maria D]

Seems like a good time to break out the popcorn and circus peanuts. I don't know what to make of this guy's newly repentant character and the whole sh*tshow in general. Here's his opening statement to congress yesterday.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/27/politics/cohen-testimony-read/index.html

 

[Calliecake]

I just started watching.

 

[Maria D]

I can't watch live, I'm supposed to be teaching kids Trigonometry. I'm sure they'd much rather I put the hearings on!

 

[Calliecake]

Just started watching from the very begin and Cohen hasn’t started to speak yet. Republicans wanted to delay this hearing because they did not receive what was going to said today by Michael Cohen 24 hours in advance.

My guess is this many parts will be shown and discussed on every cable news station this evening, with the exception of Fox. My guess is Fox will be talking about Hillary all night tonight.

 

[MarionC]

Watching, hard to watch the agressive stupidity of some of the questioners, but it is very interesting.

 

[Maria D]

I wasn't able to tune in until around 4:15. So I guess the point of this is for the dems to set the stage for investigating Trump's financials and for the repubs to undermine Cohen's credibility? I got bored listening to Tlaib cryptically try to walk back suggesting that Meadows' did something that "felt racist" even though he may not be racist. (What?)

 

[AGBF]

I watched every minute. The exchanges between Rashida Tlaib, Mark Meadows, and Elijah Cummings were one highlight for me. Another was the ending when Elijah Cummings gave what amounted to a sermon on democracy to everyone in the room and watching on television. I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

 

[Matata]

I got bored listening to Tlaib cryptically try to walk back suggesting that Meadows' did something that "felt racist" even though he may not be racist. (What?)

Yeah. She crapped a pile in front of herself, stepped in it, and then tried to wipe her shoes clean. However, I think that what Meadows did was stupid and showed his cognitive disconnect. All I want to know is whether there is incontrovertible proof that cheeto did something requiring his removal from office and I would be delighted if that something also got him thrown into prison. Cheeto has incontrovertibly proved that he is heinous and morally bereft so Cohen's efforts to re-emphasize the obvious were, imo, a waste of time. I remain cautiously optimistic awaiting Mueller's report.

 

[monarch64]

I guffawed at Mark Meadows getting all red in the face and sputtering about how he has nieces and nephews who are POC, and oh by the way, did you know he and Chairman Cummings are BFFs? So he CAN'T be racist! Tlaib stumbled over her words, and had some nervous laughter and that lead to a lot of confusion, but Meadows took it next level with his outburst. What a shitshow.

 

[Maria D]

Yeah. She crapped a pile in front of herself, stepped in it, and then tried to wipe her shoes clean. However, I think that what Meadows did was stupid and showed his cognitive disconnect. All I want to know is whether there is incontrovertible proof that cheeto did something requiring his removal from office and I would be delighted if that something also got him thrown into prison. Cheeto has incontrovertibly proved that he is heinous and morally bereft so Cohen's efforts to re-emphasize the obvious were, imo, a waste of time. I remain cautiously optimistic awaiting Mueller's report.

I didn't know the context (that Meadows had invited Lynn Patton to the hearing as a way to prove that Trump could not be racist) when I was watching the exchange between Tlaib and Meadows, so the whole thing made no sense to me earlier. Tlaib should have either been clear and remained firm in her statement or not mentioned it at all, imo.

I agree wholeheartedly with the bolded. So Trump is a racist, lying, cheat who probably had crap SAT scores - tell me something I don't know. His diehard base likes all that stuff about him, his apologists don't care and the rest of us already knew this.

Bring on the Mueller report! I don't think it will rid of us Trump, but it should help for 2020.

 

[Maria D]

I guffawed at Mark Meadows getting all red in the face and sputtering about how he has nieces and nephews who are POC, and oh by the way, did you know he and Chairman Cummings are BFFs? So he CAN'T be racist! Tlaib stumbled over her words, and had some nervous laughter and that lead to a lot of confusion, but Meadows took it next level with his outburst. What a shitshow.

Yes, it was most unbecoming! I was impressed that Tlaib kept her cool and did not let him shut her down but I don't get why she tried to walk it back by implying that she may not even be talking about Meadows.

From what I've read it does seem that Patton was brought in as a prop, but she was a consenting prop. I think Tlaib could have made the point that having a black staffer doesn't mean that Trump is not racist without calling the act of Meadows bring her to the hearing a racist act. He certainly exploited Patton for her race though!

A shitshow indeed.

 

[Maria D]

I watched every minute. The exchanges between Rashida Tlaib, Mark Meadows, and Elijah Cummings were one highlight for me. Another was the ending when Elijah Cummings gave what amounted to a sermon on democracy to everyone in the room and watching on television. I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

I did watch Cummings' closing remarks. I hope he's right; we can do better than this.

 

[Karl_K]

circus

Indeed.

Anyone want some bread with it?

 

[Karl_K]

The Korean war may finally be on its way to ending.
A nuclear war may be on the brink of starting.
What do we get, this id10t all over the news with unsubstantiated claims that starts out as a hit job and ends the same way.
He has 0 credibility.

 

[AGBF]

Indeed.

Anyone want some bread with it?

I'd rather have imPEACHment. Maybe with a biscuit and ice cream.

 

[KaeKae]

I guffawed at Mark Meadows getting all red in the face and sputtering about how he has nieces and nephews who are POC, and oh by the way, did you know he and Chairman Cummings are BFFs? So he CAN'T be racist! Tlaib stumbled over her words, and had some nervous laughter and that lead to a lot of confusion, but Meadows took it next level with his outburst. What a shitshow.

I tuned in just before this scene. I stared at the TV, in disbelief of what I was seeing. Then I remembered it's 2019 and there are people who actually still think that it's a valid defense.

 

[missy]

https://www.breakingnews.ie/discove...ael-cohen-twitter-gets-nominating-864051.html

My vote

 

[Maria D]

https://www.breakingnews.ie/discove...ael-cohen-twitter-gets-nominating-864051.html

My vote

HA! I almost spit out my coffee!

 

[House Cat]

The Korean war may finally be on its way to ending.
A nuclear war may be on the brink of starting.
What do we get, this id10t all over the news with unsubstantiated claims that starts out as a hit job and ends the same way.
He has 0 credibility.

Trump walked out of the Korean talks. His base will consider that strength but it actually shows how weak he is. He can’t negotiate in the real sense of the word...when it matters to the world.

Poor guy...congress is attacking him for no apparent reason.
The media has become a circus surrounding his antics for no apparent reason. He didn’t create this. He’s a victim of circumstance.

Remember, he doesn’t cope with the storm surrounding him. In his words, “He is the storm.”

He wants the distractions. He doesn’t want anyone focusing on the real story. If people were focused on his FAILINGS with the Korean talks, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on in 2020. Poor guy, his rallies might dissipate and he wouldn’t have anymore adoring fans. Then, what would he do?

 

[Karl_K]

Trump walked out of the Korean talks. His base will consider that strength but it actually shows how weak he is. He can’t negotiate in the real sense of the word...when it matters to the world.

If it was so easy why didn't Obama do it if he was so great?

I get a laugh at the liberal press...
Oh no he is going to sign off on a bad deal...ooooooooohhhhhhhh nnnnnnnooooooooooooooossssssss
He walks away from a bad deal... He is weak because he couldn't make a deal! ooooooohhhhhhhhhh nnnnnnnnnoooooooooosssss.

 

[cmd2014]

If it was so easy why didn't Obama do it if he was so great?

I get a laugh at the liberal press...
Oh no he is going to sign off on a bad deal...ooooooooohhhhhhhh nnnnnnnooooooooooooooossssssss
He walks away from a bad deal... He is weak because he couldn't make a deal! ooooooohhhhhhhhhh nnnnnnnnnoooooooooosssss.

That's an interesting perspective. Not being American, it looked an awful lot like he was completely unprepared, threatened to agree to things that even his own advisers were horrified by (not to mention the rest of the world), somehow managed to get talked out of those things, spent way more time watching the Cohen hearings and on twitter than actually doing his job, and then came home in a snit because he really wasn't able to accomplish anything. He really doesn't seem to be terribly effective. (honestly, I'd say the same thing even if it was my own PM who had done the same thing - although we have been having our own sh*tshow going on here with him as well....)

 

[Karl_K]

That's an interesting perspective. Not being American, it looked an awful lot like he was completely unprepared, threatened to agree to things that even his own advisers were horrified by (not to mention the rest of the world), somehow managed to get talked out of those things, spent way more time watching the Cohen hearings and on twitter than actually doing his job, and then came home in a snit because he really wasn't able to accomplish anything. He really doesn't seem to be terribly effective. (honestly, I'd say the same thing even if it was my own PM who had done the same thing - although we have been having our own sh*tshow going on here with him as well....)

That is the impression the liberal press wanted you to have.
Just shows their slanted "reporting/op ed as news" is working.
Just holding the meetings is more than any other president has managed to do.

 

[Karl_K]

I hate discussing politics, I am just sick of the twisted press and what passes for news these days and that includes Fox they are no better.
I'm not a fan of Trump but he is still marginally better than Hillary because of the 2a and supreme court.

 

[soxfan]

That is the impression the liberal press wanted you to have.
Just shows their slanted "reporting/op ed as news" is working.
Just holding the meetings is more than any other president has managed to do.

Go ahead and blame this on the "liberal Media." :roll

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/...v7fxFvmeO42v1LF2UaQz4VOYRyxsKW5PrWmYFu8spCje0

 

[cmd2014]

That is the impression the liberal press wanted you to have.
Just shows their slanted "reporting/op ed as news" is working.

Karl, while I understand that in the US media outlets are owned by people who have one type of political bent or the other and that this gets translated into some pretty spectacular biases in terms of reporting (I'm not blind to MSNBC and FOX - we get both of those channels here and tbh I often cringe at both of them because of how hyperbolic they can get), this is not nearly as true outside of the US. Our news organizations tend to report facts and let viewers decide how to interpret those facts. We don't get the editorializing that you guys do. Plus, we aren't aligned with either of your political parties. Each is problematic in their own way to us (as in, we probably share a bit more of a similar world view with one party but tend to do better economically when the other is in power). We really don't care about the social politics that go on in the US (other than sometimes being confused by them) because none of that will ever affect us. We don't live there. It doesn't matter what you choose to do in regard to health care, social services, social issues, and the like. It's foreign affairs that we tend to pay attention to because that does directly affect us. But again, the US has historically been pretty consistent in regard to foreign policy regardless of which party is in power. So we do not tend to have strong feelings about who is in power, but we do pay attention to the decisions that those in power are making when it comes to international politics as this has a way of affecting everyone.

I don't think there are any facts to support an alternate view that the meeting with North Korea effected any kind of meaningful change. Or that Trump wasn't distracted by the Cohen hearings and that he wasn't tweeting the whole time he was there.

 

[House Cat]

I hate discussing politics, I am just sick of the twisted press and what passes for news these days and that includes Fox they are no better.
I'm not a fan of Trump but he is still marginally better than Hillary because of the 2a and supreme court.

Hugs Karl.

Time to start watching YouTube for our news, I guess.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi All,

I think this tale of Donald Trump is nearing some sort of climax. I fear those who are looking to see Trump chased out of office may be disappointed. I think the Mueller Report will be short of what we expected. I originally thought that if the President had committed anything that looked like legal collusion that Congress would be notified by Muellers team as soon as they had evidence. To me this is such a serious crime that action ought to be taken immediately. We don't want leadership to be allowed to stay. Since this has not occurred and Rosenstein wasn't fired after he spoke to Trump on Airforce One I think Rosenstein told the Pres that he was still not a target. After that meeting I thought Trump was calmer about the MI. Perhaps Rosenstein told him it was wrapping up.

I don't think Cohens motives are important for giving his tell-all on Trump. I thought he was so accurate in describing how Trump operates as in, "There was no Moscow deal". He doesn't ask anyone to lie directly, but implicitly the cues are all there. And Trumps people know what he wants.
I think Cohen was honest in what he said. But, his wrap-up caught my ear. He said that if Trump loses the next election, there will not be a smooth transition of power. I suspected as much when Trump was a candidate. I thought that man will never give up power once he has it.

There is something inside Donald Trump that has to keep fighting and bullying, and name calling and lying in order for him to feel OK about himself. Its not going to change. That's why he was sent to Military School by his parents. He is a sociopath and will do anything to get what he wants.
He is never stopped. Now, behind the scenes hes trying to influence the Sothern District of New York. The Rules of law means nothing to him. I am not saying this lightly(as many have said it before me), but as a warning to us all that we have to be on the alert until he is out of office.

Elija Cummings is right. DT would take away our democracy and would not even flinch.
Karl, I know you all are nice but look at that corrupt man and know we can do better.

Annette

 

[Karl_K]

Karl, I know you all are nice but look at that corrupt man and know we can do better.

Annette

Someone better wasn't running that is the problem.
Lets be honest is Hillary any less corrupt than Trump?

I'm going to say the same thing I said to the people who said Obama was not going to leave and hand off the power. Get real!

Anyway I had better get out of this thread. I dont like upsetting people, which is one reason I hate discussing politics.

 

[Karl_K]

Hugs Karl.

Time to start watching YouTube for our news, I guess.

Thank you, hugs back!
That cracked me up.
Am I the only one that when something pops up on the news like a fire, I check youtube for real time videos?

 

[luv2sparkle]

It is nearly impossible to find complete truth anywhere these days. I believe no one. I am not sure it is even possible for someone involved in politics to tell the truth. If they did, would they be re-elected? I would not want to have any thing to do with being in the public eye. Words get twisted and people get slammed online. What an awful position to be in.