Radiorum

Yes, this is what Trump used to pull the wool over your eyes. Can you not see that American democracy, and its pluralistic nature, is threatened if key government positions are filled with loyalists and power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of ideologically aligned individuals?

Trump is a mob boss and MAGA are his soldiers. Republicans in Congress have consistently folded to Trump, with hardly a whiff of pushback, not only because they fear “the primary” – and want their political survival - but also because the threat of violence against them from MAGA is real. For example: And some who voted not to convict after the 2020 impeachment, and voted to certify the results of the 2020 election, did so because they feared for themselves and their family. The list of politicians who moved against Trump and ended up getting death threats is long. He inflames his base to violence. It's an important aspect of his power. “They’re Scared Shitless”: The threat of Political Violence Informing Trump’s Grip on Congress

But they are not your words. You just parrot what Trump and his ilk tell you. See? Man, you have been so brainwashed.

This seems an explanation for why and how Trump was able to exploit those who felt left behind. It does not excuse him, it damns him. He operates best with enemies, and he bequeathed that to his base. What fraud, waste and abuse necessitated shutting done the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

This is rich, as I have seen no rationality from you. And to suggest that testosterone confers "rational thought" is to miss that in fact testosterone makes men think with the smaller of their heads.

I know where truth lies. Do you?

If this is what you think is being affected, you are sorely deluded. No, I haven't. What will they do for me?

You really, really need to stop listening to Trump. Let's not forget Navalny. This is what happens to those who oppose Putin. Poisoning, imprisonment, death.

Again, for you, it's not about how ordinary people will be affected, but "getting the other side.' Have you considered professional counselling for your persecution complex? Lol, clearly! OMG, how stupid can a person be?

You are so ignorant, it's sad.

You are clearly ignorant of Musk The only thing I cry for is America.

Wow, this thread is strangely silent. Must have stumped the MAGAts.

Some Republicans are speaking out, but without actually criticizing Trump “Make no mistake about it: That invasion was the responsibility of one human being on the face of this planet. It was Vladimir Putin,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) said, referring to the Russian president. Tillis also said there is no “equivalency” between Putin and Zelensky. “Russia is the aggressor; there’s no question about that,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota). “[Trump] can speak for himself, but in my view there is no question who started the war.” “When it comes to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I blame Putin above all others,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) posted on X. About the only one to address Trump head-on was Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana). “Here’s where I disagree with the White House,” Kennedy said, adding: “I think Vladimir Putin started the war. I also believe, through bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He’s a gangster with a black heart. He makes Jeffrey Dahmer look like Mother Teresa. He has Stalin’s taste for blood.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said, “I would certainly never refer to President Zelensky as a dictator,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) called Zelensky the “duly elected” president of Ukraine. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she disagreed with that characterization. “I think he’s factually wrong on those points,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) told NOTUS, adding that Trump might have certain motives for this misinformation. “As a negotiator he’s always positioning and he’s in a negotiating mood these days.” Perhaps the most robust rebuke came from a member of the House, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), who ticked through Trump’s claims and picked them apart them one by one in an X post. “Putin started this war,” Bacon said. “Putin committed war crimes. Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West. I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/19/republicans-rebuke-trump-ukraine-gently/

Sadly, this is what we have come to. All that oil Canada exports to the US (4 million barrels/day) can find another buyer Canada is now looking at making oil deals with China China would be happy to buy our oil. The US is closing doors, and we'll look for open doors. We need to move away from the instability of the US.

Now you are just being disingenuous this kind of reply actually proves that I was right - that you would rather "get me" than discuss in good faith More disingenuity More proof of what drives you

I discovered some new information (which does not excuse Musk but damns him) and added it to the discussion. You should try it sometimes. It’s called progress. What a massive misrepresentation of my post.

Let’s look at the record: When Trump first announced the enterprise in November, he said Musk … “will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’).” Dec. 22 – Trump said, “And we will create the new Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk.” Jan. 19 - Trump said, “We will create the new Department of Government Efficiency, headed by a gentleman named Elon Musk.” Feb. 4 - Musk referred to DOGE as “we.” Feb. 9 – Trump said Musk has “been terrific” and suggested that he has been hiring people: “He comes in with a hundred very smart people.” At a Feb. 11 news conference, Trump asked Musk to mention things that “your team” has discovered. According to Trump’s Executive Order forming DOGE - Yet - Joshua Fisher, director of the White House’s Office of Administration, now says - “Mr. Musk is not the U.S. DOGE Service administrator.” Well, if it is not Musk, who the hell is it? These people are as crooked, and as polluted, as the Cuyahoga River.

he called it "the biggest fraud in history" - nothing right about that. That he misused the numbers is clear. Whether he did it because he is wholly incompetent at what he is supposed to be doing, or he knew it was more sh*t he could use to flood the zone, I will leave up to you ... during an Oval Office press conference, stating a “cursory examination of Social Security” revealed “crazy things.” “We’ve got people in there that are 150 years old,” Musk said on February 11. “Now, do you know anyone who’s 150? I don’t, OK. They should be in the Guinness Book of World Records. … I think they’re probably dead, is my guess, or they should be very famous, one of the two.” And you interpretation leaves me with the impression you did not read my entire post.

This reminds me of Putin's interview with Tucker Carlsen about a year ago, during which Putin blamed Poland for Hitler's invasion of them in 1939, as if justifying his own invasion. "Hitler just wanted to 'realize his plans' and Poland was 'uncooperative' and 'forced' Hitler to attack and start World War II, Putin said. "So, 1939, late August. "Hitler: Poland, we want to annex you, agree! "Poland: We don't agree, we are a sovereign state and will remain so. "Hitler: You force me to conquer you by force. I declare war against you. God knows, it's your fault! "And Putin says: Hitler had no choice but to start with Poland. In the interview, Putin stated, "The Poles forced, they played too long and forced Hitler to start World War II with them. Why did the war begin with Poland on September 1, 1939? "Poland was uncooperative. Hitler had nothing else to do in the realization of his plans but to start with Poland" *** So, I guess that is what happened between Putin and Ukraine. Putin: We want your country. Ukraine: No. Putin: Then we must invade you and it is all your fault!

I have found some answers that show Musk used these numbers falsely, and raise questions about his intent and duplicity. Elon Musk said he might have uncovered “the biggest fraud in history” when he found millions of people over age 100 listed in a Social Security database… … but a 2023 agency inspector general report found “almost none” of the 18.9 million people listed as 100 or older were receiving benefits… A Social Security list known as the “Numident” — which is what Musk is believed to be referring to — shows far more centenarians than are actually alive, but that doesn’t mean they’re being sent checks. The inspector general’s 2023 audit found that Social Security’s Numident included approximately 18.9 million people listed as 100 or older but not dead — far more than the 86,000 centenarians living in the U.S. at the time of the review. However, “almost none” of the 18.9 million were receiving Social Security payments, the report concluded. Instead, only 44,000 people over 100 were getting benefits — closer to the actual centenarian population. A separate 2015 audit of Social Security found just 3 confirmed instances of employment fraud in a sample of 6.5 million deceased individuals. O’Malley said the main fraud concern is when people call in and try to switch accounts, hijacking benefits from the living, not the dead. This all does not explain why Musk tried to pass off the Numident as evidence of massive fraud that he should have known didn’t exist. I'm not sure how you can believe anything he say.

What is obvious is that they are made up numbers. Provided with no citing of his source.

The "open-border" myth persists, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Deportation of illegal immigrants was much higher under Biden than they were under Trump. the Biden administration’s nearly 4.4 million repatriations are already more than any single presidential term since the George W. Bush administration The arrest of criminal illegal arrests under the Biden administration actually increased from the Trump years. For the fiscal years 1017 - 2024: Arrest Type FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 to Jan U.S. Border Patrol Criminal Alien Arrests 8,531 6,698 4,269 2,438 10,763 12,028 15,267 17,048 3,864 Looking at the statistics from the ICE website shows they were very active during the previous administration. https://www.ice.gov/spotlight/statistics No-one wants criminals in the US. And now that Trump has fired a whole bunch of immigration judges, we can expect the number of criminals in the US to increase.

Trump continues to push to make Canada the 51st state using glaringly false economic claims. In the video, he says, “Canada has been bad to us on trade … (they) have to start paying up … $200 billion in subsidies … we don’t need their product … who the hell made these deals, they’re so bad.” Let’s look at his words and find out how they are false. First, he needs to learn the difference between a subsidy and a trade deficit. Trump claims that the bilateral U.S. deficit in merchandise trade with Canada amounts to the U.S. “subsidizing” Canada. This claim has no economic merit whatsoever… Trump’s claim Canada is subsidized by the U.S. through this bilateral deficit is laughable – and Trump’s economic team surely understand that. They are many things (aggressive, corrupt, and untruthful), but they are not ignorant. Rather, they are trying to drown out rational discussion of this issue in a barrage of threats and bluster. Second, the $200 B figure it completely made up. Trump’s claim the bilateral deficit is $200 billion is an utter fabrication. The bilateral deficit was $40 billion (U.S.) in 2023 according to U.S. data, down 29% from 2022. It fell another 9% during the first 9 months of 2024. Compared to a two-way trade flow of almost $1 trillion (U.S.) per year, this imbalance is puny. Third, they do need our product. Just consider the energy sector: Canadian energy (including oil, gas, coal, and electricity) made up 60% of the total bilateral merchandise trade deficit over the last decade. Having access to a secure and lower-cost energy source is a major benefit for U.S. businesses and consumers. (The US enjoys a strong surplus in services trade and investment income flowing out of Canada, but Trump never mentions this.) Fourth – he’s really relying on the short memories of his MAGA base when he comments that “Who the hell made these deals, they’re so bad." It was him! In 2018, and at the time he called it “the best trade deal ever made.” How do you negotiate with a country that so clearly operates in bad faith? Canada Subsidizes the U.S., not the Other Way Around

I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. What does he mean when he says “maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.”

That Trump called Putin before Zelensky - a snub that clearly indicates he favours Putin. (not to mention breaking diplomatic convention) - does not bode well for Trump to recognize Putin as the aggressor.