The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Eamonnca1]

Aside from Carlson's disgusting "dog-eating" dog whistle about the Chinese, what do you make of the latest conservative talking point of the week? Comparing Russian tanks rolling into Ukraine to Mexican agricultural workers looking for a better life in the US. Typical conservatives. Unable to see the world beyond their own borders as anything but an opportunity to "own the libs."

Conservatives. SMH.

[Gmac]

What sort of administration buys up to 500,000 barrels of oil from Russia everyday when we can produce that ourselves easily and at same time talks about sanctions. Inflation in my business is more like 250/500 % on materials , these clowns need to be removed asap before there's no country left

[whitey]

Democrats have amnesia when it suits them

"The 1980s are calling and are asking for their foreign policy back"

"Tell Vladimir I'll have more flexibility after the election"

Did absolutely nothing in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea

Impeached Trump over delaying shipping certain weapons to Ukraine, while refusing to send the exact same weapons for 8 whole years while they were in power

Hunter Biden getting paid millions in consulting fees from Ukrainian energy companies despite having close to zero experience in that field

The whole thing is a joke

[RadioGAAGAA]

The whole thing is a joke

As long as you include both sides in that - most wouldn't disagree.

[whitey]

The whole thing is a joke

As long as you include both sides in that - most wouldn't disagree.

Yes-both sides should be absolutely fvckin ashamed of themselves

Republicans are delighted with all this because it makes Joe look very bad whatever way you shake it

[J70]

Democrats have amnesia when it suits them

"The 1980s are calling and are asking for their foreign policy back"

"Tell Vladimir I'll have more flexibility after the election"

Did absolutely nothing in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea

Impeached Trump over delaying shipping certain weapons to Ukraine, while refusing to send the exact same weapons for 8 whole years while they were in power

Hunter Biden getting paid millions in consulting fees from Ukrainian energy companies despite having close to zero experience in that field

The whole thing is a joke

Delaying shipping weapons?

Seriously??

They impeached Trump for using his personal lawyer to try to blackmail get a "favor" from a foreign government by initiating investigations into a presidential election opponent and supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election, all for purely personal political reasons.

[whitey]

Democrats have amnesia when it suits them

"The 1980s are calling and are asking for their foreign policy back"

"Tell Vladimir I'll have more flexibility after the election"

Did absolutely nothing in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea

Impeached Trump over delaying shipping certain weapons to Ukraine, while refusing to send the exact same weapons for 8 whole years while they were in power

Hunter Biden getting paid millions in consulting fees from Ukrainian energy companies despite having close to zero experience in that field

The whole thing is a joke

Delaying shipping weapons?

Seriously??

They impeached Trump for using his personal lawyer to try to blackmail get a "favor" from a foreign government by initiating investigations into a presidential election opponent and supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election, all for purely personal political reasons.

Do you have a problem with Hunter getting millions for doing nothing from the Ukrainians?

[J70]

Democrats have amnesia when it suits them

"The 1980s are calling and are asking for their foreign policy back"

"Tell Vladimir I'll have more flexibility after the election"

Did absolutely nothing in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea

Impeached Trump over delaying shipping certain weapons to Ukraine, while refusing to send the exact same weapons for 8 whole years while they were in power

Hunter Biden getting paid millions in consulting fees from Ukrainian energy companies despite having close to zero experience in that field

The whole thing is a joke

Delaying shipping weapons?

Seriously??

They impeached Trump for using his personal lawyer to try to blackmail get a "favor" from a foreign government by initiating investigations into a presidential election opponent and supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election, all for purely personal political reasons.

Do you have a problem with Hunter getting millions for doing nothing from the Ukrainians?

Of course I have a problem with people using, selling or trying to buy influence, whether that's friends and family or whether it's all these massive, hidden political donations. But given that it's a feature, not a bug, of the system in Washington and many other countries, it's not something that causes me to lose any sleep. I assume they're all at it and get on with my day.

As with redistricting, I'll be the first in line to support reform which bans all such shenanigans and gets money and influence out of politics, but I'll not hold my breath about it ever happening.

[whitey]

So in other words you really don't have a problem with it

Just muddle and mash it up with a bunch of other (non related) stuff in an effort to deflect

Nothing to see here folks......keep moving

[J70]

So in other words you really don't have a problem with it

Just muddle and mash it up with a bunch of other (non related) stuff in an effort to deflect

Nothing to see here folks......keep moving

At least I'm honest. You only have a problem with it when it's those dirty, rotten, evil Dems.

And all that other stuff IS related. Influence is for sale.

I'm not personally getting a meeting with a senator or president because I don't have the cash to pay for it, whether directly or indirectly.

[J70]

What sort of administration buys up to 500,000 barrels of oil from Russia everyday when we can produce that ourselves easily and at same time talks about sanctions. Inflation in my business is more like 250/500 % on materials , these clowns need to be removed asap before there's no country left

US oil imports from Russia since mid-90s:
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTIM_NUS-NRS_1&f=M

US Oil production by year since 1920s:
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MCRFPUS2&f=M

I agree though that this crisis does need to wake the world up in terms of reliance on states like Russia.

Time to ramp up renewables and to embrace nuclear. Energy demands are not going away.

[whitey]

So in other words you really don't have a problem with it

Just muddle and mash it up with a bunch of other (non related) stuff in an effort to deflect

Nothing to see here folks......keep moving

At least I'm honest. You only have a problem with it when it's those dirty, rotten, evil Dems.

And all that other stuff IS related. Influence is for sale.

I'm not personally getting a meeting with a senator or president because I don't have the cash to pay for it, whether directly or indirectly.

No-I hate both parties (almost) equally

Most Irish people I know have a very simplistic view-Democrats=Good Guys.  Republicans=Bad Guys

THEYRE ALL BAD GUYS-they just wrap it up differently to appeal to their bases

Republicans do it through faux patriotism and culture wars

Democrats do it through wokeneas, political correctness and telling everyone they're victims

Anyway getting back to Hunter- the alcoholic, drug addict son, of a sitting VP is getting paid millions of dollars in consulting fees (for essentially doing nothing) from a company in a country where his father is tasked with rooting out corruption and you don't think it's a big deal

[J70]

So in other words you really don't have a problem with it

Just muddle and mash it up with a bunch of other (non related) stuff in an effort to deflect

Nothing to see here folks......keep moving

At least I'm honest. You only have a problem with it when it's those dirty, rotten, evil Dems.

And all that other stuff IS related. Influence is for sale.

I'm not personally getting a meeting with a senator or president because I don't have the cash to pay for it, whether directly or indirectly.

No-I hate both parties (almost) equally

Most Irish people I know have a very simplistic view-Democrats=Good Guys.  Republicans=Bad Guys

THEYRE ALL BAD GUYS-they just wrap it up differently to appeal to their bases

Republicans do it through faux patriotism and culture wars

Democrats do it through wokeneas, political correctness and telling everyone they're victims

Anyway getting back to Hunter- the alcoholic, drug addict son, of a sitting VP is getting paid millions of dollars in consulting fees (for essentially doing nothing) from a company in a country where his father is tasked with rooting out corruption and you don't think it's a big deal

I said I don't lose any sleep over it. Because they're ALL at it. Why is that so hard to understand? How much did the Trump family make from gouging the taxpayer for all kinds of events and sweetheart deals with foreign governments for their businesses? How much did GOP-connectees make during the Iraq and Afghan wars with the spoils system in place there?

If someone is serious about removing the purchase of influence from politics, I'm all ears. Until then, I'm not particularly interested in partisan whining about this side or the other on this issue. Trump's corruption, for example, is appalling, and I think he is personally a sc**bag, but his corruption doesn't feature anywhere high in the list of reasons I'm repulsed politically by him and what he and the current GOP stand for.

[whitey]

Glad to hear it

I have friends who are Democrats who think the Hunter Biden-Burisma arrangement is just some Fox News conspiracy theory. NY Times said there was nothing to it and that was good enough for them

Serious questions were raised by people in the Obama administration about the (perceived) conflict of interest

https://jonathanturley.org/2022/02/04/report-diplomat-complained-that-hunter-biden-was-undercutting-anti-corruption-efforts-in-ukraine/

[J70]

The problem is that everything gets hyped up as a massive scandal, whether or not there is actually something to it. There's outrage for a few days, usually partisan, then its forgotten. So people stop listening and assume that it is ALL bullshit (unless it suits them politically at a particular moment).

Hunter Biden may well have used his access or supposed influence to enrich himself; whether or not anything untoward came from that on his father's part would be the issue.

Whatever did happen, it is symptomatic of how run of the mill this type of corruption is that Hunter Biden would even try to make a living this way. Or that Joe, assuming he was above board, wouldn't see it as problematic or compromising, especially for himself.