KerleyQ

I would imagine that most people around the globe are rather frightened by all of this. I know the Trump crowd is all about the nationalism and all, but what they fail to realize is that the reason we can have our nation is because of complex global relations. Us electing an idiot who is willing to let Putin do whatever he wants because Putin knew the right buttons (flattery and financial influence) to push with him is a potential disaster for the entire global community. And I know the Trump crowd's attitude to whether our European allies are comfy with this is "don't care, as long as he makes America great again!" However, they fail to understand that there is no hope for us to be great if Putin goes forward unchecked. Sure, we won't be first on his shopping list, but, make no mistake about it, we're on that list. But, in the mean time, all of our existing allies are screwed when Trump decides to sit back and let his new BFF do whatever the hell he wants to do. The complete inability to understand global politics on the part of Trump and his supporters is wildly dangerous to all of us, world wide. It's like Trump's thing with NATO - "we'll keep our promises if they pay their share." It hasn't occurred to him that there's a reason we are in this alliance, and that there's a reason that we take on the costs that those smaller nations cannot afford to shoulder - that the stability of that region is far more important to our national security than the costs we incur in protecting those smaller nations. Exactly. It's not a sincere wish for happiness, it's a weapon to beat people over the head with. "You will acknowledge my religious holiday and ONLY my religious holiday!" I've seen people in check out lines during this time of year, if a cashier says "happy holidays" to them, angrily respond "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" in a clear rebuke. The tone of voice makes it clear that they're angry at the cashier. I just can't understand being angry over someone wishing you a happy holiday season. I'm Catholic, and I'm a Christmas nut, but I wouldn't even blink if someone wished me, say, a Happy Hanukkah. I'd simply say "thanks, you too," and go on my way, grateful that someone thought to wish me well. And, when it comes to cashiers or other customer service people out there this time of year, they have no way of knowing, on sight, what holiday you celebrate. It's a practical solution to say "happy holidays," as it covers the whole range and doesn't exclude whichever specific holiday(s) you do celebrate. And, if a customer initiates the exchange, with a "Merry Christmas," I've never seen a cashier refuse to return that sentiment (and I sincerely doubt that is happening on any kind of scale, save a few isolated incidents). I really think that there are people out there who just cannot handle the idea that not everyone is exactly like them, and any reminders push them over the edge.

You're probably right. I saw that he missed some scheduled appearance over the past week. (I think it was last Sunday.) So, it seems like his absence must be due to either personal or health reasons, and not some issue with SNL.

One theory I've seen about President Obama's response is that he has to wait until he has a "kill shot" so to speak. He has to make sure that he has verifiable backup for making any allegations towards the incoming POTUS, no matter how much of an asshat that incoming POTUS is. So, it's possible that he's sitting back and waiting until he knows he has all those ducks in a row before he says something definitive. Part of the problem with that is that he needs to find the best way to do this without compromising intelligence assets, or, at minimum, giving a chance for those who would unavoidably be compromised to be safe first. It would feel great for all of us to see him up there railing on Trump and company about this egregious violation of our electoral process. However, he has to be above reacting on emotion (unlike Twitler). He has made it clear that he has evidence to support his belief that Putin interfered in our election. He has stated that it needs to be fully investigated to determine how far this plot has gone, and who is involved. That's what he's supposed to do at this point in time, as much as it might make us all feel better to see more.

I will fully admit that I am exactly petty enough to deliberately say "Happy Holidays" for the next four years. I'll say "Merry Christmas to my close family and friends on the holiday (or when we gather to celebrate it together), but in terms of general greetings in public situations or postings on social media? Happy Holidays, folks. And if anyone dares to pull the "say Merry Christmas!" bullshit on me? They'll get a wide-eyed look accompanied by "I can't imagine why you are offended by me offering you a happy greeting. Do you need a safe space?"

As I was laughing at the sketch, I was also thinking "um, we all know this isn't just funny, right? This is actually happening."

OK, see, Twitler, shit like this is why I prefer to call you our Presidon't-Elect. Jesus.

I'm kind of hoping that Eric decides to bring her back for a short visit, not to get her permanently hooked back up with the Waffle, but just to prove his point. Also, I'd love Hope to find out that Waffles went hardcore after Steffy, blathering on about her being his soulmate, and then kick his waffling ass to the curb when the tries to get her back since Steffy is with Wyatt. I'd love to see her and Steffy both completely shed their blinders when it comes to him. Eric reading him for filth was everything. So fucking amazing. And John McCook killed that delivery.

Exactly. It's a slush fund. They use it so they can also take a tax deduction on your donation. And, of course, not all of your donation gets passed on to the charity, because you know these fucking grifters are chopping off a generous "operating expense" portion of your donation before passing any money on (whenever they decide to be generous enough to pass it on to actual charities). Compare it to the Clinton Foundation, where they are actually using the money to start projects and directly fund their initiatives, and it's mind boggling that the media let Trump get away with questioning the integrity of the Clinton Foundation when his family foundations are basically clearing houses that allow them to take credit for taking in money, holding onto it for a while (and likely, earning interest on it for themselves, knowing them), and then passing a portion of it on to a charity when it can make them look good. And, even then, they're sometimes self-dealing. It's just absurd. That last one is the biggest deal in all of the Trump Foundation mess - using the money to buy himself stuff. He uses money other people have donated to charity to buy himself stuff at charitable auctions. He makes it look like he's bidding at these auctions, so he can get the headline of "Donald Trump donated this many dollars at a charitable auction last night to benefit X Charity." But, you dig deeper, and the money never came from his pockets, and he walked away with a tangible item of value for himself. It's disgusting to me that his supporters have zero problem with a man essentially stealing charitable contributions to enrich himself. That's what I want to know. And shame on the media for not covering that aspect of it (or the "Dear Leader" aspect of this shit, instead acting like this is just normal conduct for a Pres-Elect). And for the Republican voters, who pissed their pants in indignation every single time the Obama family took a taxpayer funded vacation (as every single POTUS has done, since it's part of the gig), to be totally fine with this assmonkey wasting taxpayers' money on his vanity stroking rallies, well, that just makes them look really fucking stupid. I mean, we need our Presidents to take vacations. It's an insanely stressful job (just look at the difference in first and last day in office pictures for all of them), you have to give them vacations to try to unwind a little bit, even if the POTUS never is truly off the clock. And we have to pay a lot of money for it because they need the SS to travel with them, and they need wherever they stay to be secured as the SS deems necessary. These rallies, though, for a man who hasn't even taken the oath of office yet? There is no rational need for them. They absolutely will. He's addicted to them. I've seen a rumor that the idea originated when he told Kellyanne he was feeling down, and when she asked him what would make him feel better, he said "having another campaign rally." Who knows if that's true, but I have zero problem believing that scenario. And, yes, God help us if Pence is running the show. He'll just be a human rubber stamp for Paul and Mitch. There will be absolutely no checks and balances in our government at all. Yes, this was just beyond the pale. Trump supporters keep patting themselves on the back telling themselves that it's those damn liberals who are so angry and violent, but this shit is what they do. Hell, even their Dear Leader told them this week that they're violent (and he loves them for it). I would have zero problem telling anyone, no matter how close they are to me, that doing this was a deal breaker for me, and we were no longer going to speak with or see each other. There's something seriously wrong with someone who would take it this far. It's like that story a few weeks ago, about the 18 year old girl who killed herself in front of her family after being bullied. When someone set up a memorial page for her on Facebook, after a couple days, people started posting the most vile messages on there, like "you should have done this sooner!" and drawings of a stick figure shooting herself, things like that. I would never be able to feel anything positive towards someone who had acted like that. They literally bullied that poor girl to death, and then they boasted about it on a memorial page for her family to see. There's no way I could ever see past that. He just has no clue about how anything works. This is why you don't vote someone with no relevant experience into the highest office in our country. Every single idea that has come directly from him has been some pie in the sky thing that has no basis in reality or any practical way to implement it or see the result he's promising. God, this! I had one of his followers arguing with me the other day, telling me that I need to take some business courses, because I'm stupid enough to think that corporations are supposed to pay taxes. "Only people are supposed to pay taxes!" Yes, I'm just sitting here with an accounting degree, what could I know about taxes and businesses? But this guy swore up and down that I was just another stupid liberal with no clue how business works. And he's inspired them to be his kind of "smart" where you just confidently state what you believe to be true, with no back up, and anyone who disagrees is just stupid. I seriously heart this man. I know I have policy disagreements with him, but, damn, do I love this man. I hope he keeps it up.

And that right there tells us all we need to know about what kind of father Twitler is - that it's possible he'd take his anger at Marla out on Tiffany. Kind of off on a tangent about his parenting and all, but this occurred to me a while ago, and I never really put it down in words. It's been said before that Trump fell for Ivana because she was so intelligent, capable, and ambitious, almost his equal (in his mind). Knowing his family's thoughts on genetics, and combining "superior" genes to create thoroughbreds and all that, you have to wonder if he married her not out of any great love, but because he believed that she'd birth some "triple crown winners" for him. So he married her, had three kids with her, and then he got tired of the same qualities he married her for - her intelligence and ambition, specifically, because he prefers his women to be arm candy and at his service, not to have goals and thoughts of their own. And, he got his kids out of it to carry on his legacy. So he dallied with other women, and one of them ended up pregnant. Not only did she not want to just make it go away for him (and you have to wonder if there are women out there who took a payoff and aborted pregnancies when he offered), but she wasn't good at keeping their relationship quiet. So, he had to marry her. Then he landed his ideal wife in Melania - the much younger foreign born model, willing to "upgrade" her looks as needed. Barron was basically the price to keep her, I'm guessing. But he has as little interest in him as he does in Tiffany. Neither one of those kids was "bred" with the combination of genetic material that he feels would make the best offspring. So, they're their mothers' children, and his kids with Ivana are his legacy. I told him "get one somewhere Mediterranean." May as well go somewhere pretty to watch the world burn. I'm guessing that the Presidon't Trump press conferences compared to the President Obama press conferences is basically going to be like Goofus and Gallant. You'd think that as the lesser son, Eric would be able to sympathize with Tiffany's lesser daughter situation. Only if he finds some with no heirs to stop him.

My husband has a friend who used to be in a now defunct band. Not an A-list band, but successful enough. When I told him the above, he said "time to call him and say 'I know you hate Trump, but can you suck it up and perform for him? I want an ambassadorship to get my family out of here for the next four years.'" She doesn't even need to imply it. Twitler has openly admitted it in the past - that he wanted Marla to get an abortion because the pregnancy was inconvenient for him. Which was actually the point he was trying to make with the whole thing. He even brought up (on Twitter) how the Twitler side of things was slinging innuendo left and right about Hillary's health for months. He copped their style but used something he actually did have some level of sourcing for, just not enough for it to rise to his standards for something he'd print. So he put it in their words with the "I'm hearing..." style. The problem is that the Trump cult believes that anyone who says anything bad about their lord and savior is having a meltdown and gets "owned" by whichever Presidon't-Elect apologist tries to shut them down.

Sonny should have just clocked him over the head to make him forget. You probably don't even need to hit him in the head particularly hard at this point to rattle some memories into obscurity.

That reminds me of Craig T. Nelson's infamous interview where he's ranting about welfare and the government supporting people, because they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps like he did. He actually says how he was on welfare and food stamps and, did anyone help him out? No, he did it for himself by getting an education. Hey, he got his.

This is why I've finally landed on "yes, please, I'll take Pence." I loathe Pence and every single policy position he holds. But, I don't think he'll actively ignite a world war. That's how low the bar is now, thanks to Orange Julius - just don't incite a world war. I wonder how long it will be before attendance at these victory rallies is mandatory, and we all have to call him Dear Leader. I'll assume school will even be closed for the rallies. It's not like Trump and the GOP want the population educated. I am so stealing "Twitler." This is what drives me insane. I can handle people having differing political views. I'm not arrogant enough to think that everyone should think exactly how I do. That's fine. But the complete refusal to differentiate fact from fiction makes me want to pull my hair out. No matter how many times the truth is pointed out or the lie is corrected, they just keep carrying on with the lie. I've read that there are at least 3 Republican Senators who are firmly in the "no" camp on Tillerson. Rubio, Graham, and Paul seem to be pretty solid on going against him. McCain... I'd like to think he'll stay firmly "no." He tends to get wishy washy and follow the party line a lot, but once they trip his moral trigger on something, he'll stand up. I think this Russia issue is hitting his moral trigger, so I don't think he'll just roll over to confirm Putin's BFF to the most significant cabinet position. I don't think he'll want to roll over and let Putin take charge. (Plus, he's at the end of his career. He doesn't need to fear the "RINO" (or, to put it in the terms of the Trump cult, "cuck") label at this point.) This just confuses me to no end. I know the GOP is partisan as fuck, but this is blatant, black and white stuff we're talking about here. This isn't questionable. They have no cover here to pretend it was a gray area or that the issue was never proved, especially with the D.C. hotel lease. It's clear - no elected official can be a party to the lease. As soon as he's sworn in, it's illegal. The emolument clause is clear. But the businesses he owns are being treated preferentially by other countries, even before he's sworn in. Officials in other countries are scheduling events at his properties and staying in his properties when they come to the US, because, in their own words, it would be rude to stay with one of his competitors. He's going to be financially enriched by foreign officials on a regular basis. Not to mention that his hotels are basically going to become state run hotels once he takes office. Of course, the GOP has their eyes on the Supreme Court. Trump could start murdering and eating babies right now, and they'd roll with it because they want that open spot. They have no moral boundary that will stand in their way. I've seen more than one interview this week with Trump voters who are like "oh, he's not really going to repeal Obamacare." It's like whatever he said he'd do that they like, they're convinced he was being honest. Anything he said he'd do that they don't like, they're convinced he was just exaggerating. One woman I saw in these interviews works signing people up for the ACA, so it's literally why she has a job. She said "oh, he won't repeal it. He can't. People have to have insurance." Um, idiot? Do you remember WHY we needed to implement the ACA? Because people didn't have insurance, and the GOP was just fine with that state off affairs. The only people who pushed for this kind of change were Democrats, most notably, Hillary and President Obama. But this woman voted or the man who said he would take away the ACA, so not only will it be proven that, no, according to the GOP, people don't have to have insurance, but she'll lose her job. How do people get to this level of stupid? If a candidate says that it's on their agenda to get rid of something that is necessary to me (my source of income, my health care, food, water), I'm not going to roll the dice and vote for them, hoping they were lying about that. I'm going to take them at their word.

Sam! (I'll refrain from mentioning Nina or Ava.)

I haven't seen anything confirming, but I've seen a lot of innuendo that he made money off of it. That would not remotely surprise me.

Completely agree. When the President of the United States makes a public comment about a company, especially one that implies that they're going to lose a big deal, then it's going to affect the market. His reckless disregard for that fact is economically dangerous, not just for the company in any specific tweet, but the market as a whole.

And after months of nobody caring, we'll find out that the killer was some girl who he raped at some point after he was released from prison - someone we've never seen before and will never see again.

I'm still thinking this is the case. It would fit with things like the Carrier issue - he said something about Carrier's jobs at multiple campaign stops, but he could not remember later that he ever said anything about their jobs. He needed to be shown video footage of when he talked about it. I could see if it was a one time throw away thing, and it being a case of "well, he was at a stop in Indiana, someone said something about Carrier, and he threw it in there to personalize his speech to that crowd." I can buy that there are countless little local blurbs that a candidate's people advise them to throw in to their speech in various cities that they don't specifically recall months later. But, he spoke of it at multiple stops, and he couldn't recall it? That's concerning when it comes to his mental faculties.

I think part of the problem is that, for the bulk of us, the kind of stuff we're talking about being possible now, they're just so far removed from it ever existing. Yes, they hear stories from prior generations, or from countries that seem so far away that their problems just don't touch our daily lives, but they've never really witnessed it. So, they don't heed the warnings when the people who remain with us who experienced Hitler's reign say "um, hey, guys? This all feels awfully familiar to us..." And they don't really get the danger of allowing a man like Putin to advance into the smaller countries he's hellbent on absorbing into his empire. We're physically rather isolated, in terms of the fact that we are the strength in our region, there is no other country in spitting distance that is a threat to us. And my generation (and younger) has absolutely no experience living through the legitimate threat of Russia tossing some bombs our way. There haven't been bomb drills in schools in generations. For some people, something like this is just not in their grasp precisely because they've never experienced it. It just does not compute to them that we are not the biggest, baddest thing going, or that, yes, other countries would dream of taking a run at us if our leaders act like arrogant assholes on the global stage. So, everyone, whether it's you or me on a message board or social media, or a prominent reporter and media outlet, is just playing Chicken Little to them. It's especially true when, for whatever reason, people have bought into the image of this dumpy orange senior citizen who was too wimpy to fight for our country when he was young and healthy, as this intimidating ass kicker who the other countries' leaders are going to fear and bow down to him. (I mean, seriously, I've seen his followers photo shop his face onto the Hulk, Batman, Superman, Thor, etc). So, we have a lack of genuine understanding that the only thing keeping stuff like Hitler from happening again is the memories of the people who were alive and the determination by good people to keep that from happening again, combined with the absurd notion that Trump is this big time asskicker who intimidates the rest of the globe, and they just Do.Not.Get the dangers, and dismiss anyone who does understand the danger as a "sore loser snowflake who needs a participation trophy and a safe space." If by "safe space" they mean "fallout shelter," then, yes, I'll take one safe space, please. ETA: I realize I kind of drifted to the more physical global danger from the danger of Trump's economic/business issues, but it's all really part of the same deal. People don't understand how his investments around the globe can affect us if he's in the White House. And it's awfully easy to casually dismiss shit you don't understand. It's a lot harder, but far more worthwhile, to set aside one's own preconceived notions and do the work of reading and comprehending why people are sounding the alarm, and exactly what their concerns are. No guarantee you'll agree with them when you're done, but at least you understand more fully what they're saying, and you are arriving at a more informed opinion than you had before you started.

Yeah, it's a bit disturbing to consider a report that a foreign government is basically holding the Pres-Elect's business partner hostage to force an unfounded extradition to be a puff piece that isn't important to anyone but Eichenwald. I bet it's important to the loved ones of the people at the center of it. And it should be important to all of us, as Americans, that our future POTUS is leaving himself open to being extorted like this with his refusal to divest of his worldwide business interests. Then there's the fact that some of his business interests will become illegal the moment he's sworn in (D.C. hotel), or that his soliciting of business (and favors, like pushing through disputed permits for his projects in their countries) from foreign officials becomes un-Constitutional the moment he's sworn in. None of this is fluff. It's real, it's illegal, and it's dangerous.

McConnell is being pretty transparent here. He makes a big grand statement condemning foreign influence in our election, and then he slides in "but no need to create a new committee to investigate this, I've got it covered." He wants his fingers all over this investigation so he can both monitor and direct it. He doesn't like the idea of a new special bipartisan committee being created to investigate it, because he may not be able to secure any oversight on that new committee. The rest of the Senate should demand that he stay hands (and eyes) off the investigation because of his wife's appointment. I actually think that Putin and OPEC have no intention of letting Trump maintain any portion of the world. They'll use him to weaken our ties to our allies, allowing them to do what they want, then they'll turn their attention here. Putin will never be satisfied as long as there is someone out there who has some power that he could get his hands on. Can I simultaneously feel bad about the people who have been arrested in Turkey for no legit reason while still finding it hilarious that one of Trump's victory calls to push for his business interests has already spectacularly backfired on him?

Have we ever gotten word on how his victory tour is being paid for? I mean, I know we're likely footing the bill, but it would be nice to have it spelled out not only that we're paying for it, but how much we're paying for it. One of my Trump loving acquaintances was gushing about watching It's A Wonderful Life, how it's their favorite movie, and it always makes them feel good, etc. I so badly wanted to say "I assume you're rooting for Mr. Potter?"

Exactly. If Liam and Steffy were confident in their love and commitment, it wouldn't matter if Quinn wants Steffy back with Wyatt, and it certainly shouldn't be a factor in Steffy's CEO decision. Sleeping with Quinn's son isn't a requirement of the job. I guess Liam just assumes that Steffy is a waffle like him?

Exactly. He sold his supporters on this "we're going to win!" thing, and there's nothing to "win." At least, not the way he's using the term. We're not at war, but he seems hellbent on turning the global environment into a competitive one that makes it easier for war to happen.

Exactly. He's not paying attention to the briefings because he already knows what he wants to do. Why would he listen to input that might contradict his plans? Anyone who cannot see how dangerous this is is seriously kidding themselves.