The Politics Thread

[janea4old]

Deaths predicted due to shutdown of USAID
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/04/deaths-predicted-amid-the-chaos-of-elon-musks-shutdown-of-usaid

Tr*mp wants to shut down aid to South Africa because it wants to return some white-owned lands to the public.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/03/donald-trump-cutting-funding-south-africa-land-confiscations-cyril-ramaphosa
(Not a coincidence that Tr*mp advisors are whites who have lived in South Africa: El*n M*sk, David Sacks, and Peter Thiel.)

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[janea4old]

Update from Tr*mp-Netanyahu news conference:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/04/benjamin-netanyahu-donald-trump-israel-gaza-middle-east-ceasefire-latest-live-news?filterKeyEvents=true#filter-toggle-desktop
Trump says US will ‘take over’ and ‘own’ Gaza Strip and says US troops will be deployed ‘if it’s necessary’ 
Netanyahu calls Trump the ‘greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House’ at a new conference alongside the US president
Trump says Palestinians have ‘no alternative’ but to leave Gaza.
Trump says US will 'take over' the Gaza Strip and 'level' it
Trump says he has not taken a position about Israel sovereignty over the West Bank and would be making an announcement on the issue in the coming weeks.

He wants to deport Palestinians from Gaza, and then turn it into a international seaside resort. "the Riviera of the Middle East".  He thinks it can become a safe, relaxing Mediterranean luxury zone. (really)

Ever the real estate scammer.

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[Toups]

Just when you think he can't get anymore insane, he does/says this.  When is he going to have a stroke? 

[Maxim]

This is becoming more and more disturbing each day. I had to double check if I read correctly when I read that. 

[janea4old]

same.

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[DRW50]

It's going to get much worse. He is going to make huge cuts to science, the environment, shut down the Department of Education, etc. And no one cares. 

Even the coverage of the protests about USAID today have both the right (Politico's Trump water-carrier Rachel Bade) and the left (the repulsive Ken Klippenstein, who spends most of his time either going on Steve Bannon's show, talking about how stupid and pathetic Democrats are, or posting any clip of a senator over 60 he can find to act like they are at death's door) shaming them, saying that USAID is for the elites and proves how out of touch Democrats are.

Even now the Democrats are still somehow to blame. Nothing Trump does matters. Even planes colliding with helicopters gets more focus on people figuring out which non-white man to blame. 

As for Palestine - it's very sad, but this is what a lot of Palestine supporters wanted. They were thrilled Trump won. They can be happy now.

Edited February 5 by DRW50

[janea4old]

Biden was slow to condemn the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and never used the word, but it was clear (to me) that he didn't approve.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were CLEAR that the only correct path forward would
be a two-state solution with both Palestine and Israel internationally recognized.

Some of the American voters were supporting Palestine but not looking at the big picture. How could anyone trust Tr*mp about anything?
The Project 2025 playbook was clear:  Only support WASP straight men who claim to be Christian.
Regarding the Democrat American voters who who voted against Biden because of Gaza ... what did they think was going to happen? 

**Speculation-opinion only**
I think Netanyahu intentionally, for many months, delayed the hostage deal with Hamas, leaving Israeli citizens in captivity, so as to time the release with American politics.  Israel was ready to get rid of Netanyahu before all this happened. He seemed (to me) to play this out for his own power.
It was obvious (to me) they were using the Iran-Contra playbook.
So it would seem that Netanyahu promised a Trump Casino Hotel in Gaza?
/end speculation

The irony is that M*sk being a nazi made a video screen appearance at the neonazi rally in Germany couple of weeks ago, and he said that it was time for Germans to stop thinking about the past -- clearly meaning: stop feeling guilt about the Holocaust.  I mean he said it at a neonazi rally the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Trump gave the reins of the U.S. government to M*sk.
What does Netanyahu think will happen now ? 

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[Vee]

If you want a side of old-fashioned vaudeville this evening: Uncommitted is, predictably, committed to blaming Democrats for this.

I'm past caring. You break it, you bought it. Enjoy!

Edited February 5 by Vee

[janea4old]

Again this should not be a surprise.
February 2024: Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner praised the “very valuable” potential of Gaza’s “waterfront property” and suggested Israel should remove civilians while it “cleans up” the strip.  He made the comments in an interview at Harvard University.
(The interview was posted 7 March 2024 on the YouTube channel of the Middle East Initiative, a program of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, but was recorded 15 February 2024.)
Article from March 2024 about the February 2024 talk
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/19/jared-kushner-gaza-waterfront-property-israel-negev
It was from this Youtube, which I haven't watched but I did find the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtaIHr5S0ts

 

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[Maxim]

Maybe he will call Gaza - "Melania-Land" after he's done with the building process. 

[janea4old]

In response to the racist massacre in June 2015 in Charleston SC,
activist Bree Newsome removed the Confederate flag.
Also in response to what happened in Charleston, Biden decided to run for President even though he hadn't planned on it, because he wanted to stop racism.

At the time, I appreciated both of them ...
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But this happened in March 2024 -- Bree Newsome didn't want Biden reelected because of Gaza, and she claimed skepticism about Project 2025 -- she said it was a fake conspiracy theory.
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https://x.com/BreeNewsome/status/1765067470170447936
@BreeNewsome
Mar 5, 2024
Folks the project 2025 stuff is getting a little embarrassing now I’m sorry

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https://x.com/BreeNewsome/status/1765068185873903963
@BreeNewsome
Mar 5, 2024
Let’s think about it— a “secret plan” among Republicans that no one acknowledges is real including the people we must reelect to protect us from it.

It’s a little qanon-y at this pointnt, primarily about defending Biden’s nonsensical renomination.

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https://x.com/BreeNewsome/status/1765069030057202052
@BreeNewsome
Mar 5, 2024
“Project 2025” is evoked in response to people objecting to Biden’s nomination but then no explanation is given for how reelecting Biden saves us from the hush hush “Project 2025”

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I have heard Bree mentioned in the past in such discussions, so her quotes may be familiar to some of you, but I just discovered those tweets.  Wow.

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[I Am A Swede]

[Wendy]

I'm still rooting for the McDonald's and KFC...

[sivad40]

It has gotten to the point even if Trump and Musk would drop dead tomorrow, Project 2025 would still continue through Vance and Thiel. It would take a Designated Survivor level of damage to cripple the Right.

[DRW50]

This sums up many of my feelings about Trump and China in this term. I'd go a step further and say I wonder if they own him now (Russia still has a big hold but they've lost a great deal of influence and China has had to bail them out). His ties to Elon, who is also in thrall to China, are another clue.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/02/05/trump-pro-china-moves-00202500