team politics talking points.

[hodad]

The Sneetches has a happy ending though. The people ignore their superficial differences and coexist without rancor or division.

During Trump's presidency, I often thought of him as bearing a certain resemblance to the huckster in The Sneetches--amoral, sowing chaos, hatred and division, and laughing all the way to the bank.

EDIT: It is worth noting, though, that in the book (haven't watched the cartoon) the huckster walks away unscathed, having fleeced the Sneetches of wads of cash. Seems about right.

 

[JohnRoberts]

The Washington Post on Wednesday became the second major news outlet to reverse course and admit that emails from the infamous Hunter Biden laptop are authentic — nine months after it obtained them and a year and a half after the New York Post first reported on them.

drip, drip, drip...

JR

 

[hodad]

drip, drip, drip...

 

[scott2000]

I've always wondered if people can get addicted to power and lifestyles. Takes a lot of money to manage a few houses , maybe some vehicles, restaurants, trips and what not. I know regular enough people who are willing to take easy money over doing things the right way so they can pay their bills. Not the same thing, but it's not hard to imagine it can happen.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I don't suppose you've ever dealt with an addict who was a relative, in-law, or close friend. Teh way I describe it is that you have the normal brain, and then you have the addict brain. The normal brain likely is not without flaws, but within it is likely a person capable of compassion, concern, culpability, love--someone you likely love and even trust. But the addict brain will lie, cheat, steal, do whatever it takes to get what it needs--more drugs. The lies, the stealing, the tears, the emotional manipulation--the addict brain allows a person to do all that with skill and ease. I have no doubt that Hunter Biden was a slick operator when working to get people to give him money--that's the addict brain at work. But from what I've seen so far, the people he took money from didn't seem to get any benefit from his "help"--which probably shouldn't come as a surprise. They were, after all, dealing with a lying, scheming addict. What does he care if they benefit, just so long as he gets paid?

I am a couple chapters into reading the Schweizer book "Red Handed" that documents the years of business dealings by Hunter and associates with Chinese and multiple countries. This was not a junky stealing his parents jewelry to buy drugs but selling access to the White House. China has massive budgets for "elite capture" where they compromise family members of high level politicians. Hunter and James Biden have received on the order of $30+ Million.

(Of course, it's also worth noting that the Post could not verify more than a portion of the emails.

The paper said two security experts used cryptographic signatures from Google and other technology companies to validate nearly 22,000 emails from 2009 to 2019, including messages related to Hunter Biden’s controversial overseas business dealings.

Some verified emails involved a deal President Biden’s son pursued with the CEFC China Energy conglomerate for which he was paid nearly $5 million, according to the Washington Post.

Other verified emails related to his work for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, for which Hunter Biden was paid as much as $83,333 or a month, or $1 million a year.

Those deals are just the tip of the iceberg... Look at his secretive art (cough) sales

Mr Shaub, who was an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, wrote on Twitter: "So instead of disclosing who is paying outrageous sums for Hunter Biden's artwork so that we could monitor whether the purchasers are gaining access to government, the [White House] tried to make sure we will never know who they are.

"That's very disappointing."

I'm not yet convinced that everything on the laptop is genuine (its origin story is awfully hinky, and it's not unusual for kompromat to use something embarrassing and true to provide cover for the scurrilous lies and forgeries attached thereto.)

I appreciate this is inconvenient for your side, likely resulting in cognitive dissonance...

It would have been far more inconvenient if this news wasn't suppressed by big tech/media before the vote. This is the actual vote fraud. Accurate reporting of this news could have easily changed the election outcome. Suppression of this news was political contributions in kind.

I can't read minds but it appears the same people willing to believe the false Steele dossier, are reluctant to believe this actual evidence of massive influence pedaling and fraud (corruption). Many of the emails were confirmed by the recipients (Hunter's business associates).

As of now, I feel sympathy for Joe Biden for having to deal with the miseries of having a son in the throes of addiction. I've been close enough to addicts to know how frustrating and emotionally draining it can be--I can only imagine how difficult it is when it's your kid.

Your empathy is noted... I feel sorry for President Biden for multiple reasons. I have already shared my concern for his apparent mental decline, the death of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer (2015) is well known. His claim that he had no idea of Hunter's business dealings is difficult to believe (maybe he forgot?).

The sad reality is President Biden is likely compromised by foreign powers, ironic that this is what they accused ex-President Trump of. This evidence has been out there for some time, but the mainstream media is finally acknowledging it.

President Trump was impeached for so much less...

JR

 

[hodad]

The sad reality is President Biden is likely compromised by foreign powers,

"likely"--especially coming from a Dem-hater like you--is not "reality." It's what you hope is reality, but as long as it's "likely"--that is to say, you don't actually know--calling it "reality" is just wishful thinking on your part.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Do you find that repeating your arguments makes them more effective? Repetition is a useful for advertising.
===
The Chinese "elite capture" is a long game strategy where they accumulate useful influencers in high places.

Back in 2019 Former VP Joe Biden bragged about pressuring Ukraine to fire their top prosecutor who was investigating Burisma for corruption. Burisma is the Ukrainian energy company that employed Hunter Biden. Then VP Biden representing the Obama administration threatened to withhold $1B in foreign aid unless the prosecutor was fired. That kind of looks like a less than arm's length dealing to benefit a Hunter business associate.

The Biden family has been selling access for years, if that access was worthless they wouldn't have received $30M. The Chinese practice a policy called " big help with a little bad mouth". This means captured elites have the freedom to appear critical of China, as long as they show up to help the CCP when called upon.

==

It looks like CNN has stopped calling Hunter's laptop Russian disinformation. The informed speculation*** is suggesting that perhaps an indictment is coming for Hunter, so the lying media are joining the parade before that indictment news drops and embarrasses them even further.

JR

**** note: speculation is just that I do not know when or if an indictment might drop against Hunter, the speculation just helps explain the timing, while it may just be coincidence. I love a parade.

 

[Matador]

note: speculation is just that I do not know when or if an indictment might drop against Hunter, the speculation just helps explain the timing, while it may just be coincidence.

Your BDS and HDS seems to be ramping up in intensity these days.

This particular bit of Russian misinformation even has it's own Wikipedia page.

 

[hodad]

Do you find that repeating your arguments makes them more effective? Repetition is a useful for advertising.

Well, since you seemed not to understand, I figured I'd give it one more go.

Of course, one thing you conveniently forget is that, Steele dossier aside, Trump himself had dealings with Russian kleptocrats that make anything Hunter Biden was doing look minuscule in comparison. Hundreds of millions in various real estate transactions, as well as a burning desire to put a Trump hotel in Moscow.
The reality is that it was likely that Trump's actions as president were influenced by the millions that Putin's cronies had pumped into his pockets, as well as his desire to make even more.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Your BDS and HDS seems to be ramping up in intensity these days.

This particular bit of Russian misinformation even has it's own Wikipedia page.

then it must he disproved...wiki says so. I can just about decode your acronyms or initializations without a search.

Well, since you seemed not to understand, I figured I'd give it one more go.

thanks

Of course, one thing you conveniently forget is that, Steele dossier aside, Trump himself had dealings with Russian kleptocrats that make anything Hunter Biden was doing look minuscule in comparison. Hundreds of millions in various real estate transactions, as well as a burning desire to put a Trump hotel in Moscow.
The reality is that it was likely that Trump's actions as president were influenced by the millions that Putin's cronies had pumped into his pockets, as well as his desire to make even more.

show me the money honey.... Ex president Trump has been under a microscope for years, Biden's influence pedaling has been pretty much intentionally ignored, so far. I suspect that party is about to end.

Of course i could be wrong about that too.

JR

 

[hodad]

show me the money honey

In May 2018, Ivanka Trump’s business received approval for several new Chinese trademarks a week before President Trump announced that he wanted to lift the ban on the Chinese company ZTE, for violating US sanctions.

If it walks like a quid pro quo, if it quacks like a quid pro quo......

Ivanka Trump's Chinese Trademarks - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

 

[JohnRoberts]

That's a stretch, but good un...

JR

 

[Gold]

How about hiring your kid and her husband, neither who can pass security clearance, to jobs in the White House? I’d like to hear how that’s fine.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

How about hiring your kid and her husband, neither who can pass security clearance, to jobs in the White House? I’d like to hear how that’s fine.

It wasn't. And Kushner was clueless, provided bad advice. But he didn't have a decade of influence peddling behind him, either.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Well, since you seemed not to understand, I figured I'd give it one more go.

Of course, one thing you conveniently forget is that, Steele dossier aside, Trump himself had dealings with Russian kleptocrats that make anything Hunter Biden was doing look minuscule in comparison. Hundreds of millions in various real estate transactions, as well as a burning desire to put a Trump hotel in Moscow.
The reality is that it was likely that Trump's actions as president were influenced by the millions that Putin's cronies had pumped into his pockets, as well as his desire to make even more.

Please. Trump spent 50 years as a businessman. He did some international deals. He did one four year term as POTUS. Meanwhile Biden has been in "public service" for 50 years and somehow became very wealthy, got his son high paying foreign jobs, and entangled himself in several questionable foreign business deals, some while he was VP. Hardly comparable, despite what Don Lemon, Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow and rest tell you.

 

[Gold]

And Kushner was clueless, provided bad advice. But he didn't have a decade of influence peddling behind him, either.

He was smart enough to make foreign friends in high places. He’ll have a decade behind him in about ten years.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Maybe the NYT, WAPO, and CNN have gone over to the dark side...?

Or the other alternative is that these reports are true.

It's one or the other pick your poison.

Nothing I can say will change anybody's mind here... I am OK with that.

===

Here's an observation... Will Smith Just Bill Cosby'd himself...

Not as disgusting but he was the Hollywood golden boy who could do no wrong, until he did.

JR

 

[Gold]

There is nothing illegal about trading on contacts made while in office. Kushner has nothing to worry about. There is also nothing illegal about getting rich in office by any number of ways. If you do something illegal to get rich you have to be exceptionally greedy, stupid and unimaginative.

 

[hodad]

Or the other alternative is that these reports are true.

Okay. Looks like the whole CEFC thing occurred while Biden was neither in office nor running for office. So......who cares? At worst, access to Joe Biden the private citizen? And that would be making a giant leap of (bad) faith and assuming Joe Biden had anything to do with it.

Trump's business model prior to becoming president was to launder money for Russian oligarchs. You've already acquitted Trump of being influenced by those connections while in office, and yet Biden is somehow horribly corrupt for something his son did while Biden was not in office? Give me a break.

And out of curiosity, John: you've mentioned more than once that the relative lack of reporting on Hunter Biden's alleged laptop was the real election theft. I can't help but wonder if you are trying to use this as a way of excusing Trump's efforts to overturn the election. Is that where you, or the sources you get your information from are headed with this?

 

[JohnRoberts]

I wrote clearly... no need to make up stuff...

JR