(01-11-2017 11:52 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  

(01-11-2017 09:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  Just when I think things can't get any more bizarre...

I think Wolfgang Blau summed up my thoughts on the new Trump/Russia allegations:

"Rare that a story stinks from every possible angle: the source, the content, the consequence, the messenger, the target."

https://twitter.com/wblau/status/8189665...wsrc%5Etfw

Rumors of Trump having much closer ties to Russian oligarchs and mobsters than revealed previously have been around for a long time, as have rumors that he was caught in a "honeytrap" and the Russians had video. (Ewwww!) But they've mostly not been reported since they are just that, rumors.

I loath Trump and the think he is a grave threat to our country. But so is the idea of the intelligence services trying to take down a President - therefor I guess we should hope the allegations are true, because that's the least bad outcome for our democracy? I honestly don't know.

This sounds horrible --- but now that Hils will not be President I would not mind a removal of President Trump. In this cycle, *both* VP nominees were immeasurable improvements over the individuals that led the tickets, imo.

Kind of like back when Bentsen was the VP candidate, I remember saying it was really too bad that he was on the second slot as *that* pick would be both easier and would have changed my vote vis a vis party affiliation.

Given how the Republicans have done a three way split between normal, deep red social conservative (i.e. abortion is still a big litmus test), and this weird ass Trumpism, and how the Democrats have tacked at a left angle to port, I doubt you will see in the near future any moderate types at the front of tickets.

Kaine's debate performance was so bad, that I'm not sure that I would say he would be a marked improvement over Hillary, although for entirely different reasons. I think that as a President, Pence would be fine, but he's so polarizing to the left on social conservative issues that it will spill over into how the country supports him, even if there is no significant action on those social issues (i.e., he's focused on the issues associated with running the country).