More evidence Trump is unqualified to be president again

[Matt]

WSJ Editorial:

Donald Trump has a special talent for creating chaos that benefits no one except Donald Trump, and doesn’t even do that in the end. That’s the only way to understand his destructive intervention Wednesday on the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in Congress. “Kill FISA,” he wrote on Truth Social, and the House Republican dunce caucus obliged.

On Tuesday evening the House Rules Committee voted out a rule that would have allowed lawmakers to vote on renewing FISA along with substantive reforms. The proposed bill, a consensus project between the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, was written to improve safeguards for Americans in Section 702’s surveillance database, which lets intelligence agencies eavesdrop on the communications of foreigners overseas.

The bill was headed for a vote on the House floor where members would have voted up or down on amendments, including the requirement for a warrant for queries of American names within the FISA database. Instead, the rule lost, 193-228, with 19 Republicans voting no. The minority party typically doesn’t support the majority’s procedural votes, so Democrats also voted no.

Mr. Trump instructed Republicans to kill FISA because “IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!” Nice to know that the man who wants to become Commander in Chief again has his eye on his own revenge, rather than public safety.

Mr. Trump misses the main point of the FISA reform bill, which is to add new protections so surveillance can’t target Americans for political reasons. The bill includes stiff new criminal penalties for abuses by law enforcement agents and prohibits political appointees from approving FBI queries of the 702 database. It requires agents to get prior approval from the deputy FBI director to query for U.S. government officials or political or media organizations.

Mr. Trump’s claim that the FBI spied on his campaign refers to the bureau’s improper surveillance of 2016 adviser Carter Page, but that had nothing to do with Section 702 surveillance, which is a critical tool to protect U.S. national security from terrorists as threats are rising. The Page episode involved lying to the FISA court, and the current bill includes penalties for such false declarations.

Mr. Trump wants to “kill FISA,” and what does he think a second Trump Administration would do without it? Will it Make America Great Again if the country no longer has the ability to surveil terrorist communications in Yemen or Pakistan? A FISA failure would let President Biden blame Mr. Trump if there’s a terror attack, and it would leave a Trump Administration less able to protect Americans.

House Republicans were meeting Wednesday evening to find a way forward to renew some version of Section 702, which expires on April 19. But meantime the former President is reminding the country, in case anyone forgot, that on every policy decision his priority is always to put Donald J. Trump first.

Comment, BMW?

[zzand]

I don't know that I have ever seen a more paranoid human in my life. Dude, as Dr. Phil would say, it ain't about you.

[Matt]

BMW has a pattern where he ignores the indefensible.

[TC Talks]

BMW has a pattern where he ignores the indefensible.

X10

Maybe ihs logic and truth bending skills only go so far.

[bmw]

A "pattern"? LOL. I was out of state for 3 days and have been playing catch-up the past 3 days at work. My online time has been limited. Moreover, I ignored this particular thread without even clicking on it given that Matt has created at least 20 threads with the same theme. And now he's trolling me in another thread trying to get me to respond.

My response to this one is pretty simple. Despite not actually being in power, Trump apparently still holds power. I find it funny how people keep blaming Trump for sinking various pieces of legislation when he's not even a House member.

[Rate This]

A "pattern"? LOL. I was out of state for 3 days and have been playing catch-up the past 3 days at work. My online time has been limited. Moreover, I ignored this particular thread without even clicking on it given that Matt has created at least 20 threads with the same theme. And now he's trolling me in another thread trying to get me to respond.

My response to this one is pretty simple. Despite not actually being in power, Trump apparently still holds power. I find it funny how people keep blaming Trump for sinking various pieces of legislation when he's not even a House member.

What part of Trump can end the career of any Republican at any time and so when he says jump they say how high even if many of them don’t buy a whit of what he’s selling don’t you get?

They keep putting the blame on him for killing the various bills in the house because he’s the one who ordered they be killed.

[Matt]

A "pattern"? LOL. I was out of state for 3 days and have been playing catch-up the past 3 days at work. My online time has been limited. Moreover, I ignored this particular thread without even clicking on it given that Matt has created at least 20 threads with the same theme. And now he's trolling me in another thread trying to get me to respond.

My response to this one is pretty simple. Despite not actually being in power, Trump apparently still holds power. I find it funny how people keep blaming Trump for sinking various pieces of legislation when he's not even a House member.

You're effectively saying that my suggestion of you ignoring the indefensible is 100% correct. Ignore something that might make you uncomfortable or challenge your conscience.

[bmw]

No, what I'm effectively saying is that you're a troll. You came into another thread unrelated to this topic and did nothing more than troll me.

I stand by my claim that it is laughable to blame Trump for House bills sinking. He has freedom of speech, just like anybody else. He does not currently hold a position of power. The fact that he has some Republican House members wrapped around his finger is their problem and their constituents' problem, not his. Nobody put a gun to their head.

If anything, the news that should be coming out of this is just how broken Washington is. Democrats overwhelmingly support FISA. But they'd rather score political points by making Republicans look bad than they would by actually voting for something they otherwise support.

[Honeyman]

No, what I'm effectively saying is that you're a troll. You came into another thread unrelated to this topic and did nothing more than troll me.

I stand by my claim that it is laughable to blame Trump for House bills sinking. He has freedom of speech, just like anybody else. He does not currently hold a position of power. The fact that he has some Republican House members wrapped around his finger is their problem and their constituents' problem, not his. Nobody put a gun to their head.

If anything, the news that should be coming out of this is just how broken Washington is. Democrats overwhelmingly support FISA. But they'd rather score political points by making Republicans look bad than they would by actually voting for something they otherwise support.

So you don't think the recent border bill, written by a very conservative Republican, was killed strictly because of political purposes by Trump?

[radiofann]

No, what I'm effectively saying is that you're a troll. You came into another thread unrelated to this topic and did nothing more than troll me.

I stand by my claim that it is laughable to blame Trump for House bills sinking. He has freedom of speech, just like anybody else. He does not currently hold a position of power. The fact that he has some Republican House members wrapped around his finger is their problem and their constituents' problem, not his. Nobody put a gun to their head.

If anything, the news that should be coming out of this is just how broken Washington is. Democrats overwhelmingly support FISA. But they'd rather score political points by making Republicans look bad than they would by actually voting for something they otherwise support.

So you don't think the recent border bill, written by a very conservative Republican, was killed strictly because of political purposes by Trump?

The major concern is the allowed quota of 5000 per day free entry of god-knows-who across the border. It would literally setup waiting lines at both northern and southern border and foreign airport gates like at the deli counter “take a ticket or wristband” for entry.

And you know the federal govt can’t count worth a damn. Or manage programs. Or coordinate that 5000 illegal entrants across Canada border, southern border, or when Biden flies them in with no IDs fully paid flight right from numerous countries into American cities.

Say the target is 5000 a day. Fed govt will mismanage and mis-accounting it, it will end up 7500 per day, that’s 2.73 million per year.

Still way too high compared to recent lows during Obama and Trump administrations (see cbp.gov)

Ask NYC dealing with 150k plus recent arrivals. It’s busting their budgets leading to school cuts, police and library and services cuts. Mayor adams in a quandary with no federal help.

[Matt]

No, what I'm effectively saying is that you're a troll. You came into another thread unrelated to this topic and did nothing more than troll me.

I stand by my claim that it is laughable to blame Trump for House bills sinking. He has freedom of speech, just like anybody else. He does not currently hold a position of power. The fact that he has some Republican House members wrapped around his finger is their problem and their constituents' problem, not his. Nobody put a gun to their head.

If anything, the news that should be coming out of this is just how broken Washington is. Democrats overwhelmingly support FISA. But they'd rather score political points by making Republicans look bad than they would by actually voting for something they otherwise support.

It's pretty rich being called a troll by you, someone who is smart enough to see that Trump is a disease, but still willing to support the piece of shit blindly. The nonsense about the charges being the reason is just that - nonsense. You still have time to admit the truth that is right in your face. Have the courage to walk away from Trump.

[bmw]

So you don't think the recent border bill, written by a very conservative Republican, was killed strictly because of political purposes by Trump?

What part of "Trump didn't kill it" are you not understanding? He didn't cast a vote. House members cast votes. If those House members voted the way they did for purely political purposes (just like the House Democrats do every time the Republicans find themselves in a bind), then it is up to their constituents to give them the boot.

Just because someone has the power of persuasion doesn't mean they are responsible for the actions of those whom they persuaded. That falls on them.

[Honeyman]

So you don't think the recent border bill, written by a very conservative Republican, was killed strictly because of political purposes by Trump?

What part of "Trump didn't kill it" are you not understanding? He didn't cast a vote. House members cast votes. If those House members voted the way they did for purely political purposes (just like the House Democrats do every time the Republicans find themselves in a bind), then it is up to their constituents to give them the boot.

Just because someone has the power of persuasion doesn't mean they are responsible for the actions of those whom they persuaded. That falls on them.

That's all semantics and not at all reality as to the way present day American politics is run.

The thing is you know that, you just wont admit it. You figure if you use literal definitions, it proves your point. It doesn't, because the rest of us are living in the real world.

[Honeyman]

No, what I'm effectively saying is that you're a troll. You came into another thread unrelated to this topic and did nothing more than troll me.

I stand by my claim that it is laughable to blame Trump for House bills sinking. He has freedom of speech, just like anybody else. He does not currently hold a position of power. The fact that he has some Republican House members wrapped around his finger is their problem and their constituents' problem, not his. Nobody put a gun to their head.

If anything, the news that should be coming out of this is just how broken Washington is. Democrats overwhelmingly support FISA. But they'd rather score political points by making Republicans look bad than they would by actually voting for something they otherwise support.

So you don't think the recent border bill, written by a very conservative Republican, was killed strictly because of political purposes by Trump?

The major concern is the allowed quota of 5000 per day free entry of god-knows-who across the border. It would literally setup waiting lines at both northern and southern border and foreign airport gates like at the deli counter “take a ticket or wristband” for entry.

And you know the federal govt can’t count worth a damn. Or manage programs. Or coordinate that 5000 illegal entrants across Canada border, southern border, or when Biden flies them in with no IDs fully paid flight right from numerous countries into American cities.

Say the target is 5000 a day. Fed govt will mismanage and mis-accounting it, it will end up 7500 per day, that’s 2.73 million per year.

Still way too high compared to recent lows during Obama and Trump administrations (see cbp.gov)

Ask NYC dealing with 150k plus recent arrivals. It’s busting their budgets leading to school cuts, police and library and services cuts. Mayor adams in a quandary with no federal help.

Not arguing that there were issues with the bill. My point is it was clearly a step in the right direction, authored by a conservative Republican well-versed on the issue, and ONLY rejected because the leader of the cult told his minions not to vote for it so he could use the border as an issue.

[bmw]

Found this little gem from Matt in February of 2016:

Trump is unfit to be president, and that is why I cannot even consider voting for him. If he's the nominee, then we deserve Hillary or Bernie.

Fascinating, considering Matt would then go on to vote for Trump, TWICE.