A story about a pathetic man's downfall [34 Felony Convictions]

[tx 3 putt 76,905]

hot Cheeto 

[Red Five 40,852]

What an amazing feeling it must be, to know you can ramble on about any nonsensical thing that enters your brain…. and the next day you’ll still be the odds on favorite to be the next President.

[Francisco 2.0 32,389]

8 minutes ago, Red Five said:

What an amazing feeling it must be, to know you can ramble on about any nonsensical thing that enters your brain…. and the next day you’ll still be the odds on favorite to be the next President.

Futher, what an amazing feeling it must be to know you can ramble on about any nonsensical thing that enters your brain and people---adults!---are perfectly willing to believe it, worship it, praise it, and proclaim your genius.

Leading a cult has to be fucking fantastic.

 

 

Edited June 25 by Francisco 2.0

[Biff Tannen 45,673]

5 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Futher, what an amazing feeling it must be to know you can ramble on about any nonsensical thing that enters your brain and people---adults!---are perfectly willing to believe it, worship it, praise it, and proclaim your genius.

Leading a cult has to be fucking fantastic.

 

 

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11,669]

it "feels" like the state gerrymander should be the other way these days.  states like OK and AR and every other shithole are just uniform right wing concentrations.  that seems to be much more common than that on the lefty side.  just DC.  so if you have a 50-50 electorate, you end up diluting your 50% by piling them in certain states.  i guess the +2 EC votes you get for each state balances that out though. 

[Red Five 40,852]

17 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Futher, what an amazing feeling it must be to know you can ramble on about any nonsensical thing that enters your brain and people---adults!---are perfectly willing to believe it, worship it, praise it, and proclaim your genius.

Leading a cult has to be fucking fantastic.

 

 

And even further, to know that not only is your opponent not held to the same (non) standard, he must speak and behave perfectly. Too long of a pause? A stutter? Not fit for President! Meanwhile, you can ramble on about toilets or sharks or how hot you are, and no one cares. 

[YGIFS 19,450]

I had another bowl of this new high fiber cereal from Trader Joe's this morning and had a 'Toilet Shark' of my own.  

Lobo's bowels were angry that day my friends.  Like an old Trump sending back a boat battery at a Marina.  

[Francisco 2.0 32,389]

 

 

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,510]

Another loss for Trump. He endorsed a pastor, Mark Burns, to win a SC GOP congressional seat and Burns lost the GOP runoff tonight. Is Team Trump getting sick of all of this winning over the last 6 years?

I'm under no illusion that the winner is much better in terms of the GOP but it once again shows that Trump's endorsement is of questionable value.

still it was a close race: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/25/us/elections/results-south-carolina-us-house-3.html and the winner of the GOP primary is almost ceertainly going to win the seat in Nov.

Edited June 26 by Nice Guy Eddie

[GenXer 2,850]

On 6/24/2024 at 2:59 PM, Francisco 2.0 said:

Seems appropriate.

They Came to See Trump. First They Heard a Pitch to Buy Gold and Silver.
At a recent campaign speech, one of Donald Trump’s warm-up acts was a precious metals salesman being sued by federal regulators for fraud.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/24/us/they-came-to-see-trump-first-they-heard-a-pitch-to-buy-gold-and-silver.html

 

A Turning Point Action conference in Detroit in June. The group has helped rally conservatives for Donald J. Trump.

 

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Mr. Spellane’s place on the Detroit stage offers a window into how Charlie Kirk, a young conservative activist and media personality who is close to both Mr. Trump and his son Donald Jr., has blended commerce and politics to transform a fringe initiative into a juggernaut with sweeping influence in right-wing circles. Turning Point Action, an advocacy group, and Turning Point USA, a charitable organization, were each created by Mr. Kirk and have each helped rally conservatives behind Mr. Trump.

This year, Turning Point Action says it plans to spend over $100 million to turn out voters in three battleground states.

The groups’ highly polished, multimillion-dollar events, which have drawn thousands to convention halls in Phoenix, West Palm Beach and elsewhere, are underwritten by corporate sponsors, who gain access to potential customers.

Alexander Spellane has pledged more than one $1 million to Turning Point groups. In May, he announced that Turning Point USA had appointed him to its advisory board

 

Fisher Capital was a top level sponsor at a recent Turning Point Action conference in Detroit, typically requiring a donation of at least $250,000

 

While some political groups try to steer clear of corporate sponsors that might prompt blowback from politicians or other donors, the Fisher Capital example shows that Turning Point leaders are willing to look the other way to reel in cash, said Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. He described Turning Point’s attitude as “as long as the check clears, I’m good.”

“It is an incestuous relationship between the folks with the money and the folks who want the money,” said Mr. Steele, a frequent Trump critic.

Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point spokesman, said the opposite was true. “There is no lack of scrutiny to ensure we’re always abiding by relevant regulations and laws,” he said. Turning Point leaders learned of the fraud claims against Fisher Capital more than a year ago, he said, and “and felt satisfied with their explanation at the time.”

“We live in a country where you are presumed innocent, and we extend that presumption to sponsors and their teams as well,” he said.

Another group that has sponsored Turning Point events is New Federal State of China, a organization that says it is dedicated to overthrowing the Chinese Communist Party. The organization has helped finance two recent annual conferences, including one in December, 10 months after prosecutors charged the group’s founder, Guo Wengui, with defrauding thousands of investors of more than $1 billion with bogus cryptocurrency deals and other schemes.

Mr. Guo has said he is innocent. Mr. Kolvet said Turning Point had no agreement with the New Federal State of China to sponsor future events.

Mr. Trump himself has been found to engage in deceptive business practices. He was convicted late last month on felony charges of falsifying business records. Last year, in a civil case in New York, he was found liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth.

Mr. Spellane and Fisher Capital have asked a judge to dismiss the federal complaint, arguing that the regulatory agency has no jurisdiction to sue and no evidence of fraud. The firm disclosed its fees to customers and operated “in a similar vein as any retailer in this country,” according to its motion to dismiss. Mr. Spellane did not respond to questions for this article.

Turning Point has only strengthened its relationship with Mr. Spellane since the federal complaint was filed in April 2023. The Detroit conference was the third event the firm has helped finance since then, including an annual conference in December in Phoenix, which drew an estimated 13,000 people.

Mr. Spellane pledged $1 million to Turning Point USA at a February gathering at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s Florida resort, and later announced that the group had appointed him to its advisory board.

In Detroit, Mr. Spellane played up his Turning Point ties, saying, “That’s why we are here for the third year in a row.” He ended with: “Give it up for Donald Trump, everybody!”

Listening with interest was Jeff Strasser, 57, a former carpenter and truck driver who had traveled more than two hours from Northern Michigan to hear Mr. Trump. Mr. Strasser said he was intrigued by Mr. Spellane’s statement that anyone who stopped by the Fisher Capital booth in the adjoining hall would be eligible for up to $10,000 in free silver.

Jeff Strasser, left, a conference attendee from Michigan, listened to a pitch from Fisher Capital salesman.

He came away from the booth thinking a precious metal investment was a slam dunk.  “You kind of have to be a fool not to want to do it,” he said, adding “I’m talking about maybe switching my whole 401(k) over to it.”

Ian Sangster, a Fisher account executive, said about 50 people stopped by over the weekend, some of whom signed up for a follow-up sales pitch.

Asked if Mr. Spellane’s backstage photos with Mr. Trump would be a selling point for Fisher Capital, Mr. Sangster said: “Yeah. It’s pretty cool, right?”

Both Fisher Capital and New Federal State of China have ties to high-profile Trump allies. Fisher Capital’s spokesman is Roger Stone, a Trump associate who was convicted in 2019 of lying to Congress and witness tampering. He was later pardoned by Mr. Trump.

Mr. Guo founded the New Federal State of China with Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump strategist and keynote speaker at many Turning Point events. Neither the group nor Mr. Bannon was charged in Mr. Guo’s fraud case. Mr. Bannon was named as a co-conspirator.

Mr. Bannon was charged in a separate criminal case with swindling donors in a supposed effort to finance a wall on the Mexico border. He pleaded not guilty and was pardoned by Mr. Trump before his trial. He now faces state charges in New York stemming from the same effort. He was convicted of contempt of Congress after refusing to testify about efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and is scheduled to begin serving a four-month prison sentence next week.

Mr. Spellane is a relative newcomer to the Trump political world. Just 31, he never registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to trade precious metals, as required, the agency says. Its complaint, filed less than three years after Fisher Capital opened in 2020, said the operation was meant to trick older, unsophisticated investors into swapping their retirement savings for gold and silver coins priced as high as 200 percent over their market value. The company is not connected to Fisher Investments, a Texas-based firm.

Targeting Christian conservatives was central to the scheme, according to the complaint. Salespeople falsely claimed that Fisher had teamed up with conservative media personalities — who were not named — to protect customers from a looming retirement crisis, it said.

James A. Simpson Jr., an evangelical pastor from western Ohio who visited Fisher Capital’s booth at the conference, said that the Turning Point imprimatur “absolutely” bestowed credibility on the company.

After learning of the fraud claims, Mr. Simpson, 61, said he would have hoped that Mr. Kirk, Turning Point’s founder, “would have diligently done some research as far as whether he felt the allegations were valid or not” before giving Mr. Spellane an opportunity to drum up customers. He said he would be very cautious about pursuing any investment.

Regulators are seeking to permanently bar Mr. Spellane and Fisher Capital from trading commodities like precious metals and to recoup money investors lost. Steven Adamske, a spokesman for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said the agency’s lawsuit was moving slowly, like most such cases.

Typically, by the time government lawyers are able to shut down an operation, “the money is already gone,” he said.

 

What? No timeshare pitch?

That would be a money printing enterprise. Sell some shithole custodial closet at every trump property.

Edited June 27 by GenXer

[Gatorubet 30,211]

On 6/25/2024 at 12:00 PM, Francisco 2.0 said:

Futher, what an amazing feeling it must be to know you can ramble on about any nonsensical thing that enters your brain and people---adults!---are perfectly willing to believe it, worship it, praise it, and proclaim your genius.

Leading a cult has to be fucking fantastic.

Now - Imagine how the cult reacts seems to a supreme narcissist.  That has to feel better than when Lou Reeds’s man finally arrived. 

[Slacks 6,819]

On 6/22/2024 at 4:17 PM, tx 3 putt said:

 

Ya know.... I started enjoying crazy Dubya's rambles. This guy is starting to entertain me. 

I'm falling for it, aren't I?

[miguelito 11,262]

[Slacks 6,819]

On 6/24/2024 at 5:02 PM, tx 3 putt said:

Debate - rigged
2020 election - rigged
2022 election - rigged 
Academy Awards - rigged
Pulitzers - rigged
Trump U case - rigged
Carroll trial - rigged
Election lawsuits - rigged
Criminal trial - rigged
Rudy trial - rigged
Bannon & Navarro trials - rigged
J6 Committee- rigged
Civil fraud trial - rigged
Polls - rigged

Everything is rigged!!!

I am also rigged.

I dare you.

[Biff Tannen 45,673]

19 minutes ago, Slacks said:

Ya know.... I started enjoying crazy Dubya's rambles. This guy is starting to entertain me. 

I'm falling for it, aren't I?

I actually have caught myself a couple of times. It’s just been a part of our lives for so long now and it’s so absurd that sometimes I have to laugh. If the consequences weren’t so dire, it would be a smidge entertaining.  

[miguelito 11,262]

[C-Man 27,214]

[YGIFS 19,450]

Isaac Chroner, "We worship he, who walks behind the ruses.  He wants you too, Malachai!"  

[tx 3 putt 76,905]

 

[DigglerontheHoof 21,186]

14 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

[BamaATL 16,593]

20 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

Just seeing Quayle at this points reminds me that Mike Pence called him as to what to do about the delegate plot on Jan 6.  The fact that this bonehead may well have helped saved democracy 30 years after this is flat amazing.  

[Red Five 40,852]

13 minutes ago, BamaATL said:

Just seeing Quayle at this points reminds me that Mike Pence called him as to what to do about the delegate plot on Jan 6.  The fact that this bonehead may well have helped saved democracy 30 years after this is flat amazing.  

Misspelling a word was the biggest political news story of the year.

If Dotard misspelled potato then the debate would instantly be whether we should change the spelling of the word to "potatoe". 

[MissingInAction 25,037]

Ok, brotato.

[Brisketexan 105,095]

19 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Misspelling a word was the biggest political news story of the year.

If Dotard misspelled potato then the debate would instantly be whether we should change the spelling of the word to "potatoe". 

Man.....this post is painfully 100% dead-on balls accurate.

[NAVY 6,740]

2 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Ok, brotato.

That’d be a great new Radiohead album 

[YGIFS 19,450]

Yeah, I remember an interview printed a few years back where Woody Harrelson talks about his encounters with Mike Pence in college.  And it made me think about the time Dan Quayle rolled through my college campus during the Florida governor's race.  The guy across the hall from me  (Nate) was from Indiana and dated Quayle's daughter through out high school and they remained on good terms.  So  he invites me to go with him and Dan and his entourage to Steak 'n Shake for lunch.  I didn't say much, just listened.  Dan came across as you would expect, a dumbass, but an educated and patriotic dumbass.  To learn that 25 years later, he played a prominent role in saving our Democratic Republic blows my mind.  

Mike Pence basically did a gameshow "Phone-a-Friend" to Dan Quayle, who miraculously got the answer right to prevent a literal gameshow host from illegally seizing power over our country.  And I stood in line with Dan while he inquired with the cashier if they could put the chili directly onto a basket of french friend potatoes.  I should have known at that moment, that none of this was real.  But I was young and dumb.  I'm still dumb, but I at least became self-aware.  

Last week, I was at a breakfast roundtable with some people most of you would despise.  But had to do it for work.  A few seats over from me was Jack Ryan.  Jack doesn't take his Star Trek wife to sex clubs against her wishes, Obama doesn't win that Senate seat (at least in that timeframe).  Obama doesn't win the Senate seat then (he would have eventually), he doesn't beat Hillary in 2008 and go on to serve two terms as POTUS.  Trump doesn't get the birther movement/grilling at Correspondent's dinner.  Trump likely still rouses up the demented disenfranchised base, but doesn't have enough momentum to beat an incumbent McCain or Romney or even a Jeb Bush, who lost the 1994 Florida Governor's race that Dan Quayle visited Central Florida and took me to lunch.  Signs and Wonders, folks.  Signs and Wonders.  Like my dad always told me, you're not special, but you are different.  When you see what no one else sees... 

[Native Horn 3,500]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

I mean, Dotard says "it's 112."  Stern appears to agree.  Jesus man, it's not 112.  

[mchookem 16,327]

On 6/22/2024 at 12:25 PM, TheStoicPaisano said:

 

 

[YGIFS 19,450]

Trump gotta flip that shit, topsy-turvy that mother-fucking moderator.  Reverse that shit: 

 

[Bullneck 19,078]

 

 

[Slacks 6,819]

2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

am i drunk? I heard the right answer ONCE from Stern and everyone else was so wrong that he got talked out of it. 

[Red Five 40,852]

God damn. Multiply 17 times three and double it. This is very easy math and I'm not the greatest at math. 

[Biff Tannen 45,673]

2 minutes ago, Red Five said:

God damn. Multiply 17 times three and double it. This is very easy math and I'm not the greatest at math. 

And then cut it in half…and double it!

[Slacks 6,819]

7 minutes ago, Red Five said:

God damn. Multiply 17 times three and double it. This is very easy math and I'm not the greatest at math. 

That you, Coach Prime?

[Pato del Muerto 52,489]

8 minutes ago, Red Five said:

God damn. Multiply 17 times three and double it. This is very easy math and I'm not the greatest at math. 

6x10 + 6x7

[MissingInAction 25,037]

Tree fiddy is the only acceptable answer.

[Sawbonz 27,546]

3 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

This is stupid. 
 

Hey, look at all the number sense nerds 

Edited June 27 by Sawbonz

[Red Five 40,852]

10 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

6x10 + 6x7

My brain does not work that way.

[Pato del Muerto 52,489]

Just now, Red Five said:

My brain does not work that way.

Funny because using your way, the way I would handle 17x3 is 30+21. 

[Red Five 40,852]

I double 17, add another 17, and then double that. 

Typing it out makes me sound like a crazy person, but I got the right number in about one second. 

[C-Man 27,214]

God damn. Multiply 17 times three and double it. This is very easy math and I'm not the greatest at math. 

Sounds an awful lot like that commie core maths

[That Guy 955]

I just ask my quant. Why you guys even trying to math on your own. 

[TheStoicPaisano 9,922]

5 minutes ago, That Guy said:

I just ask my quant. Why you guys even trying to math on your own. 

To keep my mind limber. 

Edited June 27 by TheStoicPaisano

[Gatorubet 30,211]

I just tell them that I forgot my slide rule. 

[HornPhD 1,368]

[royiv 9,286]

Use the Missy Elliott method. Flip it and reverse it.

[Beantown Express 2.0 6,559]

41 minutes ago, That Guy said:

I just ask my quant. Why you guys even trying to math on your own. 

One of the best scenes from one of the best movies in the last decade.

 

 

 

[Biff Tannen 45,673]

I have a got damn calculator on my phone. 

[YGIFS 19,450]

Any one of them could have just used common core math as a shortcut, which is also the long way.  10X6, and then 7X6 and add 'em.  A normal person moves in between mathematical systems.  Sometimes you just know it by rote, sometimes by breaking down a problem into a smaller parts, sometimes up-counting/down-counting, sometimes just 'writing' out the equation in our head and taking a moment to visualize the solution as if it were on paper.  

Or sometimes you just yell a falsehood loud and frequently enough, and people follow along.  Like a tariff on bleach.  

Also, Sarah Cooper has gotten quite busty since I last saw her.  She have an onlyfans page?  

[WhatTheBuck 28,776]

50 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

I have a got damn calculator on my phone. 

Do you need to use it to calculate 17 x 6?