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$40 million but you have to do him a favor though....

The US public have allowed Trump to create the most openly corrupt administration in living memory.

I hope they're proud of themselves...

[*] Excluding the current UK Administration.

Really!

They are a bunch of incompetent public school boys who are easily conned by "consultants" - but I do not believe they are actually corrupt.

Our shower of politicians (all of them: Tory, Labour, Libdem, SDP, etc) are infant schoolboys when it comes to corruption. Trump has won the Nobel Prize on that subject.

but I do not believe they are actually corrupt

You should read this: [1]It's taken just 12 months for Boris Johnson to create a government of sleaze

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/07/its-taken-just-12-months-for-boris-johnson-to-create-a-government-of-sleaze

"They are a bunch of incompetent public school boys who are easily conned by "consultants" - but I do not believe they are actually corrupt."

I strongly disagree. :)

In practice they are *very* competent at looking after themselves, their cliques, their donors, school chums, and their mates.

The evidence indicates that competence in their appointed role isn't actually necessary or required in order for them to continue to enjoy a successful career in government and politics.

In Today's UK government we are seeing are a bunch of ministers that are sponsored to enact particular policies by 'Thinktanks'. They don't actually need to have any competence or interest in the policies at all - their appointed "consultants"/SPADs are there to do the legwork for the 'Thinktanks' so they don't have to. Anyone stands in the way of the implementation of those policies because they put their duty to their appointed role before compliance with the wishes of the 'Thinktanks' are persecuted, hounded out or replaced with a malleable crony.

Not every politician follows this mode of operation, but sadly the current cabinet are very much on board with the 'Thinktanks' doing the policy making - all the folks who didn't toe the line have been forcibly removed.

It's now 244 years since the people of the United States freed themselves from the rule of George the Third. In 2016 they seem instead to have voted in Charles the First with his claim to the "Divine Right of Kings"

That did not go well for him and I hope and believe that Trump will duly get kicked out come November. There seems no end to what Trump dreams he has the power to do:

Pardon convicted criminals. Tick. See Roger Stone. OK. I know it was a commutation not a pardon but the principle still applies.

Rule by decree. Tick. See Executive Order ordering the investigation of Facebook, Google etc. concerning Sec. 230.

Pack regulatory bodies with sycophants and yes-men. Tick. See FCC.

Then there is the constant denigration, insults and sheer lies used against his supposed enemies many of whom have neither the power or ability to respond.

Finally there is the grotesque narcissism. Which tells me that not only did the US elect Charles l they also got Louis XIV thrown in for good measure. "L'état, C'est Moi."

Now this should only be of concern to the people of the USA but given the power and influence the US has over the rest of the world it becomes a problem for everyone.

I hope that common sense will prevail on election day and that we will all be freed from someone who has rightly been called "The most dangerous man on Earth."

You need more than luck, you need everyone who has a vote to ensure that they will be able the use that vote.

If some of the articles I have read are true, there are a lot of obstacles to the votes of certain parts of the electorate being either allowed or the voters even getting their registration in time.

Checking that you actually have a vote should be done as soon as possible.

Notice Kanye is running for president, with a lot of help from Republicans? Overlapping lawyers, and same Republican campaign groups?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West_2020_presidential_campaign

Picture the scene, election day, Kanye is demanding polling stations in black districts be closed, because 'his people's iz dying'. That would give Republicans cover to close those polling stations, with Kanye giving fake consent on behalf of 'his people'. Citing Coronavirus as excuse to close polling stations is something Republicans trial-ran in Ohio:

https://crawfordcountynow.com/local/polling-locations-for-primary-election-are-ordered-closed-by-ohio-health-director/

"Shortly after 10 p.m. Monday evening, Ohio Governor Mike Dewine announced on Twitter that Ohio Health Director Amy Acton will order all polling locations closed as a health emergency due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus."

First they ran a fake legal challenge, actually from Dewine, but using former State employees as front. That failed, they did it anyway using Amy Acton, nobody fought back, hence they've established their working precedent.

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Or, Trump undermines the mail-in ballots, they cannot be counted in time for the electoral college. Republicans submit a 100% Republican ticket, Dems sue, Kanye sues, Kavanaugh led kangeroo court agrees a 49% Republican, 49% Democrat, 2% Kanye "fair" result. Republicans shit themselves at how easy it was to take over US democracy.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/13/donald-trump-usps-post-office-election-funding

"Trump admits he is undermining USPS to make it harder to vote by mail"

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Or Trump issues some executive shit, and Bill Barr enforces it as if it was an actual legal document:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/08/trump-wants-to-cut-mail-in-voting-the-republican-machine-is-helping-him-392428

I suspect this election will come down to how much of a mob can be raised, and how many of that mob, Trump can kill. Yes kill. So many people dead already, just to keep the virus spreading till election time, what's a few thousand more.

The appointment of Louis DeJoy (Businessman and Republican fundraiser) as Postmaster General in May 2020 was obviously a deliberate move. And oh look, [1]The Post Office Is Deactivating Mail Sorting Machines Ahead of the Election

As Senator Patrick Leahy tweeted:

[2]Just to make sure it's not lost: The President wants to slow down mail delivery, such as prescription drugs for seniors and veterans, in order to make sure people can't vote in November.

This is beyond mere corruption. This is an outright attack on democracy.

[1] https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is-deactivating-mail-sorting-machines-ahead-of-the-election

[2] https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1293935845074972675

I think you are being rather harsh there.... on Charles 1

Pardon convicted criminals

Presidents have always had this power, its in the Constitution. He was within his right to pardon Roger Stone, even though it was totally unethical. Which shows that the open ended language in the Constitution should be tightened up, but then again he's exposed a lot of flaws inherent in the system if you put a slimeball with no principles and no shame in the oval office.

I would not be surprised to see him issue a blanket pardon for himself and his demon spawn on his way out the White House gates this January. Fortunately he can only pardon federal crimes, not state crimes like those currently being investigated by the state of NY. I think it would set a bad precedent to put a former president behind bars, unless he's committed murder or something. But I'd have no problem whatsoever with sending his kids there if they're found culpable for the crimes currently being investigated in connection with Trump's business.

I bet it is instead used for free by the Trump team to optimally influence that part of the republican voter base that is still locked in the alterate FOX universe.

Because who cares about a pandemic when there are elections to win?

Terrible that Lizard folk do not even bother to change their names under the Trump regime.

That's where the US lies for now.