Selfishly, I hope another term with Trump as President doesn't eventuate - I'd like to eat American oranges again. At present I'm boycotting all exports from the US because of the tariffs. The only exceptions are my medications.
It amuses me that the best known Canadian in popular culture is more likely to eviscerate people with his claws (in a family friendly way) than to be polite.
Trump has, however, achieved the near impossible: made the Canadians so angry they have stopped being polite...
I thought Canadians stopped being polite only when they were about to invent new war crimes. Should we be concerned?
Is the war-crimes thing a widely known trope in Europe etc? I think I can say with assurance that I had never heard of it until post-2022, because I know it was on a message board I wasn't following till then.
It amuses me that the best known Canadian in popular culture is more likely to eviscerate people with his claws (in a family friendly way) than to be polite.
There's also, of course, the national sport epitomized by the breaking of a Russian players' ankles as a deliberate move to take their star player out of the tournament.
Reports are while campaigning for Darlene Graham at Myrtle beach Trump remarked: "Pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot... Just come and vote. It's so important."
Yes, a lot of people will be pretending you are on the ballot. The House will become Democratic, and now it is likely the Senate will too (though not a supermajority).
Okay, so far as I've been following this Natalie Harp discussion...
Ossoff said as a detail in a longer speech that Trump likes to "travel with Natalie".
Some media took this as an opportunity to inform their customers of the existence of Natalie Harp, a devoted assistant of Trump, with at least one outlet(that I saw) presenting her as Trump's romantic partner.
After a day or so, the media narrative shifted somewhat from romantic speculation to detailing how supposedly weird Ms. Harp is in her devotion(romantic or otherwise) to Donald Trump, AND claims that the administration was in a state of panic over the issue.
But where exactly is all this supposed to be going?
Trump is pretty clearly beyond embarrassment in regards to his private life, and his followers don't care about or might even admire his behaviour. And if the point is that Ms. Harp's veneration seems pathological, well, people have been pointing out the cultic nature of MAGA since the movement emerged, but all the ridicule hasn't done much to thwart its rise and eventual hegemony.
My usual fallback would be that it's the "state of panic" that's the ultimate relevant outcome, with the hype diverting the GOP's attention and resources from other fronts. Though that would have to assume the Republicans themselves see the scandal as damaging.
He...travel(s) with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.
I will say that I think it's odd that "Is Natalie Harp a weirdo?" has been the primary issue that people have milked from this quote, as opposed to, say, "Should the POTUS be flying around in a plane gifted by the very regime that many of his own supporters claim to be a major sponsor of anti-American activity?"
(Admittedly, that second issue has been around for awhile, without drawing much interest outside the commited anti-Trump crowd.)
Trump has, however, achieved the near impossible: made the Canadians so angry they have stopped being polite...
I thought Canadians stopped being polite only when they were about to invent new war crimes. Should we be concerned?
Do rolling blackouts and gas at $8 /gallon count as war crimes?
That's Canada's ace in the hole, cutting off energy exports.
LET THE YANKEE BASTARDS FREEZE IN THE DARK!!
For non-initiates:
In the early 1980s energy wars, right-wing Alberta rowdies used that slogan(with "Eastern" instead of "Yankee") as a demand for Alberta to cut off energy exports to eastern Canada, a threat which never really materialized.
The slogan was supposed to be especially prevalent on bumper-stickers, though in my experience it was more quoted than actually seen. The general sentiment was common enough.
Trump has, however, achieved the near impossible: made the Canadians so angry they have stopped being polite...
I thought Canadians stopped being polite only when they were about to invent new war crimes. Should we be concerned?
Do rolling blackouts and gas at $8 /gallon count as war crimes?
That's Canada's ace in the hole, cutting off energy exports.
LET THE YANKEE BASTARDS FREEZE IN THE DARK!!
For non-initiates:
In the early 1980s energy wars, right-wing Alberta rowdies used that slogan(with "Eastern" instead of "Yankee") as a demand for Alberta to cut off energy exports to eastern Canada, a threat which never really materialized.
The slogan was supposed to be especially prevalent on bumper-stickers, though in my experience it was more quoted than actually seen. The general sentiment was common enough.
It may come to that. The difference this time is that Trump made open Annexation threats and thus made it personal. It's not business anymore. This is also why world leaders cannot run off at the mouth.
I will say that I think it's odd that "Is Natalie Harp a weirdo?" has been the primary issue that people have milked from this quote, as opposed to, say, "Should the POTUS be flying around in a plane gifted by the very regime that many of his own supporters claim to be a major sponsor of anti-American activity?"
We've all already heard about the plane. We haven't all already heard about Natalie Harp. A person in his inner circle who is frequently the last person in the room (which always matters but especially matters with someone as ill-informed as Trump), a person who is feeding him information and/or misinformation every day, a person who has access to quite a bit or perhaps all of what comes across Trump's desk -- who sounds like a complete nut job and who has no security clearance.
I will say that I think it's odd that "Is Natalie Harp a weirdo?" has been the primary issue that people have milked from this quote, as opposed to, say, "Should the POTUS be flying around in a plane gifted by the very regime that many of his own supporters claim to be a major sponsor of anti-American activity?"
We've all already heard about the plane. We haven't all already heard about Natalie Harp. A person in his inner circle who is frequently the last person in the room (which always matters but especially matters with someone as ill-informed as Trump), a person who is feeding him information and/or misinformation every day, a person who has access to quite a bit or perhaps all of what comes across Trump's desk -- who sounds like a complete nut job and who has no security clearance.
So yeah, she's the focus at the moment.
Fair points, especially on the lack of a security clearance. Though I will note that Ossoff didn't aim his comment in that direction, he just said that Trump and Harp travel together, and left everyone to draw whatever conclusions they want from that.
My guess is Ossoff deliberately confined his mention of Harp to "travel(s) with Natalie" in the hope that people would fill in the blanks with the most carnal implications, thus ensuring wider attention to the overall issue of Harp's presence in Trump's inner circle.
FWIW, out of three CNN pieces I read about this, not one mentioned the issue of a security clearance, though I did see an MSNOW article about that.
Comments
And to think there were Democrats who thought they were being real edgy by adopting Cohen's "Von Schitzenpantz" as an insulting nickname for Trump.
Why would we want to get along with our biggest trade partner, the peaceful country on the other side of the world's longest undefended border?
Anything to divert attention from The War...
I'm so tired of this individual.
Cunning is perhaps overstating it.
I thought Canadians stopped being polite only when they were about to invent new war crimes. Should we be concerned?
Is the war-crimes thing a widely known trope in Europe etc? I think I can say with assurance that I had never heard of it until post-2022, because I know it was on a message board I wasn't following till then.
There's also, of course, the national sport epitomized by the breaking of a Russian players' ankles as a deliberate move to take their star player out of the tournament.
Yes, a lot of people will be pretending you are on the ballot. The House will become Democratic, and now it is likely the Senate will too (though not a supermajority).
Your ass is grass, sir.
You know what they say about counting chickens before they hatch. Doing that has landed Democrats’ with egg on their faces far too many times.
Still very much a toss-up.
Ossoff said as a detail in a longer speech that Trump likes to "travel with Natalie".
Some media took this as an opportunity to inform their customers of the existence of Natalie Harp, a devoted assistant of Trump, with at least one outlet(that I saw) presenting her as Trump's romantic partner.
After a day or so, the media narrative shifted somewhat from romantic speculation to detailing how supposedly weird Ms. Harp is in her devotion(romantic or otherwise) to Donald Trump, AND claims that the administration was in a state of panic over the issue.
But where exactly is all this supposed to be going?
Trump is pretty clearly beyond embarrassment in regards to his private life, and his followers don't care about or might even admire his behaviour. And if the point is that Ms. Harp's veneration seems pathological, well, people have been pointing out the cultic nature of MAGA since the movement emerged, but all the ridicule hasn't done much to thwart its rise and eventual hegemony.
My usual fallback would be that it's the "state of panic" that's the ultimate relevant outcome, with the hype diverting the GOP's attention and resources from other fronts. Though that would have to assume the Republicans themselves see the scandal as damaging.
I will say that I think it's odd that "Is Natalie Harp a weirdo?" has been the primary issue that people have milked from this quote, as opposed to, say, "Should the POTUS be flying around in a plane gifted by the very regime that many of his own supporters claim to be a major sponsor of anti-American activity?"
(Admittedly, that second issue has been around for awhile, without drawing much interest outside the commited anti-Trump crowd.)
Do rolling blackouts and gas at $8 /gallon count as war crimes?
That's Canada's ace in the hole, cutting off energy exports.
LET THE YANKEE BASTARDS FREEZE IN THE DARK!!
In the early 1980s energy wars, right-wing Alberta rowdies used that slogan(with "Eastern" instead of "Yankee") as a demand for Alberta to cut off energy exports to eastern Canada, a threat which never really materialized.
The slogan was supposed to be especially prevalent on bumper-stickers, though in my experience it was more quoted than actually seen. The general sentiment was common enough.
It may come to that. The difference this time is that Trump made open Annexation threats and thus made it personal. It's not business anymore. This is also why world leaders cannot run off at the mouth.
We've all already heard about the plane. We haven't all already heard about Natalie Harp. A person in his inner circle who is frequently the last person in the room (which always matters but especially matters with someone as ill-informed as Trump), a person who is feeding him information and/or misinformation every day, a person who has access to quite a bit or perhaps all of what comes across Trump's desk -- who sounds like a complete nut job and who has no security clearance.
So yeah, she's the focus at the moment.
Have you heard of #metoo ? *cough* sexual harassment and grooming *cough*
Fair points, especially on the lack of a security clearance. Though I will note that Ossoff didn't aim his comment in that direction, he just said that Trump and Harp travel together, and left everyone to draw whatever conclusions they want from that.
My guess is Ossoff deliberately confined his mention of Harp to "travel(s) with Natalie" in the hope that people would fill in the blanks with the most carnal implications, thus ensuring wider attention to the overall issue of Harp's presence in Trump's inner circle.
FWIW, out of three CNN pieces I read about this, not one mentioned the issue of a security clearance, though I did see an MSNOW article about that.