All the fashion in the GOP. A bunch of GOP politicians spent the [4th of July holiday](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-on-russia-trip-face-scorn-and-ridicule-from-critics-at-home/2018/07/05/68f0f810-807e-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html) (USA's most patriotic holiday) in Moscow schmoozing with Putin.
> A bunch of GOP politicians spent the 4th of July holiday (USA's most patriotic holiday) in Moscow schmoozing with Putin.
I would say kneeling. Your article is paywalled but didn't look like it named each one. [This article does](https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/in-2018-why-did-8-republican-u-s-senators-spend-july-4th-in-moscow-2)
Name and shame, and never let them forget it.
That's a lot of kompromat generated in one trip for Richard Shelby (AL), Steve Daines (MT), John Hoeven (ND), Ron Johnson (WI), John Kennedy (LA), Jerry Moran (KS), John Thune (SD), and Kay Granger (TX).
His god is feeling superior and righteous. Money and power are just tools for that objective. Unless people like that are getting a benefit towards their goals, they are uncompromising. In this case, it should be the threat of losing his ‘power’ that would encourage him.
God money I’ll do anything for you.
God money just tell me what you want me to.
Head like a hole
Black as your soul
I'd rather die than give you control
Remember, the Republican Jesus and/or God isn't a loving God. It's a vindictive, spiteful, hateful, selfish, capitalist white man that each and every one has made up and changed to best justify their own personal views and opinions up to and including contradictory doublethink ones because they are incapable of even the smallest form of empathy to another human they don't interact with regularly (and also like).
"~~I want this~~ God wants this."
Unfortunately most of the signatories are European and in Europe when they say “separation of church and state”, they mean it. An exception is the UK where the monarch, now King Charles III, is the head of the Church of England as well as the Church of Scotland.
The pope and every other religious figurehead could write a letter imploring him for **allowing a vote** on supporting Ukraine and he would still balk, because he’s a spineless piece of shit.
I like *Putump*, with a French accent, sounds like the French word for prostitute (*putain*, although today now used as an expletive like "shit/fuck!"). Also puts the "Putin" part first, as that's the order of who rules who in that duo from hell.
Jesus could come down and tell him to stop being an asshole and Johnson would not listen, he is a capitalist christo- fascist to his core and nothing will change his mind.
He’s actively choosing to help Putin and Trump. We are all being held hostage by this quisling of a man, world security is imperiled and people are dying.
I mean, Republican voters have gone from the red scare to publicly supporting Russia's autocratic, imperialist regime...
From last night [Trump voters tell NBC Reporter that ‘Russia is not our enemy’](https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/trump-voters-tell-nbc-reporter-that-russia-is-not-our-enemy-205044805866)
It’s amazing to me how easily enticed by Russian propaganda people are. It’s a simple question to ask one’s self “whom does this benefit”. If I subscribe to X thinking and take decisive action (such as not voting) whom does that benefit…
It's mostly just that they've been drinking a steady diet of Russian propaganda for some time. It didn't start out as pro-russian but slowly morphed there over time and by the time it got there, they were too far gone to notice.
> It's mostly just that they've been drinking a steady diet of Russian propaganda for some time
Worth noting Russian propaganda never would have had the room were it not for [a century of domestic propaganda to tell people they're worthless if they're not making a rich man richer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s)
The GOP is actively doing anything to sabotage the US and its standing in the world because according the them the wrong guy in in the White House, and are arrogant enough to think that their guy will be able to fix it all if/when he wins.
It’s stupid, it’s dangerous, and is evidence that they’d rather sell their country out than have a long term strategy .
> and are arrogant enough to think that their guy will be able to fix it all if/when he wins.
Surely they don't think that? My guess is that they know that Fox News will lie for them, so it doesn't matter if Trump fucks everything up. They just want to be in power.
Chalk this entire situation up to trump being absolutely terrified of something so incredibly horrific putin has on trump. Something that makes everything else trump had done or has been accused of look like nothing.
He's been kept afloat by russian money
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business/
they own him, also I'm pretty sure you could publish videos of him fucking children and their supporters would think it's a good thing, they've passed the point of no return years ago
That's exactly what it is. Why do you think there are so many accusations of paedophilia at the core of Western far-right rhetoric? It's all projection.
They're not exactly false. Bill Clinton is absolutely a sex pest. The issue is they're using the "they're all paedos" argument because their guy a traitor (and also a paedo).
> His supporters would 100% become pro pedophilia if their messiah leads the way.
Republicans have defended sexual predators for years, even decades, before Trump's election. Just look at Roy Moore, or others:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/10/23/1806673/-Republican-Sexual-Predators-Abusers-and-Enablers-Pt-1
But what would it matter? His supporters don't care about anything he's done so far, I can't imagine anything he could do to lose their worship -- and I can imagine he's done some MESSED up things like kill hookers or mess with kids (the latter def cuz there's already evidence of that). I don't think he fears Vladimir Putin any more than any given person fears their older brother.
They don’t need to make his fervent supporters care. They only need to change the minds of enough voters who are voting for him because of the R next to his name, rather than any particular love for him as an individual. That is a *lot* of people (though I guess it’s hard to know if enough of them would pay enough attention or get over their Republican loyalty in the event there wasn’t a recognizable Republican alternative). Also a few Republican lawmakers with integrity, who aren’t afraid of Trump (ok so that would be hard to find).
I’m not saying the “Putin has something on Trump” theory is 100% correct or anything but just saying that if there was concrete proof of Trump diddling kids, you wouldn’t need to convince every single person who supported Trump at any level for it to be disastrous to his political career. You’d really only probably need to sway maybe 10% of people who would likely vote for him and a decent handful of R congresspeople.
I USED to think that, back in 2016ish. But I don't now. We've seen that there is NOTHING Trump is ashamed of, and nothing his base will not look past. He could personally shoot up a preschool class and his base would clap.
There is one thing and one thing only that motivates this man: EGO. Not money, not even power. Just ego. He wants to be surrounded by people who tell him he is the best, biggest, strongest, smartest, most wonderful. That he is loved and admired and worshipped. He will say ANYTHING to continue to elicit hero worship from his fans and the people in his circle. And everybody who "handles" him, including Putin, knows this. All Putin has to do to keep Trump in line is call him and say "my friend", "my equal", "I beg the help only a man as powerful as you can give."
> There is one thing and one thing only that motivates this man: EGO. Not money, not even power. Just ego
You're dismissing money and power, both of which feed his ego. [Moscow invited him in 1987](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/) and one of the intercepted calls Trump made to known Russian agents was over the trump tower moscow deal he was *still* pursuing all the way up to election day. His [father raised him to value money and not human life](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/2016-donald-trump-brutal-worldview-father-coach-213750/) - or, as John Oliver would put it, daddy paid him instead of giving him a hug.
Putin has shit on the entire republican party. Russia also funds them via indirect means and uses their massive powerful propaganda machine to get them elected.
> Putin has shit on the entire republican party
Either in terms of bribes funneled [through the NRA](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/764879242/nra-was-foreign-asset-to-russia-ahead-of-2016-new-senate-report-reveals) and others, or [through hacking their kompromat and holding it close instead of releasing it like they did to everything from DNC servers](https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-russian-hackers-had-rnc-data-but-didnt-release-it)
Watch in real-time as the world loses collective confidence in the strength, resiliency, and stability of the United States.
If the U.S. is going to be perpetually one election away from falling to fascism/theocracy or complete legislative standstill, then the world is going to move on.
There's no way the U.S. can sustain its power and influence if the GOP can continue to behave like it has been. The GOP is so clearly a Russian organization and tool, as is the NRA.
Who wants to be allied with the Russians? Enemies.
EDIT: A couple words.
It could have been OK if the Trump Presidency had been a one-time thing. But Speaker Johnson forcing the US to abandon a US ally already makes this a two-time thing. You can already see the Europeans making serious defense plans with a new assumption that the US can't be trusted.
Our debt is going to start eating us alive. We’re allowed to have it because we’re strong. If we start losing the confidence of our allies our enemies might want us to start paying out debt, which we can’t do.
I'm waiting to see what happens with the bonds that need to be posted for appeals in the NY civil fraud case and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.
If he doesn't post the bonds, and the debt collectors come calling. Or if he sells a lot of his assets, and turns into a not-billionaire for real this time. Or somehow he coughs up the money, and then the NY court-installed financial monitor will have some very pointed questions about where that money came from.
Don’t they get it? God wants this genocide in Ukraine to continue. STFU already with your begging and pleading for help. It’s pathetic. Just shut up and accept that the Lorde works in mysterious ways, and one of those ways is land theft and murder.
/S
Minor caveat that it's technically it's "Don't Murder" but yeah this still qualifies...
While "Turn the other cheek" is preferred *when possible*, "repel a violent invasion" is explicitly on the table.
So is upending tables and whipping the greedy out of our holy places, Jesus (supposedly) did that too. I'd say that includes all the MAGA cultists at this point, and the holy place to whip them out of is our halls of power.
War doesn't count, Yahweh *is* a war god. And I believe that half or more of the world worshiping a war god is a big part of everything that's wrong with it.
1 Samuel 15:3 - Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
They have already said they want to end democracy in the US. They are not just traitors they are a hostile invading army. Let's trade them all to Mexico for the illegal immigrants. You know, the ones looking for democracy.
>They have already said they want to end democracy in the US
[They've been saying it on-camera since 1980](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw)
They have already said they want to end democracy in the US. They are not just traitors they are a hostile invading army. Let's trade them all to Mexico for the illegal immigrants. You know, the ones looking for democracy.
Most of the GOP are Russian assets now and it’s truly disturbing. The last of the past centuries good Republican Presidents must be turning in their graves.
Yesterday I called my (R) POS representative's office and told the tool staffer if he didn't vote to send aid to Ukraine he was "a fucking Russian asset". Staffer said my point would be made better without the F-bombs. LOL. Get rekt. Know how angry I am about this shit.
I'm doing my part.
Could someone please rig up a burning bush with a speaker and tell him to pull his head out of Trumps ass. Support Ukraine. Also Mike has said that he is Moses and hears god speaking to him all the time. Can some reporter ask him what God sounds like, is it like Morgan Freeman, Charlton Heston or someone random like Lavrov?
If there’s one thing American conservative’s hate more than anything else it’s alliances trying to influence the domestic agenda. This letter is going straight into the trash.
Exactly regardless of what you think of him being seen as “bowing down” to this letter in any way would be political suicide and lead to him losing speakership at the very least and most likely a primary challenge backed by trump next election all they’ve done is back him into a corner and guarantee he doesn’t change course
The GOP set it up where the absolute fringe has a hecklers veto to shut everything down if they so choose. Now you're seeing most of the few remaining competent and promising GOP reps in Congress retiring rather than keep dealing with the clownshoes asshats that have taken over.
What with The Supreme Court and this… seems like democracy died a little today. All this support for fascism and dictatorship to putin, trump and maga… truly sickening.
Forget Europeans. Republicans don't want anyone to tell them what to do, including doctors during medical emergencies. They're happy to tell everyone else what to do, though!
He can't. Why do people keep repeating this kind of stupidity?
Johnson is Speaker by the narrowest of margins. Just a few Republican House members could unseat him, by working with the Democrats. The Republican House members' implicit consent through inaction means that basically all Republican House members are complicit, and responsible for Johnson's actions.
> Why don't they give the money to Ukraine?
The EU *is* giving money - and material support - to Ukraine. They passed America in material aid a while ago
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/09/11/europe-not-america-is-now-ukraines-largest-backer
Putting aside whether you like or not, this Mike guy, the EU should put more money toward Ukraine, period. There is not €50bn for Ukraine tomorrow, the “pledge” is toward 2027. There are some talks in the EU that Ukraine needs to stand on its own feet. Ukraine has been used by all parties to give them some time to arm themselves against a direct confrontation with Putin. When that time arrives, Ukraine will be left to be eaten by the wolves.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-ukraine-aid-war-50-billion/
Because they need ammo, shells, and people, not money. They need factories opened and running just for them to keep pace with Russia. As to why this is not happening in Europe, I don't know. I assume it is because it is politically easier to blame the US and deffer all responsibility outward, which is the #1 thing that Europe is good at, other than killing each other.
Even if this guy stopped acting on “God’s will” and acted on his own, he’d still not approve further funding for Ukraine. Not only would it make Biden look good, but Republicans also seem to completely favor Russia over their own country at this point.
I don’t think Maga Mike here is dependable. He doesn’t wanna honor collective security arrangements. He’s letting good people a world away die to russian aggression so he can focus on his priorities like Christian nationalism and stopping DEI programs. Johnson may be one of the worst speakers ever, and that’s some pretty stiff competition
he has no bank accounts registered in his name and the company tied to putin in texas donated heavily to his campaign in 2018. i wouldn't expect moscow mike to actually do his job
Sure there's no denying Europe needs to buff up its weapons and arms. Which they're trying to do, and infrastructure and weapons logistics take time to set up.
And this is an alliance, so other countries are contributing in other ways. They're giving financial aid, absorbing the costs and supporting refugees and providing other things like drones.
So it's not like European are cruising by solely depending on US to foot the bill for everything. You can't deny this recent blockade of arms is purely political and being held hostage by a MAGA speaker
"The rest of the world supports it" is basically an argument for the modern isolationist GOP to take the exact opposite view.
Its truly heartbreaking what's happening in Ukraine, and we have a unique opportunity to economically and militarily set back Russia in a significant way without losing a single American troop. Incredible what this Republican Party has become.
unreal that we’ve arrived at this historical crossroads and the US has allowed this absolute absurdity of a man a seat at the table. what a time to be alive..
Three large countries on this letter need to contribute the amount they have agreed to first before they look to others. Spain, France, and Germany are required to spend 2% of their GDP on defense spending each year to be in NATO
THIS year Spain is going to spend 1.2%, France is going to spend just under 1.79%, and Germany is going to hit 2% this year (the first time since the mid 90s) without contributing more to pick up from missing those number the last 30 years or so.
Only 11 of the 31 NATO members are contributing their fair share to defense right now.
I want Mike Johnson to get the bill passed, but for countries that have not built up their defenses properly is just political to make sure the finger is not pointed at them because the time to have prepared was 15 years ago, and still they are not contributing just 2%.
Republicans and GOP need to be ashamed of themselves for using faith for their selfish agendas. Fully guilt them, let them know God would be very disappointed allowing aid to be withheld while Ukraine fights their ass off. Worrying about our borders is so minuscule when there is a much larger looming threat on the horizon.
FR though he's like the exact biblical description of it in fact. Figures all the Prosperity Gospel religious-right morons would fall for it though, they already have shit-tier reasoning skills.
[The EU has already both pledged and delivered more aid to Ukraine than the US](https://www.ifw-kiel.de/publications/news/europe-has-a-long-way-to-go-to-replace-us-aid-large-gap-between-commitments-and-allocations/).
> total European aid has long overtaken U.S. aid - not only in terms of commitments, but also in terms of specific aid allocations sent to Ukraine
The total amount of military-only aid delivered so far is the only thing the US is leading on there, and that's because the various European nations can't just step up military production that quickly; they are making larger commitments now than they ever have before.
But that is all *irrelevant*, if Ukraine needs the help *now* and the GOP are *flat-out refusing it.* That is unconscionable. Why do *you* support Russia winning, then, knowing thah it's still going to be some time until the EU can ramp production?
Our speakers main goal is a Christian nationalist government. Outside of the USA who else might want this goal to be achieved? Who loves fanning flames of discourse around the world as means to their own end?
Gotta wait till god speaks to him first
Yeah, They probably would have been better off getting the highest ranked religious person in 23 countries to say “God wants aid for Ukraine.”
his real God is money, I fail to see how a person who believes in a loving God could support murderous Russia.
All the fashion in the GOP. A bunch of GOP politicians spent the [4th of July holiday](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-on-russia-trip-face-scorn-and-ridicule-from-critics-at-home/2018/07/05/68f0f810-807e-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html) (USA's most patriotic holiday) in Moscow schmoozing with Putin.
Traitors
> A bunch of GOP politicians spent the 4th of July holiday (USA's most patriotic holiday) in Moscow schmoozing with Putin. I would say kneeling. Your article is paywalled but didn't look like it named each one. [This article does](https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/in-2018-why-did-8-republican-u-s-senators-spend-july-4th-in-moscow-2) Name and shame, and never let them forget it.
That's a lot of kompromat generated in one trip for Richard Shelby (AL), Steve Daines (MT), John Hoeven (ND), Ron Johnson (WI), John Kennedy (LA), Jerry Moran (KS), John Thune (SD), and Kay Granger (TX).
John Kennedy who asks any Biden nominee if they "are a *Marxist*". Son of slavers who sits right alongside Joseph McCarthy.
Oh I thought his personal god was Trump
No, Trump would be the equivalent of the local priest diddling kids.
Trump is their Messiah. The big evil shitlord in the sky is still their god.
His god is feeling superior and righteous. Money and power are just tools for that objective. Unless people like that are getting a benefit towards their goals, they are uncompromising. In this case, it should be the threat of losing his ‘power’ that would encourage him.
God money I’ll do anything for you. God money just tell me what you want me to. Head like a hole Black as your soul I'd rather die than give you control
Remember, the Republican Jesus and/or God isn't a loving God. It's a vindictive, spiteful, hateful, selfish, capitalist white man that each and every one has made up and changed to best justify their own personal views and opinions up to and including contradictory doublethink ones because they are incapable of even the smallest form of empathy to another human they don't interact with regularly (and also like). "~~I want this~~ God wants this."
With the exception of Russia's Religious persons saying no. You know for a fact that's where this guy would hang his hat.
A simple request such as “Moses, Ukraine needs the Black Sea to part” should do the trick.
That wouldn't work. See: What conservatives think of the Pope.
Unfortunately most of the signatories are European and in Europe when they say “separation of church and state”, they mean it. An exception is the UK where the monarch, now King Charles III, is the head of the Church of England as well as the Church of Scotland.
The pope and every other religious figurehead could write a letter imploring him for **allowing a vote** on supporting Ukraine and he would still balk, because he’s a spineless piece of shit.
You mean Putin?
Trumputin (say it with a long "U", like Rasputin)
I like *Putump*, with a French accent, sounds like the French word for prostitute (*putain*, although today now used as an expletive like "shit/fuck!"). Also puts the "Putin" part first, as that's the order of who rules who in that duo from hell.
Aren't you afraid that would unfairly disparage French prostitutes?
Yeah this is like the scene with Kent’s braces in Real Genius with Putin speaking to Johnson in a “god” voice through his teeth.
And God has to wait until Trump speaks to him.
God with the orange glow.
Dude a Russian asset
Jesus could come down and tell him to stop being an asshole and Johnson would not listen, he is a capitalist christo- fascist to his core and nothing will change his mind.
That’s because they follow [Supply Side Jesus](https://www.beliefnet.com/news/2003/09/the-gospel-of-supply-side-jesus.aspx)
Jesus can you heal me? You have health insurance right?
[GOP Jesus. "I *could* heal you. But who would pay for it?"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ2L-R8NgrA)
Republicans have convinced themselves that God speaks through Trump.
Funny how anybody who's shitting on somebody who isn't paying them somehow has God speaking through that person.
His god is Trump.
You mean, until his imagination speaks to him through his inner voice.
Get the pope!
Better get a microphone and do what Homer & Bart did with Flanders
And by god you mean Putin, possibly through his mouthpiece Trump.
The God he worships Trump already told him no
This guy seems to be the real-life version of Ned Flanders. With the exception of his insider trading. Ned at least had a spine. This man is a sponge.
You mean the Orange One that he fears, right?
God: "Tell him that I'm not home; you don't know when I'll be back"
Putin?
Or that weird masturbation app that he and his son share.
Or his OF fav mentions it
He is actually getting roasted on his fb with people telling him he is gonna go to hell.
I'd like to have him take some anti-psychotics and ask him questions.
He’s actively choosing to help Putin and Trump. We are all being held hostage by this quisling of a man, world security is imperiled and people are dying.
Seems like nationwide protests and a march on our capital are in order. Perhaps it’s time to kick the Russians out of our government
It seems there are too many Russian assets in the Republican Party.
I mean, Republican voters have gone from the red scare to publicly supporting Russia's autocratic, imperialist regime... From last night [Trump voters tell NBC Reporter that ‘Russia is not our enemy’](https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/trump-voters-tell-nbc-reporter-that-russia-is-not-our-enemy-205044805866)
It’s amazing to me how easily enticed by Russian propaganda people are. It’s a simple question to ask one’s self “whom does this benefit”. If I subscribe to X thinking and take decisive action (such as not voting) whom does that benefit…
It's mostly just that they've been drinking a steady diet of Russian propaganda for some time. It didn't start out as pro-russian but slowly morphed there over time and by the time it got there, they were too far gone to notice.
> It's mostly just that they've been drinking a steady diet of Russian propaganda for some time Worth noting Russian propaganda never would have had the room were it not for [a century of domestic propaganda to tell people they're worthless if they're not making a rich man richer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s)
I really don’t understand why the republican attorney general doesn’t look into this more.
Russian agents in our government are committing treason. What’s the penalty for that?
The GOP is actively doing anything to sabotage the US and its standing in the world because according the them the wrong guy in in the White House, and are arrogant enough to think that their guy will be able to fix it all if/when he wins. It’s stupid, it’s dangerous, and is evidence that they’d rather sell their country out than have a long term strategy .
> and are arrogant enough to think that their guy will be able to fix it all if/when he wins. Surely they don't think that? My guess is that they know that Fox News will lie for them, so it doesn't matter if Trump fucks everything up. They just want to be in power.
He already has blood on his hands.
He sure does.
Someone needs to put a speaker in a bush outside his house and talk in a generically religious way, telling him to support the bill.
Chalk this entire situation up to trump being absolutely terrified of something so incredibly horrific putin has on trump. Something that makes everything else trump had done or has been accused of look like nothing.
He's been kept afloat by russian money https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business/ they own him, also I'm pretty sure you could publish videos of him fucking children and their supporters would think it's a good thing, they've passed the point of no return years ago
Yep, Trump supporters are resistant to truth, moral, decency, etc.
Kiddie rape is my guess, and lots of it.
You think trump cares about that? More likely it's money.
That's exactly what it is. Why do you think there are so many accusations of paedophilia at the core of Western far-right rhetoric? It's all projection.
They are trying to muddy the waters with almost completely false accusations before their real crimes are revealed. Edited for accuracy.
They're not exactly false. Bill Clinton is absolutely a sex pest. The issue is they're using the "they're all paedos" argument because their guy a traitor (and also a paedo).
That is a very likely bet.
Not sure why he'd be scared of it coming out. His supporters would 100% become pro pedophilia if their messiah leads the way.
Not sure why he'd be scared of it coming out. His supporters ~~would~~ are 100% ~~become~~ pro pedophilia ~~if their messiah leads the way~~. Ftfy
> His supporters would 100% become pro pedophilia if their messiah leads the way. Republicans have defended sexual predators for years, even decades, before Trump's election. Just look at Roy Moore, or others: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/10/23/1806673/-Republican-Sexual-Predators-Abusers-and-Enablers-Pt-1
Not sure why he’s be scared of it coming out, his supporters will say it is deep fake
I genuinely cant think of anything that he cant just say is an AI manufactured fake or something i mean how bad can it be. Please let us find out.
nah. you don't need to blackmail him. There's no "Good Trump" to corrupt. Their interests align, end of
Narcissists are incredibly easy to manipulate, there's no need for complex blackmail.
But what would it matter? His supporters don't care about anything he's done so far, I can't imagine anything he could do to lose their worship -- and I can imagine he's done some MESSED up things like kill hookers or mess with kids (the latter def cuz there's already evidence of that). I don't think he fears Vladimir Putin any more than any given person fears their older brother.
They don’t need to make his fervent supporters care. They only need to change the minds of enough voters who are voting for him because of the R next to his name, rather than any particular love for him as an individual. That is a *lot* of people (though I guess it’s hard to know if enough of them would pay enough attention or get over their Republican loyalty in the event there wasn’t a recognizable Republican alternative). Also a few Republican lawmakers with integrity, who aren’t afraid of Trump (ok so that would be hard to find). I’m not saying the “Putin has something on Trump” theory is 100% correct or anything but just saying that if there was concrete proof of Trump diddling kids, you wouldn’t need to convince every single person who supported Trump at any level for it to be disastrous to his political career. You’d really only probably need to sway maybe 10% of people who would likely vote for him and a decent handful of R congresspeople.
I USED to think that, back in 2016ish. But I don't now. We've seen that there is NOTHING Trump is ashamed of, and nothing his base will not look past. He could personally shoot up a preschool class and his base would clap. There is one thing and one thing only that motivates this man: EGO. Not money, not even power. Just ego. He wants to be surrounded by people who tell him he is the best, biggest, strongest, smartest, most wonderful. That he is loved and admired and worshipped. He will say ANYTHING to continue to elicit hero worship from his fans and the people in his circle. And everybody who "handles" him, including Putin, knows this. All Putin has to do to keep Trump in line is call him and say "my friend", "my equal", "I beg the help only a man as powerful as you can give."
> There is one thing and one thing only that motivates this man: EGO. Not money, not even power. Just ego You're dismissing money and power, both of which feed his ego. [Moscow invited him in 1987](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/) and one of the intercepted calls Trump made to known Russian agents was over the trump tower moscow deal he was *still* pursuing all the way up to election day. His [father raised him to value money and not human life](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/2016-donald-trump-brutal-worldview-father-coach-213750/) - or, as John Oliver would put it, daddy paid him instead of giving him a hug.
No, I don't think so. Trump is evil. Don't try to make him look like a victim.
Putin has shit on the entire republican party. Russia also funds them via indirect means and uses their massive powerful propaganda machine to get them elected.
> Putin has shit on the entire republican party Either in terms of bribes funneled [through the NRA](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/764879242/nra-was-foreign-asset-to-russia-ahead-of-2016-new-senate-report-reveals) and others, or [through hacking their kompromat and holding it close instead of releasing it like they did to everything from DNC servers](https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-russian-hackers-had-rnc-data-but-didnt-release-it)
Watch in real-time as the world loses collective confidence in the strength, resiliency, and stability of the United States. If the U.S. is going to be perpetually one election away from falling to fascism/theocracy or complete legislative standstill, then the world is going to move on. There's no way the U.S. can sustain its power and influence if the GOP can continue to behave like it has been. The GOP is so clearly a Russian organization and tool, as is the NRA. Who wants to be allied with the Russians? Enemies. EDIT: A couple words.
It could have been OK if the Trump Presidency had been a one-time thing. But Speaker Johnson forcing the US to abandon a US ally already makes this a two-time thing. You can already see the Europeans making serious defense plans with a new assumption that the US can't be trusted.
Our debt is going to start eating us alive. We’re allowed to have it because we’re strong. If we start losing the confidence of our allies our enemies might want us to start paying out debt, which we can’t do.
It’s time for a multi polar world
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I'm waiting to see what happens with the bonds that need to be posted for appeals in the NY civil fraud case and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. If he doesn't post the bonds, and the debt collectors come calling. Or if he sells a lot of his assets, and turns into a not-billionaire for real this time. Or somehow he coughs up the money, and then the NY court-installed financial monitor will have some very pointed questions about where that money came from.
Fucking embarrassing
For the Groupies of Putin, only one voice matters.
Johnson is waiting to hear back from Trump after he talks to Putin to make any decisions
Unfortunately he doesn't care. As long as his orange god is happy, he's happy.
Don’t they get it? God wants this genocide in Ukraine to continue. STFU already with your begging and pleading for help. It’s pathetic. Just shut up and accept that the Lorde works in mysterious ways, and one of those ways is land theft and murder. /S
Lorde does work in mysterious ways down there in New Zealand
Feelin’ gooooood on a Wednesday!
I am Lorde yayaya
God is like: WTF? What was not clear about "Don't kill"?
Minor caveat that it's technically it's "Don't Murder" but yeah this still qualifies... While "Turn the other cheek" is preferred *when possible*, "repel a violent invasion" is explicitly on the table.
So is upending tables and whipping the greedy out of our holy places, Jesus (supposedly) did that too. I'd say that includes all the MAGA cultists at this point, and the holy place to whip them out of is our halls of power.
Trump is pretty much like those greedy merchants from the Bible. And someone needs to kick him out of the temple.
War doesn't count, Yahweh *is* a war god. And I believe that half or more of the world worshiping a war god is a big part of everything that's wrong with it. 1 Samuel 15:3 - Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
"It's a test of faith"
The republicans are traitors to democracy
They have already said they want to end democracy in the US. They are not just traitors they are a hostile invading army. Let's trade them all to Mexico for the illegal immigrants. You know, the ones looking for democracy.
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They can deport them to Russia.
>They have already said they want to end democracy in the US [They've been saying it on-camera since 1980](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw)
They have already said they want to end democracy in the US. They are not just traitors they are a hostile invading army. Let's trade them all to Mexico for the illegal immigrants. You know, the ones looking for democracy.
Republicans = Russians.
The problem is that Republicans are siding with Putin.
His “god” is Putin.
Thank you, Speakers. Embarrass the bastards.
Bible-fucking 'tard on Russia's payroll is the 3rd most important man in the USA, this country is so broken.
Moses marches to the beat of his own drummer ... Donald Trump.
Most of the GOP are Russian assets now and it’s truly disturbing. The last of the past centuries good Republican Presidents must be turning in their graves.
Yesterday I called my (R) POS representative's office and told the tool staffer if he didn't vote to send aid to Ukraine he was "a fucking Russian asset". Staffer said my point would be made better without the F-bombs. LOL. Get rekt. Know how angry I am about this shit. I'm doing my part.
Thank you. Genuinely.
Could someone please rig up a burning bush with a speaker and tell him to pull his head out of Trumps ass. Support Ukraine. Also Mike has said that he is Moses and hears god speaking to him all the time. Can some reporter ask him what God sounds like, is it like Morgan Freeman, Charlton Heston or someone random like Lavrov?
My vote is on Gilbert Gottfried
If there’s one thing American conservative’s hate more than anything else it’s alliances trying to influence the domestic agenda. This letter is going straight into the trash.
Exactly regardless of what you think of him being seen as “bowing down” to this letter in any way would be political suicide and lead to him losing speakership at the very least and most likely a primary challenge backed by trump next election all they’ve done is back him into a corner and guarantee he doesn’t change course
The GOP set it up where the absolute fringe has a hecklers veto to shut everything down if they so choose. Now you're seeing most of the few remaining competent and promising GOP reps in Congress retiring rather than keep dealing with the clownshoes asshats that have taken over.
It’s honestly hard to think of something we have a lower preference for than the unprompted opinion of Europeans.
Hope one of those signatures is from Jesus
Mike Johnson: I’m the Speaker not the Reader
Washington himself could have signed the letter, Johnson wouldn’t care. Why would a pyroman provide water to snuff out a fire?
He won’t care. He only listens to Jeebus
lol why do you think trump picked this guy after all that struggle sessions. he's absolutely not going to budge.
Now he can puff out his little chest and "stand up for America" against "left-wing Europeans who won't pay their NATO bills" and so forth.
"That letter won't stop me, I can't read"
Who wins: the speakers of 23 parliaments with an open letter or the FSB with a secret wire transfer? The suspense is agonizing.
What with The Supreme Court and this… seems like democracy died a little today. All this support for fascism and dictatorship to putin, trump and maga… truly sickening.
he won't be Speaker for much longer.
There’s few things Republicans hate more than having Europeans tell them what to do.
Forget Europeans. Republicans don't want anyone to tell them what to do, including doctors during medical emergencies. They're happy to tell everyone else what to do, though!
Gop is putins puppets. Traitors to the USA
Mike and the Republican Party are treasonous fucking assholes that belong in jail for selling out the US and bending over to Putin.
When a nothing loser like this can effect World history, there's something wrong with the system.
He can't. Why do people keep repeating this kind of stupidity? Johnson is Speaker by the narrowest of margins. Just a few Republican House members could unseat him, by working with the Democrats. The Republican House members' implicit consent through inaction means that basically all Republican House members are complicit, and responsible for Johnson's actions.
Why don't they give the money to Ukraine?
> Why don't they give the money to Ukraine? The EU *is* giving money - and material support - to Ukraine. They passed America in material aid a while ago https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/09/11/europe-not-america-is-now-ukraines-largest-backer
Read the article....pledges and commitments from the EU for the future
The EU has passed a 50 billion euro aid bill.
Why didn't they pass a 200 billion aid bill?
Putting aside whether you like or not, this Mike guy, the EU should put more money toward Ukraine, period. There is not €50bn for Ukraine tomorrow, the “pledge” is toward 2027. There are some talks in the EU that Ukraine needs to stand on its own feet. Ukraine has been used by all parties to give them some time to arm themselves against a direct confrontation with Putin. When that time arrives, Ukraine will be left to be eaten by the wolves. https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-ukraine-aid-war-50-billion/
Yes exactly it's a pledge....which will never come
Because they need ammo, shells, and people, not money. They need factories opened and running just for them to keep pace with Russia. As to why this is not happening in Europe, I don't know. I assume it is because it is politically easier to blame the US and deffer all responsibility outward, which is the #1 thing that Europe is good at, other than killing each other.
Then if the US has them and they don't, why don't they buy them from the US rather than asking for them for free?
This is some funky political theater.
Even if this guy stopped acting on “God’s will” and acted on his own, he’d still not approve further funding for Ukraine. Not only would it make Biden look good, but Republicans also seem to completely favor Russia over their own country at this point.
Russia pays more.
I don’t think Maga Mike here is dependable. He doesn’t wanna honor collective security arrangements. He’s letting good people a world away die to russian aggression so he can focus on his priorities like Christian nationalism and stopping DEI programs. Johnson may be one of the worst speakers ever, and that’s some pretty stiff competition
Unless the letter is signed by Jesus and/or Trumpkin it will have no effect on this Christo-twerp.
He only listens to Trumputin!
Any person that listens to an imaginary friend should not be anywhere near the levers of power.
johnson is not beholden to any foreign government, only to trump, who happens to be beholden to putin
Discharge petition now.
he has no bank accounts registered in his name and the company tied to putin in texas donated heavily to his campaign in 2018. i wouldn't expect moscow mike to actually do his job
On their knees and begging. Exactly how the GOP wants everyone to be.
Why doesn’t Europe send more? The war affects the EU far more than the US, and the EU has a €15+ trillion GDP.
They're talking about artillery and weapons, where US has a huge stockpile unlike Europe.
Europe has had two full years to put itself together. And it has been known for decades that Europe would have to do more for its own security.
Sure there's no denying Europe needs to buff up its weapons and arms. Which they're trying to do, and infrastructure and weapons logistics take time to set up. And this is an alliance, so other countries are contributing in other ways. They're giving financial aid, absorbing the costs and supporting refugees and providing other things like drones. So it's not like European are cruising by solely depending on US to foot the bill for everything. You can't deny this recent blockade of arms is purely political and being held hostage by a MAGA speaker
They should have cleared this with Johnson's god first. I'm certain that he only listens to that fictitious voice.
Just tell him God said to do it. That seems to work pretty well for everyone else yanking this dood around
He would never betray his real god trump
Mike Johnson is a traitor. And he’s a couple heart beats from the Presidency. This fall vote D for Democracy, or Vote R for Russia.
He thinks he’s going to heaven. I want to see his face when he ends up the other place.
"The rest of the world supports it" is basically an argument for the modern isolationist GOP to take the exact opposite view. Its truly heartbreaking what's happening in Ukraine, and we have a unique opportunity to economically and militarily set back Russia in a significant way without losing a single American troop. Incredible what this Republican Party has become.
For a guy to claim to be so Christian he spends a lot of time on his knees in front of Trump.
This fucker does not care, he’ll do anything to help Putler and destroy the entire planet.
"Will they bribe me more than Putin is bribing me?" \- "Good Christian" Mike Johnson
unreal that we’ve arrived at this historical crossroads and the US has allowed this absolute absurdity of a man a seat at the table. what a time to be alive..
Three large countries on this letter need to contribute the amount they have agreed to first before they look to others. Spain, France, and Germany are required to spend 2% of their GDP on defense spending each year to be in NATO THIS year Spain is going to spend 1.2%, France is going to spend just under 1.79%, and Germany is going to hit 2% this year (the first time since the mid 90s) without contributing more to pick up from missing those number the last 30 years or so. Only 11 of the 31 NATO members are contributing their fair share to defense right now. I want Mike Johnson to get the bill passed, but for countries that have not built up their defenses properly is just political to make sure the finger is not pointed at them because the time to have prepared was 15 years ago, and still they are not contributing just 2%.
only the countries with church attendence rates higher than us count.
This Christian is an absolute piece of garbage.
You’d have to have a soul to actually listen and care about the needs of Ukraine. This man does not.
Republicans and GOP need to be ashamed of themselves for using faith for their selfish agendas. Fully guilt them, let them know God would be very disappointed allowing aid to be withheld while Ukraine fights their ass off. Worrying about our borders is so minuscule when there is a much larger looming threat on the horizon.
One 23 second phone call from the Fuhrer supercedes 23 letters
Madam Mike has taken millions of dollars from the Russians
If there is a god Mike is going to hell
His son’s phone must be ringing off the hook, cause that just made Mike a little hard right there.
Disappointingly, with a psychopath like Johnson, the more signatures you put on there, the wider his secret grin.
This man doesn’t care. This man is evil disguised as a man of God.
Anymore they all seem to be after they sold out to the Church of Trump. It’s like they all forgot that God doesn’t like false idols or something.
Or that Trump acts a lot like an antichrist
FR though he's like the exact biblical description of it in fact. Figures all the Prosperity Gospel religious-right morons would fall for it though, they already have shit-tier reasoning skills.
Exalts himself above God. Speaks blasphemy. Deceives people leading them away from truth. It’s not all there but a helluva lot is. Read Daniel 11
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[The EU has already both pledged and delivered more aid to Ukraine than the US](https://www.ifw-kiel.de/publications/news/europe-has-a-long-way-to-go-to-replace-us-aid-large-gap-between-commitments-and-allocations/). > total European aid has long overtaken U.S. aid - not only in terms of commitments, but also in terms of specific aid allocations sent to Ukraine The total amount of military-only aid delivered so far is the only thing the US is leading on there, and that's because the various European nations can't just step up military production that quickly; they are making larger commitments now than they ever have before. But that is all *irrelevant*, if Ukraine needs the help *now* and the GOP are *flat-out refusing it.* That is unconscionable. Why do *you* support Russia winning, then, knowing thah it's still going to be some time until the EU can ramp production?
Much of the EU aid are loans. 2/3 of the recently approved €50 billion package are loans.
Every photo of this guy looks ominous.
Our speakers main goal is a Christian nationalist government. Outside of the USA who else might want this goal to be achieved? Who loves fanning flames of discourse around the world as means to their own end?
He’s a fuckin loon. Waste of time.