Re: Whew
 

Sounds like you've not been keeping up with the news, dude.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

I am in MPLS if anyone wants to meet for drinks. Text me at 415.990.3487

Re: Whew
 

Non-rhetorical questions: Why do you think that's all that happened? Among other things, it's pretty clear that it wasn't just Russians. And why don't you assume that there wasn't some quid pro quo?

Re: Whew
 

Seriously, WTF are you talking about? By any objective measure, so far this is bigger than Watergate. Republicans stood by Nixon during Watergate, too. Until they didn't.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Lunch from Señor Sisig when you're back? Slave can come too. And anyone else who wants in.

A Strong Female Lead
 

Don’t know about the show, but this trailer is awesome: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8uArRFr7_YY

Re: Whew
 

Because Russia is on a campaign to destabilize all Western govts by, among other things, fucking with elections.

Because I haven’t seen convincing evidence of a quid pro quo. It’s no crime or conspiracy to borrow from Russians.

Re: Whew
 

Flynn’s the highest quality scalp they’ll get here.

Re: Whew
 

Saudis, UAE... So what. They give to and work behind scenes with everybody. He’ll probably have sketchy interactions with Israelis and Turks as well.

You talk about this like this admin is unique in having shady deals/discussions with these govts. It’s icky business. Ya think the Bushes were squeaky clean? The Clintons were certainly transactional.

Trump’s just dumb about it. And under more intense scrutiny.

Re: Whew
 

My point: It's pretty clear that it wasn't just Russia.

Is smoke convincing evidence of a fire, or do you actually need to be burned by the fire to believe in it? I haven't seen "convincing evidence" of a quid pro quo either, nor would I expect to have. But I'm also not the one opining authoritatively that Mueller's investigation is overblown. Mueller isn't talking. All we know about what's got is from a few public actions and leaks from defense attorneys.

Oh, wait -- that understates things. You also have a President who is frantically trying to derail the investigation. Hard to imagine how Trump could act more guilty. And you have rampant corruption on the part of Trump and people up and down throughout his government and the Trump Organization. Smoke, but no fire.

Re: Whew
 

Do prosecutors usually cut easy deals with the highest-quality scalps so they can shop downmarket? I. Don't. Think. So.

Re: Whew
 

Bush, Clinton, Trump -- all basically the same in terms of their corrupt dealings with foreign autocrats.

If you believe this, you're an idiot. But we all know you don't. If you were posting on a Trump board, you'd be telling them why he's f*cked.

Re: Whew
 

Except that there's no evidence that he borrowed. He just starting buying things - golf courses, etc - with cash.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Dude has my proxy:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dd-J-bjU8AAZ3dA.jpg:large

Re: Whew
 

I do not believe that the Clintons or the Bushes sent their bag man to collect funds from around the world in exchange for access, no, much less, with respect to that Iran deal and our relationship with Qatar, appear to have changed policy because of it.

Re: Whew
 

Just off the top of my head:

1. Russian ambassador meets with campaign officials (including Sessions, iirc) in Cleveland during the GOP convention. GOP platform is mysteriously changed to soften U.S. support for the* Ukraine. No one seems to know how or why this language suddenly appeared out of the blue. A mere co-inky-dink. The ambassador wanted to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and dropped by to say hello to everyone at the convention just to be polite.

2. On his way out the door, Barry the O kicks a bunch of Russkies out and closes some counsulate buildings. The CCCP responds by announcing that they will respond in kind. After metings meetings meetings (undisclosed and lied about) between everyone from Boy Prince to the coffee boy to Sessions), and Putin states that he will not retaliate. President-elect Trump praises Vlad’s restraint. And after 1/21/17, the administration either lifts the sanctions or refuses to enforce them. Just another co-inky-dink.

Need more?

*Bite me, Ty.

Re: Whew
 

That can be arranged for my usual fee.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Having dealt with about half of the top 10 biggest law firms (litigation departments) in this country, I will never figure out why big companies choose to pay them $800+/hour. It just doesn't make any sense. I mean, more power to those firms who can convince their clients to pay that (seriously), but I'm just not seeing the value. I'm reading a complaint right now that looks like it was drafted by a 2nd year law student (or Rudy Guiliani). It's embarrassing. How does this even get filed? And I rarely see a small shop guy intimidated by BIGLAW litigators (unless it's someone famous like Dan Webb or PLF).

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

No in-house lawyer ever lost their job for hiring litigators from one of those firms. That's all it is. If one of those firms fucks things up, it's on the firm. If a firm no one has heard of fucks things up, it's on the in-house lawyer who hired them.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

I have a friend from law school who used to hire outside counsel for his company. He said that it’s CYA (especially on big cases) - when Acme Industrials gets tagged for $100 million, you as the suit that decided to hire Cravath don’t have to worry about being shit-canned.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Sure, but I work in Concord. Are you proposing a weekend?

LessinSt.Paul

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

I spend my weekends watching youth soccer. Maybe someday when you WFH?

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

I've really become less terrifying as I have gotten older. By that I mean that I hired a Social Media Coordinator to help me transition my image from brash and fiery enfant terrible to seasoned and wise elder. Technically, the Social Media Coordinator was hired by my Brand Manager, who came up with the whole concept in the first place, but it's all coming out of the same pocket, so whatevs.

Re: Whew
 

Mueller doesn't know whether Flynn is the biggest scalp he'll get.

And if Flynn doesn't deliver, what's the loss? Mueller would otherwise make the marquis scalp of this investigation a two year rather than one year prison term for a 3 star general for failing to register as a foreign agent?

Re: Whew
 

Look at the chessboard.

Trump cannot be taken out of office except through political means. We all agree on that. You think the GOP will turn on him. I don't think so.

He's got two more years. I don't think he's running for a second term. He can game this out for the duration, declare victory, and walk off.

When you talk to average people about Trump, it's always the same exact story: "I hate him, but I like what he's doing with the economy." Granted, it's not all his doing. It's Obama's and Bernanke's economy much more than it's Trump's. But he's getting the credit nevertheless.

In flyoverland, Trump is quite popular.

You'd start a goddamn civil war if you threw Trump out of office. No party is going to risk that. And he won't go like Nixon. He'll go down shredding the social and political fabric of the nation.

So no, I wouldn't go on a Trump board and tell people he's fucked. I'd tell them he's a bigoted moron, and that they're suckers to support him because he's transferring $$$ to Hillary's voters on their backs.

Re: Whew
 

Nor do you, but you were confidently making predictions yesterday.

Re: Whew
 

Trump will not be impeached unless and until Republicans decide he is hurting them. That hasn't happened yet, but you have to recall that Republicans stuck by Nixon for a long time. Then they turned on him, like they did with Bush II towards the end.

I think Trump is running for a second term because (a) it's the country's biggest popularity contest, how could he pass?, and (b) he doesn't want to be a lame duck.

Your point about the economy is a good one. This expansion has been going for a long time. Will Trump look good in a recession? Another one is coming, sooner or later. So far he hasn't had to deal with bad news, except of his own making. (Puerto Rico doesn't count, because Republicans don't care about it.)

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Stop making sense.

Re: Whew
 

You said you've done criminal work, right? What kind of prosecutor offers a plea deal to a cooperating witness without a strong proffer that he thinks can be the basis for further prosecutions?

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Look at the chessboard.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Which level of hell is that? And, OK, I do occasionally work from the SF office.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

From my folding chair on the sidelines, I'm looking up at a guy re-doing his state and federal taxes with a #2 pencil and a hand-held calculator, and down at a teenager working a Saturday evening shift at an Orange Julius in a shopping mall near Albany.

another level of Hell
 

Shortly after I posted this, I had to sign for certified mail from the IRS. Yay.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Here they are from shallowest to deepest

-Youth Hockey (some early days but in and out in 90 minutes and most rinks have coffee; some have bars)
-Youth soccer (the moms are generally nice looking and it's usually a pleasant time of year. Also short, 90 minute or so, games)
-Youth baseball (hot as fuck. long and shitty games, stupid parents, stupid umps, coaches and everyone else, lots of shitty play and shitty days)
-Swimming. These things go on for fucking days. And your kid swims for like 60 seconds TOTAL, 8 seconds at a time).

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

and last, HS track. See swimming, but not near a pool and invitationals? Holy fuck.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

I cannot imagine anything worse than swimming.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

I have to add that I left out basketball and wrestling because I have very little experience with them. Basketball in the suburbs is probably right after soccer because the kids are so fucking awful and don't realize it. It is tortuous but it is mercifully short. Also having grown up watching legit NBA players at the playground, it's just laughable watching these little dweebs think they are good.

Wrestling is a little below swimming. I have a cousin and friend of my son that were legit D1 wrestlers and it was great to watch them, but again 3 minutes in a weekend long tourney but as a friend, you could bop in and out.

Re: We are all Slave now.
 

Hmmm, by 12 years old, if em can hoop, a kid is likely playing AAU. So you're actually seeing the best players.

If you want to pick the sport where you are watching a shell of the world's best- back to baseball. I remember a dad talking about how his HS son is looking to be such a power pitcher that he is almost certainly headed for the Majors, based upon how he mows through HS American players. I didn't have the heart to point out that 66% of MLB is Central/South American players, and the son hasn't even seen that talent pool.

Re: another level of Hell
 

Just pay it. And use a credit card to do so if you can.