2020 General Presidential Election Thread

[Lost Student]

I took a stab at writing my own lyric but didn't get further than rhyming heinous and anus.

I wanna read it now!

[PaloAltoCougar]

I've only read half the article. It's too long for one sitting so I'll finish it tomorrow. But I know many on here (PAC was definitely one of them) that wanted his tax returns so he could prove a Russian connection. Maybe I need to find those posts and link them or maybe PAC was kidding

The debt situtation could be troubling but oftentimes that corporate debt just gets refinanced. It's not a big deal to have a big debt payment out a couple years, which debt was likely used to finance the purchase or renovation of a property. Large corporations rarely payoff of their public debt and usually just refinance through issuing new bonds. Now, Trumps's debt may be different in that he could be in trouble but we can't really know unless we have more information. For better or worse, Trump's dealings are all private (I checked Finra and saw nothing there).

I don’t think I wrote that his tax returns would prove a Russian connection (you mean there aren't any line items for "Under the table payments to Gazprom" or "Hooker payoff distributions"?), but I’ve always thought they might provide evidence of some shady dealings. I still think that. It’s interesting that, thus far, Trump’s only response is “Fake news!”, and his attorney says nearly everything is “inaccurate” (perhaps in the same sense that saying a debt is a billion dollars when it’s only $999,999,999), when all they need to do to prove themselves right is to follow the 50-year-old precedent of disclosing the actual tax returns. Problem solved! But Trump won’t do that because the returns will confirm once and for all that he is a terrible businessman and a fraud. But alas, such confirmation isn't needed by his detractors, nor will it move the needle for his acolytes.

And repayment of Trump's debt may be more problematic than is typical for corporate refinancings. It's my understanding that mainstream Wall Street lenders bailed on Trump after his casino debacles and have wanted nothing to do with him, forcing him to turn to more marginal lenders. Vinnie and Guido, or perhaps Sergei, may be getting a call soon.

[frank ryan]

I don’t think most people seriously believed there was going to be some kind of Russian connection in there. Come on.

Details are pretty interesting. Given that he was so reluctant to put them out, this is about what you should expect. Interesting to read about the debt situation.

It's already known he does plenty of business with Russian oligarchs and mobsters. For example guys like Felix Sater:

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

But that's not a secret, nor do his supporters care. Trump is so obsessed with his myth, any evidence of being anything other than a business genius really rattles him.

[Commando]

There once was a president Trump
Whose value was down in the dumps
He grinded his axe, took a pass paying tax
And now only pays porn stars he humps

[Northwestcoug]

It's already known he does plenty of business with Russian oligarchs and mobsters. For example guys like Felix Sater:

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

But that's not a secret, nor do his supporters care. Trump is so obsessed with his myth, any evidence of being anything other than a business genius really rattles him.

I would bet this is the main reason he hasn’t released his returns. I assume most things he’s doing tax wise are borderline legal. That doesn’t speak well about the ethics of what he’s been able to with his taxes for decades, but, you know, capitalism! But I bet the thing that is most damaging in those returns shatters the Trump myth.

There once was a president Trump
Whose value was down in the dumps
He grinded his axe, took a pass paying tax
And now only pays porn stars he humps

Beautiful!

[Non Sequitur]

The funny thing about Trump's fragile ego is that I think he would rather be thought of as rich and a tax cheat than financially troubled and honest.

[Now who’s the dean?]

The funny thing about Trump's fragile ego is that I think he would rather be thought of as rich and a tax cheat than financially troubled and honest.

Neither is acceptable. Financially brilliant making all the best deals and the most honest man ever who is treated very badly.

[UVACoug]

After 2 Republican presidents losing the popular vote and a Republican congress which has acted like it has super majority support, I’m thinking the constitution could use some serious updating. I’m tired of political parties exploiting the weaknesses of the constitution for their benefit. The electoral college was not meant to be used this way to win elections. Biden needs a solid comfortable lead to win the election, and it could still be by the slimmest of EC margins. Someone tell me what a Trump win without a majority of support, the third in 2 decades, would do to the morale of this country. We wouldn’t have a civil war. It would just accelerate the country’s apathetic decline.

I'm not following what you're trying to say here. Can you explain? How is trying to win the electoral college or a majority of Senate seats "exploiting" the constitution? And isn't winning the EC and Senate exactly what the Constitution contemplates? Are you suggesting that it's wrong for Republicans to focus on EC votes in Presidential elections? Or that they shouldn't exercise their political power if they control the Senate, despite losing the overall popular vote? I'm not trying to be snarky here ... just curious what you think is being done incorrectly?

[UVACoug]

NYT releases details on trumps tax returns. Lol it is obvious why he didn’t want them released. Wow.

$750 in 2016 and none in 10 of 15 prior years.

If the reporting is accurate, that's incredibility infuriating. Especially with the tax bill I ended up with this year. Our tax system is fundamentally broken.

I do find it a little perturbing that the NY Times just happened to release this less than six weeks before the election. I could have sworn I saw some NY Times documentary over a year ago where they claimed to have received some of his tax documents but didn't feel comfortable publishing them yet because of the source. Is the New York Times a publisher of news, or a Political Action Committee? The tax return issue has been salient since 2016. No legitimate justification for sitting on them unless you're motivation is to exact the maximum amount of political damage possible.

Trump should, and probably will, lose by a pretty big margin. But the way the media is not even trying to hide their political motivations anymore is a bit disturbing to me.

[Moliere]

And repayment of Trump's debt may be more problematic than is typical for corporate refinancings. It's my understanding that mainstream Wall Street lenders bailed on Trump after his casino debacles and have wanted nothing to do with him, forcing him to turn to more marginal lenders. Vinnie and Guido, or perhaps Sergei, may be getting a call soon.

This is true. His credit probably isn’t great. However, after his run as president, I don’t think he’ll have issues getting it all refinanced.


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[PaloAltoCougar]

This is true. His credit probably isn’t great. However, after his run as president, I don’t think he’ll have issues getting it all refinanced.


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I hope we can help him refinance by ending his run as president as quickly as possible. And if he and Melania file jointly, she can help by cashing in with a tell-all book of her own.

[Uncle Ted]

NYT releases details on trumps tax returns. Lol it is obvious why he didn’t want them released. Wow.

$750 in 2016 and none in 10 of 15 prior years.

Man, he must have one hell of a tax accountant.

And then he gives alway all the money the government gives his for being president... what does this guy live on?

[Northwestcoug]

I'm not following what you're trying to say here. Can you explain? How is trying to win the electoral college or a majority of Senate seats "exploiting" the constitution? And isn't winning the EC and Senate exactly what the Constitution contemplates? Are you suggesting that it's wrong for Republicans to focus on EC votes in Presidential elections? Or that they shouldn't exercise their political power if they control the Senate, despite losing the overall popular vote? I'm not trying to be snarky here ... just curious what you think is being done incorrectly?

IMO, the electoral college is a weakness of the constitution. It's archaic. I find the whole exercise surrounding the electoral college during elections distasteful. Gaming the system, ignoring some unwindable states and shoveling money to others, and the cottage industry of pundits and advisors plotting a path to 270 votes. Blech.

A plurality of votes should decide who the president is, period. The GOP has realized that winning the EC is easier than winning the popular vote. And it would be the same if the political fortunes were reversed. This is going to happen again.

[Northwestcoug]

The bullet points of Trump's tax findings, tailor made for me:

Mr. Trump paid no federal income taxes in 11 of 18 years that The Times examined. In 2017, after he became president, his tax bill was only $750.

He has reduced his tax bill with questionable measures, including a $72.9 million tax refund that is the subject of an audit by the Internal Revenue Service.

Many of his signature businesses, including his golf courses, report losing large amounts of money — losses that have helped him to lower his taxes.

The financial pressure on him is increasing as hundreds of millions of dollars in loans he personally guaranteed are soon coming due.

Even while declaring losses, he has managed to enjoy a lavish lifestyle by taking tax deductions on what most people would consider personal expenses, including residences, aircraft and $70,000 in hairstyling for television.

Ivanka Trump, while working as an employee of the Trump Organization, appears to have received “consulting fees” that also helped reduce the family’s tax bill.

As president, he has received more money from foreign sources and U.S. interest groups than previously known. The records do not reveal any previously unreported connections to Russia.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/u...gtype=Homepage

Of course, the hair styling bill is probably the least egregious of them all. But it is the most juicy.

[Bo Diddley]

The bullet points of Trump's tax findings, tailor made for me:



https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/u...gtype=Homepage

Of course, the hair styling bill is probably the least egregious of them all. But it is the most juicy.

He definitely paid too much.