Isn't finding out about Trump's Russian debt a matter of national security?

[yurbud]

Even if Putin isn't pulling his strings, given Trump's AMERICAN mob ties, his Russian ones could certainly make him vulnerable to blackmail and coercion.

Don't presidential candidates go through some kind of background check before they start getting those intel briefings?

Also, I understand (though disagree) with why the Democratic Party avoids investigating the crimes of Republicans, but in the case of Trump, such an investigation could save the country from a fatal self-inflicted wound.

The Justice Department should be investigating both his foreign and domestic organized crime ties post haste.

[Native]

1. You'd think.

[deathrind]

2. Yes.

[yurbud]

3. and yet, it won't happen. Why are Democrats so trigger shy on this stuff?

Ignoring Nixon's undermining of peace process in Vietnam in '68, the October Surprise, Iran Contra, Bush's ties to Enron, Bush failure to protect us on 9/11, Bush's Iraq War lies, and other war crimes like torture, Democrats ignore all of these very serious crimes, and Republicans repay them by spending a decade investigating Bill Clinton's penis and almost as long investigating Hillary's role in Benghazi, an incident that was the result of a bipartisan policy to overthrow various Middle Eastern countries.

The only thing I can ever figure is that in most of those cases of Republican crimes, the GOP was about the masters' business, and if you want to be his new favorite dog, you don't kill the current favorite dog when he's fetching the masters' slippers.

[glennward]

4. Not when you consider how much we owe China. nt

[BadDog40]

10. Huh?

You consider China investing in US Savings Bonds the same thing as Trump hiding his relations with Putin and the Russian mob? Weird.

[Hortensis]

5. Our intelligence services undoubtedly know a great deal,

and have for a long time, like as long as he's been doing business with Russian mobsters and hiring people with connections to the Kremlin.

Our desire to be told Trump's personal business because he's one election from the oval office is something else. I'm guessing, though, that it's not an accident that this started to blow open at the time of the Republican Convention -- when the nation was paying more attention than ever.

[yurbud]

6. I hope you're right. I also hope the Democrats don't screw up another chance to put the stake in

the GOP vampire instead of pulling them back into the shade and giving them a pint of blood to bring them back to life.

[Hortensis]

7. I hope too! Astonishing to all of us that large numbers would

actually vote for Trump. A national insanity, but it's all on one side, in one totally screwed-up party. If the party itself survives, it won't be because of us.

Half the nation is conservative to various degrees, though, literally genetically predisposed, and they will always be not just among us, but a part of us. Hopefully this will cause a major break between the moderates and the hard-cores.

[yurbud]

8. the conservative part is more like a third, and a third are various degrees of lefties.

[Hortensis]

9. I'm referring not to political affiliation, but to

personality type. Inborn. Genetic disposition, worked on after birth by environment.

As for the other third, all but about 10% of so of so-called "indies" actually vote consistently pub or dem depending on personality. In fact, Pew says in a few respects they're actually more loyal to the parties they won't admit to than registered members.

There apparently is no such thing as a "moderate" personality type but rather moderate versions of conservative and liberal, also perhaps libertarian in much smaller numbers. Research goes on.

[workinclasszero]

11. Damn right it is!

I cant believe they are letting Putin's puppet get away with this!

[yurbud]

12. I think folks in Washington are overestimating public zeal for a new Cold War,

especially in progressive circles.

[George Eliot]

13. Trump treated like every other business. UnAmerican to do otherwise.

Venture capitalists and investors are there - not just Trump. They aren't doing so well and a lot of them have pulled out due to "uncertainty" - a word I'm starting to dislike. But American investors are everywhere there's a possible profit.

[yurbud]

14. Good point. This could be a good test of how rich Trump really is

if he's a true billionaire, nothing will come of anything.

If he's not, he'll rot in prison for the rest of his life.