Will Trump attempt to veto sanctions?

Musburger1

2,500+ Posts
These stupid, politically driven sanctions are pushing Russia and China together and will eventually place a wedge between the US, Germany, and much of Europe. But all Washington seems to care about is:
A) Ramping up poor relations with Russia
B) Putting Trump in no win positions to delegitimize him.

I suspect McCain's vote against repeal of Obamacare was as much about B) as it was about health care.


If Trump doesn't veto, you can kiss rapprochement goodbye—probably forever


Kommersant is reporting that if the sanctions are approved, Russia will retaliate:

  • 35 diplomats expelled and all diplomatic mansions seized
  • ALL US IT companies banned
  • all US agricultural products banned
  • Stop exporting titanium to Boeing (30% of their titanium comes from Russia)
 
These stupid, politically driven sanctions are pushing Russia and China together and will eventually place a wedge between the US, Germany, and much of Europe. But all Washington seems to care about is:
A) Ramping up poor relations with Russia
B) Putting Trump in no win positions to delegitimize him.

I suspect McCain's vote against repeal of Obamacare was as much about B) as it was about health care.


If Trump doesn't veto, you can kiss rapprochement goodbye—probably forever


Kommersant is reporting that if the sanctions are approved, Russia will retaliate:

  • 35 diplomats expelled and all diplomatic mansions seized
  • ALL US IT companies banned
  • all US agricultural products banned
  • Stop exporting titanium to Boeing (30% of their titanium comes from Russia)
Maybe Russia could actually act like an ally instead of an enemy.

I think McCain's vote had two purposes. 1. He and a lot of moderate Senators had problems with how things were going. 2. He took the bullet for many of them and allowed them to vote Yes without damaging their constituency.
 
Maybe Russia could actually act like an ally instead of an enemy.

I think McCain's vote had two purposes. 1. He and a lot of moderate Senators had problems with how things were going. 2. He took the bullet for many of them and allowed them to vote Yes without damaging their constituency.
On Russia, the US is looking for a vassal, not an ally.
On McCain, you could be correct.
 
These stupid, politically driven sanctions are pushing Russia and China together and will eventually place a wedge between the US, Germany, and much of Europe. But all Washington seems to care about is:
A) Ramping up poor relations with Russia
B) Putting Trump in no win positions to delegitimize him.

I suspect McCain's vote against repeal of Obamacare was as much about B) as it was about health care.


If Trump doesn't veto, you can kiss rapprochement goodbye—probably forever


Kommersant is reporting that if the sanctions are approved, Russia will retaliate:

  • 35 diplomats expelled and all diplomatic mansions seized
  • ALL US IT companies banned
  • all US agricultural products banned
  • Stop exporting titanium to Boeing (30% of their titanium comes from Russia)

Ramping up poor relations? You state that as if Russia wasn't involved in our elections. Only Russia and Trump believe they weren't and you likely aren't Donald Trump. Russia also meddled in France elections. The US actions against Russia may be the only thing that aligns our interests with Europe. Everything else the Trump admin is doing is driving the wedge between the US and Europe, not sanctions against Russia.

I think McCain was taking the bullet for other Senators, like Rob Portman. I don't think it had anything to do with his disdain for Trump but rather that this would have been VERY unpopular for the R party in many states.
 
Ramping up poor relations? You state that as if Russia wasn't involved in our elections. Only Russia and Trump believe they weren't and you likely aren't Donald Trump. Russia also meddled in France elections. The US actions against Russia may be the only thing that aligns our interests with Europe. Everything else the Trump admin is doing is driving the wedge between the US and Europe, not sanctions against Russia.

I think McCain was taking the bullet for other Senators, like Rob Portman. I don't think it had anything to do with his disdain for Trump but rather that this would have been VERY unpopular for the R party in many states.
Please stop making up stuff. First, there is zero proof Russia interfered in US elections. Second, France has refuted the previous claim that Russia interfered there. The claim was bogus.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/2/macron-hack-shows-no-sign-russian-involvement-desp/

Finally, the REAL goal of the new sanctions is to cut off the gas project connecting Russia with Germany which would force Germany to pay for much more expensive LNG instead of the less expensive gas via pipeline. This has pissed off Germany as well as quite a few private companies. You spout more false propaganda than MSM.
 
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Please stop making up stuff. First, there is zero proof Russia interfered in US elections. Second, France has refuted the previous claim that Russia interfered there. The claim was bogus.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/2/macron-hack-shows-no-sign-russian-involvement-desp/

Finally, the REAL goal of the new sanctions is to cut off the gas project connecting Russia with Germany which would force Germany to pay for much more expensive LNG instead of the less expensive gas via pipeline. This has pissed off Germany as well as quite a few private companies. You spout more false propaganda than MSM.
It's agreed upon that Russia meddled in the election. The only questions left is how far they actually got and if Americans committed crimes cooperating with them or taking their funding.
 
Saying something is "Agreed upon" means absolutely zero without documentation or proof. Saying there is consensus or we agree 500 times doesn't make something a fact.
 
Please stop making up stuff. First, there is zero proof Russia interfered in US elections. Second, France has refuted the previous claim that Russia interfered there. The claim was bogus.

Russian meddled in the US election. That's an accepted fact whether you want to acknowledge it or not. The 98-2 vote in the Senate demonstrates that the entire Senate is aligned that Russia significantly meddled in our election. The only question is how much and whether they had help from the campaigns.

I wasn't referencing the Macron Facebook allegation but rather pre-election. France has not disputed that the same misinformation campaign emanating from Russian sources during the campaign occurred.


Finally, the REAL goal of the new sanctions is to cut off the gas project connecting Russia with Germany which would force Germany to pay for much more expensive LNG instead of the less expensive gas via pipeline. This has pissed off Germany as well as quite a few private companies. You spout more false propaganda than MSM.

That's your observation but is that the reality? I'd argue you are a primary source of Russian propaganda on this message board.
 
Russian meddled in the US election. That's an accepted fact whether you want to acknowledge it or not. The 98-2 vote in the Senate demonstrates that the entire Senate is aligned that Russia significantly meddled in our election. The only question is how much and whether they had help from the campaigns.

I wasn't referencing the Macron Facebook allegation but rather pre-election. France has not disputed that the same misinformation campaign emanating from Russian sources during the campaign occurred.




That's your observation but is that the reality? I'd argue you are a primary source of Russian propaganda on this message board.
Misinformation is not the same thing as tampering in an election. You can call free speech misinformation if you wish. If RT produces an episode with a perspective opposed to what that country's government aspouses, is that interference? Oh, I guess it is unless the US is the one disseminating the alternative view. Then it's free speech.

The 98-2 doesn't mean jack. As I said, endless repitition without evidence doesn't make something become fact. It may lead the allegation to become commonly accepted, but it doesn't make it factual. Just effective propaganda.
 
I haven't made up my mind on this particular sanctions bill. I'll need to read up more on it. However, what Trump does is of little consequence because the vote was overwhelming - easily enough to override a veto even if they lost several votes.
 
Misinformation is not the same thing as tampering in an election. You can call free speech misinformation if you wish. If RT produces an episode with a perspective opposed to what that country's government aspouses, is that interference? Oh, I guess it is unless the US is the one disseminating the alternative view. Then it's free speech.

The 98-2 doesn't mean jack. As I said, endless repitition without evidence doesn't make something become fact. It may lead the allegation to become commonly accepted, but it doesn't make it factual. Just effective propaganda.

98-2 is evidence that individuals with much more security clearance than you or I have deemed it conclusive that Russia meddled. Given the initial interference was clandestine, any expectation that our security services expose their methods for their determination that Russia interfered is absurd. My reference to interference isn't a biased RT episode but rather intentional made up stories to insight emotional responses in favor and/or disfavor of a potential candidate. The kind of sights that are created specifically to post misinformation then disappear just as quickly. RT and Sputnic are government run media organizations. Understand that whatever they present is simply a mouthpiece of the Kremlin. When they present negative stories of HRC and positive stories of Trump it's simply evidence that they prefer one candidate over the other. On the surface, I don't have an issue with that and recognize that it's simply their own propaganda. Again, the issue I have was the reported targeted misinformation campaign on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter in which bots target voting districts and individual voters. The additional layer of hacking the DNC/Wikileaks to expose dirt and the attempted hacking of state voting apparatus all is contributes to the sanctions being warranted.
 
98-2 is evidence that individuals with much more security clearance than you or I have deemed it conclusive that Russia meddled. Given the initial interference was clandestine, any expectation that our security services expose their methods for their determination that Russia interfered is absurd. My reference to interference isn't a biased RT episode but rather intentional made up stories to insight emotional responses in favor and/or disfavor of a potential candidate. The kind of sights that are created specifically to post misinformation then disappear just as quickly. RT and Sputnic are government run media organizations. Understand that whatever they present is simply a mouthpiece of the Kremlin. When they present negative stories of HRC and positive stories of Trump it's simply evidence that they prefer one candidate over the other. On the surface, I don't have an issue with that and recognize that it's simply their own propaganda. Again, the issue I have was the reported targeted misinformation campaign on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter in which bots target voting districts and individual voters. The additional layer of hacking the DNC/Wikileaks to expose dirt and the attempted hacking of state voting apparatus all is contributes to the sanctions being warranted.
Where do I start? To your jibberish about 98-2 resulting from intelligence consensus I give you one word. Iraq.

Concerning fraudulent information to influence voters, most anyone out there who's conscious understands that's common politics everywhere and always has been.

And as far as pro Trump anti Hillary stories out of the Kremlin, so what? You ought to be concerned about the non reporting from the US media of the plethora of criminal activity surrounding Hillary that has avoided investigation because that's far more important to this country that what foreign news reports choose to editorialize.
 
I haven't made up my mind on this particular sanctions bill. I'll need to read up more on it. However, what Trump does is of little consequence because the vote was overwhelming - easily enough to override a veto even if they lost several votes.
Technically, a Trump veto means nothing for the reason you stated; there is well more than enough support to override a veto. Politically, what he does is important because it gives people an idea of where he stands and also whether or not he can be intimidated. The fact that he has yet to make clear his stance makes me think either he isn't sure where he stands or he is wavering in the face of opposition.
 
Technically, a Trump veto means nothing for the reason you stated; there is well more than enough support to override a veto. Politically, what he does is important because it gives people an idea of where he stands and also whether or not he can be intimidated. The fact that he has yet to make clear his stance makes me think either he isn't sure where he stands or he is wavering in the face of opposition.

You'll hate hearing this, but there's no upside and plenty of downside to vetoing it. All it would do is reinforce the perception that Trump has Putin's nuts in his mouth and not do anything to stop the sanctions.
 
You'll hate hearing this, but there's no upside and plenty of downside to vetoing it. All it would do is reinforce the perception that Trump has Putin's nuts in his mouth and not do anything to stop the sanctions.
I do hate hearing that but I agree with you. By vetoing this it just provides more blood to the sharks.
 
Where do I start? To your jibberish about 98-2 resulting from intelligence consensus I give you one word. Iraq.

The investigation is ongoing but the difference between Iraq and Russia so far is that in Iraq they started with a conclusion and went to find evidence. In this case, they started with a trail and are seeing where the threads lead.

Concerning fraudulent information to influence voters, most anyone out there who's conscious understands that's common politics everywhere and always has been.

We aren't talking fictitious pamphlets on a car but rather "fake news" mixed in with real news. This is a much more serious situation thus the government, social media platforms and news organizations need to know how to combat this.

And as far as pro Trump anti Hillary stories out of the Kremlin, so what? You ought to be concerned about the non reporting from the US media of the plethora of criminal activity surrounding Hillary that has avoided investigation because that's far more important to this country that what foreign news reports choose to editorialize.

Thank you for the Kremlin/Alt-Right talking points. The attempt to use them to distract from the Russia meddling investigation is transparent. I don't expect the major news outlets to follow up any crazy Russian/Alt-Right conspiracy theory. It's also not a surprise that the interest in HRC is waning from the media and the voter.
 
And going a bit further, Trump cannot dispose of either Sessions or Muellar because it would only fuel more attacks in the same way a veto of the sanctions would. He's in boxes from which there are few if any escape paths. He will impeached. I just hope Hillary eventually gets what she deserves.
 
And going a bit further, Trump cannot dispose of either Sessions or Muellar because it would only fuel more attacks in the same way a veto of the sanctions would. He's in boxes from which there are few if any escape paths. He will impeached. I just hope Hillary eventually gets what she deserves.

He won't be impeached but could easily lose his reelection if the current trend holds. Of course, who the Dems put up will be a significant factor too.
 
The investigation is ongoing but the difference between Iraq and Russia so far is that in Iraq they started with a conclusion and went to find evidence. In this case, they started with a trail and are seeing where the threads lead.



We aren't talking fictitious pamphlets on a car but rather "fake news" mixed in with real news. This is a much more serious situation thus the government, social media platforms and news organizations need to know how to combat this.



Thank you for the Kremlin/Alt-Right talking points. The attempt to use them to distract from the Russia meddling investigation is transparent. I don't expect the major news outlets to follow up any crazy Russian/Alt-Right conspiracy theory. It's also not a surprise that the interest in HRC is waning from the media and the voter.
People will have to make up their own mind. This bodes well for people such as yourself because the MSM still has the most eyeballs fixed there; but the gap is closing.
 
Trump has no ground to stand on regardless if he wants to veto or not. Like was said it would be a futile effort.

But even more so would drive an even bigger wedge (and that's saying a lot) between himself and establishment Reps in Congress.

Healthcare was a big loss despite giving carte blanche to Reps and them dropping the ball. But redemption in the future will be obtained times over if he gets them to pass tax cuts and other major agenda items.

While things may look bleak in 2017 because of the healthcare fail. Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 can easily see a slew of important major victories for his agenda.

He can't further harm those chances by creating an even more intense wave of establishment dissent by taking a 'moral victory' stance against sanctions.

Not to mention it would only be viewed as a moral victory by himself and Putin. Congress and even the public would massively disagree.
 
Tax reform will be an even larger challenge for the R's than Healthcare. The fiscal conservatives and budget hawks will be a thorn in the side of Trumps plans.

For example, the border tax is extremely controversial.
 
Tax reform will be an even larger challenge for the R's than Healthcare. The fiscal conservatives and budget hawks will be a thorn in the side of Trumps plans.

For example, the border tax is extremely controversial.
Well, I agree with you here. This is going to be another fiasco that goes nowhere.
 
Well Trump just stamped his Presidential seal of approval on the sanctions. At this point, all Putin is willing to do is play the long game, and expel some US diplomats. I suppose he's waiting to see if Europe will offer resistance to the US demands or if they are too intimidated to oppose the US.

Down the road as relations continue to deteriorate, what non-military options does Russia have to fight back? Well there is this (Link). Uranium refinement. Just one more thing to consider down the road.


Lost in all of this talk about the U.S. Congress adding sanctions onto Russia is Russia’s unique placement in the world’s Uranium industry. So much focus is placed on its Oil and Gas industry (and specifically the share of its exports) that it blinds our analysis to the how strong Russia’s position in world nuclear power is.

And, so, John McCain can grandstand all he wants about how Russia is nothing more than a “gas station masquerading as a country” what he doesn’t want to admit to himself or the world is that Russia is more central to the world’s uranium fuel market than Saudi Arabia ever was to the crude oil market.

Russia’s power in this industry doesn’t come from its production of Uranium Oxide (U3O8 or yellowcake) it comes from owning 45% of the world’s enrichment capacity into a usable fuel. Russia only produces around 3,000 tons of U3O8 annually.

uranium-production.png


Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of yellowcake with the world’s largest reserves. Do you seriously think Kazakhstan, one of Russia’s strongest allies, is going to go it alone in one of its major industries if the new Cold War between the U.S. and Russia intensifies further?



I have two words for you. Hell and No.

Canada’s Athcabasca Basin in Saskatchewan has been instrumental in expanding world yellowcake supply in recent years. But, that’s not changing the dynamics of the industry, it’s just keeping Urainium prices depressed.

SWUs Trump SJWs

Because, the issue isn’t ore production but turning that ore into usable fuel, called Single Work Units (SWU). And the U.S. and Canada are not interested in refining Uranium due to environmental policy. I’ve heard nothing from the Trump administration on this either, so, nothing is going to change in a way to affect current or fear future events.

Rosatom, the Russian State Nuclear Energy company, has tremendous leverage. The faux outrage over Hillary Clinton selling 20% of U.S. Uranium reserves to the Russians is irrelevant.

I will paraphrase her for the only time in my life, “What difference does it make” to expand ore production when the Russians effectively control the refineries?

Because due to policy changes over the past twenty years the U.S. has no ability to credibly produce its own nuclear fuel. So, improved Canadian ore production still has to be shipped to Russia or Europe for processing.

Yes, Russia and Europe.

uranium-enrichment.png


Moreover, look where future enrichment capacity is coming from… China. And all that will do is help China supply itself with fuel for the power plants Rosatom is currently building for them, India, Turkey, Iran, and pretty much the rest of the world that wants nuclear power.

19.5% of our electricity comes from Nuclear Power. The base load of the U.S. electricity grid is supplied by Russian SWU’s, folks. Without relations with Russia there is no air-conditioning.



We are the world’s largest consumer of SWU’s, using over 32% of the global total. That’s around 15.1 million SWUs. France is next at 14%. Over 90% of our Uranium consumption is imported. The breakdown is as follows:

That’s where it was purchased from, not where it was processed. Crude Oil wells are not an energy infrastructure. Refining and distribution is. We may purchase it from Kazakhstan, but it still has to go through one of the processors above. I’m simplifying this for discussion purposes, but you should be getting the picture.

All discussion about U.S. energy security is a non-starter until we discuss Uranium. It is the limit at which the U.S. Congress can make noise until Putin has had enough.

You notice he never talks about it. No one does. Because, all puns intended, this is truly the “Nuclear Option” in geopolitics. It is the hammer that can be brought down once the world is in an SWU deficit, which we are rapidly approaching.​
 
I guess we will just have to open the windows to cool off, russkie. I wonder if they'll be high-fiving each other in the Kremlin when Trump approves the sanctions? As the Russian GDP continues to shrink due to reduced oil and gas production, maybe next time little Vlad will think twice about cyber hacking or invading a country.

This situation further illustrates the bogus "collusion" claims from Dems and the MSM. All Russia would have to do is blackmail Trump by stating they will give proof of the Trump campaign's illegal activities with Russia if Trump signs the sanctions and viola, no signature. That of course is not happening because there was no collusion.
 
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The only election tampering that occurred was done by Hillary operatives against Sanders. For those who fret democracy was being undermined, they need to take a good look at Hillary first before worrying about Russia.

Those thinking the US will punish Russia and this will result in Crimea's return to Ukraine are delusional.

The sanctions vote is politically popular as evidenced by the reaction of this board, Congress, the President, and opinion polls, hence the Congress wholeheartedly passed it. To do otherwise would mean being labeled pro-Putin by the press and possibly face repercussions within the party as well as the ire of constituents. But this is short sighted. Russia isn't learning any lessons, but instead draws closer to China and will increasingly look for ways to combat America since America continually refuses dialog unless unreal demands (giving back Crimea) are met.

China's long term plans envision a land based high speed rail trade route connecting them with Russia, south and central Asian countries. Turkey, India, and resource rich Afghanistan are swing countries that potentially could shift power either toward or away from the US or toward the Asian countries Russia and China. These are the real issues. The election brew haha blamed on Russia is for the amusement of the media, distraction of the public, and political contests of the two parties.
 
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Your per capita GDP is substantially lower than the State of Mississippi's, which has the lowest per capita GDP of any state in the U. S.

Until you mongoloids understand what it takes to increase your wealth relative to other countries in the world, you will remain a two bit, backwoods, loser of a country. China is making progress, so it will soften the blow of sanctions slightly to go beg them for capital and technology. It won't replace what you will lose, however, so instead of moving forward you will be taking yet another step back.

Your threats of "x" mean nothing. You can't scare, intimidate, or bully the greatest country that has ever existed. You need to suck it up and do the hard work of freeing your people under a set of laws that all must obey, and with some legitimate form of checks and balances. Until that happens, your just another Prairie View A&M taking the field against the Texas Longhorns.
 
Your per capita GDP is substantially lower than the State of Mississippi's, which has the lowest per capita GDP of any state in the U. S.

Until you mongoloids understand what it takes to increase your wealth relative to other countries in the world, you will remain a two bit, backwoods, loser of a country. China is making progress, so it will soften the blow of sanctions slightly to go beg them for capital and technology. It won't replace what you will lose, however, so instead of moving forward you will be taking yet another step back.

Your threats of "x" mean nothing. You can't scare, intimidate, or bully the greatest country that has ever existed. You need to suck it up and do the hard work of freeing your people under a set of laws that all must obey, and with some legitimate form of checks and balances. Until that happens, your just another Prairie View A&M taking the field against the Texas Longhorns.
The US GDP is increasingly composed of health care dollars. The sicker Americans get, the more dollars of its citizens get extracted by the sick care industry and is counted toward GDP. What a useful measurement.

Also, in order to maintain GDP, the US must continue to accelerate debt relative to production, lest the economy come to a halt or worse.

Despite sanctions and bullying from the US, Russia has recovered quite nicely from the recession. Meanwhile the US political system is shown to be hopelessly corrupted and in disarray. It would be better to get our own house in order instead of trying to tear down everyone else's.
 
As the Russian GDP continues to shrink due to reduced oil and gas production, maybe next time little Vlad will think twice about cyber hacking or invading a country.

That's the nutty thing about this. One can agree or disagree about the merits of this particular sanctions package. However, the idea that we'd impose nothing on Russia is absurd. The presence or lack of collusion is totally immaterial. They interfered in the election, and that's enough reason to sanction them.

If you really think about it, Putin was dumb to attack the DNC. He had a party in which a large number of its members don't even like the United States, likes regimes and people who are hostile to the West, and which is deferential to global organizations like the UN where a guy like Putin wields influence. Yes, some Democrats talk a tough game at times, but they mostly don't favor funding the military enough to back up the talk and are still willing to be subordinate to the UN. If you're a challenger to US authority, that party is your friend, especially when contrasted with the other party that waves the flag (and not always for the better), doesn't defer to any institution where Russia has clout, and generally gives the Pentagon a blank check.

If you're Putin, why would you screw up that dynamic? After having their e-mail system hacked, the Democratic Party will never forgive Russia, so the normal flaccidity that usually goes with Democratic politics will be out the window when dealing with Russia. Not a smart move. Basically, every Democrat is and for the foreseeable future will be a hawk when it comes to Russia - not because Russia screwed with the United States but because it screwed with them.
 
That's the nutty thing about this. One can agree or disagree about the merits of this particular sanctions package. However, the idea that we'd impose nothing on Russia is absurd. The presence or lack of collusion is totally immaterial. They interfered in the election, and that's enough reason to sanction them.

If you really think about it, Putin was dumb to attack the DNC. He had a party in which a large number of its members don't even like the United States, likes regimes and people who are hostile to the West, and which is deferential to global organizations like the UN where a guy like Putin wields influence. Yes, some Democrats talk a tough game at times, but they mostly don't favor funding the military enough to back up the talk and are still willing to be subordinate to the UN. If you're a challenger to US authority, that party is your friend, especially when contrasted with the other party that waves the flag (and not always for the better), doesn't defer to any institution where Russia has clout, and generally gives the Pentagon a blank check.

If you're Putin, why would you screw up that dynamic? After having their e-mail system hacked, the Democratic Party will never forgive Russia, so the normal flaccidity that usually goes with Democratic politics will be out the window when dealing with Russia. Not a smart move. Basically, every Democrat is and for the foreseeable future will be a hawk when it comes to Russia - not because Russia screwed with the United States but because it screwed with them.
proof? There is still no proof that Russia hacked the DNC. None. Zero.'show the evidence.
 

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