PPP Trump Job Approval: The First Year

[Deranged Rhino]

15 minutes ago, Paulus said:

I hope youre right, but I doubt they lose power. If they did, I wonder how much that historical accomplishment will be attributed to Trump.

 

There are many key signs they have already lost power. For some reasons why, I point you to these posts:

 

First, an important one: 

 

On 12/31/2017 at 1:21 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

Yesterday: 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42521298

"Demonstrators ignored the interior minister's warning that citizens should avoid 'illegal gatherings'".

 

Today:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42531165

"Iranians are free to protest against the government but must not jeopardize security, President Hassan Rouhani has said after four days of demonstrations."

 

The protests went from illegal to legal in ONE day. 

 

The people of Iran are winning...

 

In one day the protests went from illegal to legal. That's not a sign of power... 

 

Then, a closer look at where the protesters are targeting their efforts - the exact strategic points that would prevent the Mullahs from retaliating: weapons stores, Basij offices, police stations, Revolutionary Guard posts... yet they're not going near the Army... why? (The Army is on the people's side. That's bad news for the Mullahs). 

 

On 12/31/2017 at 2:18 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

 

************

 

They're burning a Basij base (paramilitary goons who kill civilians) - and no one is stopping them. 

 

It's almost like the support for the Mullahs inside the Iranian government (which is a functioning government with or without the Mullahs) has been hollowed out. Wonder how that happened with no one noticing? 

 

Keep going, Iranians. You're winning.

 

On 12/31/2017 at 2:24 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

 

To go with that:

 

 

 

On 1/1/2018 at 4:20 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

 

There's a lot of evidence out there the Iranians are getting help - mainly from Iranian military officers. 

 

This is (probably) regime change - from the people with the support of the US and GCC. 

 

If the Mullahs go down, as is looking possible if not probable, that's bye-bye Hezbollah. That's also the end of the Shia Sunni proxy terror war. It also paves the way for true peace in the region. Assad's support would go away, and (as I expect) he will resign/lose in a Syrian election this year. There'd be an honest chance for the Palestinians and Israelis to work something out long term.

 

Could be on the brink of something truly transformational for the region and world at large. Let's hope! 

 

Keep going, Iranians. You're still winning:

 

 

 

On 1/2/2018 at 1:30 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

 

This is something I've never seen... they're taking things from inside and burning them outside in an effort to reduce the damage. 

 

This is something people do who know they're winning...

 

More: 

 

 

They're shouting "Death to Khamenei" - a state crime - in the face of security forces and they do... nothing. 

 

Keep going, you're winning.

 

14 hours ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

It's all there to see. The names are public. The connections can all be found (and have been found by others so most of the work is done for you by now). You asked many times for names of people running the show, well a whole chunk of them got taken out in that purge. Some of the most vile, contemptible pieces of human refuse were among them.

 

It's not a coincidence that in less than three months since their money, networks, and proxy armies were taken off the board Hezbollah all but abandoned Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. It's not a coincidence that the current revolution in Iran, though smaller in scale than the ones in 2009, are systematically taking out the regime's ability to counteract the protests (Basij bases, police stations, government buildings all known weapons depots) with the kind of intelligence and precision that only comes from military intelligence. You can see/hear them getting help here:  

 

(That's return fire on behalf of the protesters)

 

And here: (this is an image from a police station being hit by a .50 cal HEIAP round. It was a warning shot... protesters don't have .50 caliber weapons and high incendiary ordinance, let alone the training to do this kind of precision shooting. Immediately after this shot, the police released the prisoners in the building. 

 

 

They're getting help. 

 

Forget the argument about the neocon philosophy for a second and actually consider what I'm saying. 

 

Trillions of dollars were just taken off the board. The heads of major networks of human trafficking, terrorism, and men with the deepest connections to the worst elements of the USIC were swept off the board in one night. The same night Hariri "resigned" while being detained in Saudi Arabia.

 

Just a coincidence.  

 

Then, within days you have the GCC launching serious offensives in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen - followed within a week by a near total Hezbollah retreat. 

 

ISIS and AQ support in Iraq and Syria collapse within the next month. 

 

Still, just a coincidence... Give me a break. That kind of collapse doesn't happen unless the core has been hollowed out and the money has dried up.

 

Now, today, we're getting reports of this:

 

Another sure sign (if true) that the Mullahs are done. 

 

All within less than three months! 

 

This to say nothing of the major upheaval going on domestically (refer to the scorecard listed in the deep state thread listing the CEOs and Congresscritters announcing their sudden resignation or decision not to run for re-election... these are unusual numbers). 

 

Oh, what else is happening today? 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/proposed-talks-don-t-mean-north-korea-s-kim-will-n833991

 

The "rogue regimes" lost their money and support. It's a bottom up operation being rolled up... and now the Mullahs and Kim are in a pickle. 

 

... But it's all happening at the same time coincidentally right?  

 

Don't take my word for it. Do an honest dive into the Saudi Purge and the men detained and their connections. See what you get. I think you'll be surprised. 

 

This is a tremendous moment of change. Not just here in the states, but globally. The evidence of it is getting harder and harder to ignore. 

 

That trend will continue through 2018. 

 

4 hours ago, Deranged Rhino said:

Here's something to consider... this just keeps happening, this is the fourth such ambush in the past two weeks: 

 

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-ambushes-large-hezbollah-force-eastern-syria/

 

Here's what's happening: These aren't ISIS ambushes, but GCC ambushes disguised as terrorists/jihaddi ambushes. There would be no way to discern the difference. The GCC has been wiping out Hezbollah with special commando units, the same special forces we saw being deployed in Lebanon last month. 

 

This keeps happening. AFTER ISIS has retreated/been defeated from the area where this ambush happened. It's not ISIS... 

 

Meanwhile, another Basij joins the revolution: 

 

 

And this: (Mullahs getting sloppy... because they're on the ropes) - http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/03/c_136869902.htm

 

More signs the Mullahs are losing: 

 

 

 

Add it all up and I'm telling you two things look evident:

1) This is regime change, backed by the GCC and US (in support positions) but led by the Iranian people and military,

2) The Mullahs are toast based on their inability to quell this so far and the amount of police, Basij, and army personnel who have defected to the protesters' side.

 

Also remember, no one saw this coming (well, almost no one, we had covered it in detail for weeks before it broke) - which is part of the reason why it's so effective. Because of that, the media is behind. Though, even if they weren't, the media isn't going to spell it out, most are too invested in the Iranian deal and it's bogus narrative than they are in reporting the facts on this issue.

 

Which is a shame considering that, regardless of your politics, this is a tremendous opportunity for the people of Iran to win their freedom from the clerics. That should, and used to be, something Americans on both sides of the aisle would unite to support. Now people see Trump's tweets as a reason to NOT support the Iranian protests (cough, Rice, Rhodes, Power). 

 

Some events are bigger than petty politics. 

Edited January 4, 2018 by Deranged Rhino

[keepthefaith]

Only following the Iran protests from a distance but it seems to me that thinking this will result in regime change and regime change for the better is wishful thinking.  Seems very unlikely to me as those in power will easily prevail unless there is a military coup. 

[Cugalabanza]

32 minutes ago, suorangefan4 said:

Trump is "a bully" and says mean things...everyone in the world does it too.

 

ugh!   

Edited January 4, 2018 by Cugalabanza

[Dorkington]

To those that gave serious answers/are discussing the topic, thank you 

[suorangefan4]

16 minutes ago, Cugalabanza said:

 

ugh!   

 

Are you really going to pretend that there's many people out there who have never insulted anyone?  

 

The 60+ million people that voted against Trump have all said countless insulting and demeaning things about him. And they've said insulting things about other people too. 

 

You've insulted someone before. I've done it. Pretty much everyone has. How are you going to pretend that that statement isn't true?

 

I don't hear outrage when Democrat politicians or voters use belittling insults towards him. It's not surprising though since insults / attacks towards straight white men are the only ones that are allowed in this world.

Edited January 4, 2018 by suorangefan4

[Deranged Rhino]

25 minutes ago, keepthefaith said:

Only following the Iran protests from a distance but it seems to me that thinking this will result in regime change and regime change for the better is wishful thinking.  Seems very unlikely to me as those in power will easily prevail unless there is a military coup. 

 

I hear you, but if you watch a little closer you will see this has all the hallmarks of something very different. 

 

Hezbollah has been in full retreat for several weeks prior to this kicking off. That wasn't coincidental. 

 

The protests, though smaller in size than in 2009, are much more organized in terms of what they are targeting (they first targeted the suppression tools in the Mullah's toolkit). They've also been getting help from the Iranian military which did not happen in 2009 and is a sure sign the Mullah's are on the ropes. 

 

The military is on the people's side. But the people are leading a protest without violence (even going as far as to bring things outside to burn rather than torching the buildings themselves). This is something wholly new in the ME and perhaps the world that we are witnessing. If it works, and it's still an if admittedly, it will have been a largely peaceful regime change. Far more than in days gone by.

 

I was hesitant to call this regime change at first, but every day it's become more clear. Especially if you examine the response from Pence and Trump on this issue. They're both saying, without saying it, that this is an operation, not just protests. 

 

We will find out soon enough though. 

Edited January 4, 2018 by Deranged Rhino

[Cugalabanza]

18 minutes ago, suorangefan4 said:

 

Are you really going to pretend that there's many people out there who have never insulted anyone?  

 

The 60+ million people that voted against Trump have all said countless insulting and demeaning things about him. And they've said insulting things about other people too. 

 

You've insulted someone before. I've done it. Pretty much everyone has. How are you going to pretend that that statement isn't true?

 

I don't hear outrage when Democrat politicians or voters use belittling insults towards him. It's not surprising though since insults / attacks towards straight white men are the only ones that are allowed in this world.

 

This is good stuff.  How you make it about straight white men is a whackadoodle paranoid gem.

 

Also, the false equivalency is pretty glaring!  We're talking about the President of the United States regularly throwing tantrums on twitter, acting like a crabby 4 year old.  Would you accept behavior like that from the CEO of the company you work for?  From your kid's teacher?  From your own kid?  It's not the same thing at all as "pretending no one has ever insulted anyone ever."  It's a ridiculous comparison and, again, an embarrassingly dumb fallacy.

 

When someone brings up Jeffrey Dahmer, do you say, "aw come on, what's the big deal?  It's not like nobody ever gets a little hungry for a snack between meals."

Edited January 4, 2018 by Cugalabanza

[suorangefan4]

 

T

20 minutes ago, Cugalabanza said:

 

This is good stuff.  How you make it about straight white men is a whackadoodle paranoid gem.

 

Also, the false equivalency is pretty glaring!  We're talking about the President of the United States regularly throwing tantrums on twitter, acting like a crabby 4 year old.  Would you accept behavior like that from the CEO of the company you work for?  From your kid's teacher?  From your own kid?  It's not the same thing at all as "pretending no one has ever insulted anyone ever."  It's a ridiculous comparison and, again, an embarrassingly dumb fallacy.

 

When someone brings up Jeffrey Dahmer, do you say, "aw come on, what's the big deal?  It's not like nobody ever gets a little hungry for a snack between meals."

 

Trump is the one acting like a "crabby 4 year old"?

 

You babies still cry "RESIST!" or "NOT MY PRESIDENT" like spoiled, entitled little brats over a year after he's been elected. Most elected Democrats do it as well along with the voters. Who's the one throwing tantrums?

 

Go trash a city because you didn't get your way.

 

Again Democrats are too stupid to see how they act.

 

 

I wouldn't doubt that you were at the march wearing a pink kitty hat cheering when Madonna said she had thoughts of blowing up the White House (typical liberal behavior). 

 

Like I said, it's OK when you leftists say hateful vile things towards Trump and his supporters but it's not OK when he says something you don't like. You're so moral and ethical right?

Edited January 4, 2018 by suorangefan4

[Paulus]

3 hours ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

There are many key signs they have already lost power. For some reasons why, I point you to these posts:

 

First, an important one: 

 

 

In one day the protests went from illegal to legal. That's not a sign of power... 

 

Then, a closer look at where the protesters are targeting their efforts - the exact strategic points that would prevent the Mullahs from retaliating: weapons stores, Basij offices, police stations, Revolutionary Guard posts... yet they're not going near the Army... why? (The Army is on the people's side. That's bad news for the Mullahs). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add it all up and I'm telling you two things look evident:

1) This is regime change, backed by the GCC and US (in support positions) but led by the Iranian people and military,

2) The Mullahs are toast based on their inability to quell this so far and the amount of police, Basij, and army personnel who have defected to the protesters' side.

 

Also remember, no one saw this coming (well, almost no one, we had covered it in detail for weeks before it broke) - which is part of the reason why it's so effective. Because of that, the media is behind. Though, even if they weren't, the media isn't going to spell it out, most are too invested in the Iranian deal and it's bogus narrative than they are in reporting the facts on this issue.

 

Which is a shame considering that, regardless of your politics, this is a tremendous opportunity for the people of Iran to win their freedom from the clerics. That should, and used to be, something Americans on both sides of the aisle would unite to support. Now people see Trump's tweets as a reason to NOT support the Iranian protests (cough, Rice, Rhodes, Power). 

 

Some events are bigger than petty politics. 

Idk, it could also be a tightening of power by the Mullahs, ultimately. 

 

I do hope youre right, but like the whole Obama endorsing the selling/trafficking of drugs to Americans in exchange for Hezbollah favors, I doubt anything happens. 

[Deranged Rhino]

7 minutes ago, Paulus said:

Idk, it could also be a tightening of power by the Mullahs, ultimately. 

 

I do hope youre right, but like the whole Obama endorsing the selling/trafficking of drugs to Americans in exchange for Hezbollah favors, I doubt anything happens. 

 

[The_Dude]

I’m a military man and a conservative so I do not like this Trump guy. 

[Deranged Rhino]

1 minute ago, The_Dude said:

I’m a military man and a conservative so I do not like this Trump guy. 

 

That puts you in the minority of military men from my experience. 

[3rdnlng]

3 minutes ago, The_Dude said:

I’m a military man and a conservative so I do not like this Trump guy. 

You must admit though that he has really been the catalyst to getting this country going again and dare I say, Making America Great Again.

[The_Dude]

2 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

That puts you in the minority of military men from my experience. 

 

I know. I can’t explain it. Many of my military friends support him. I personally have an issue with draft dodging cowards who feel too entitled to man-up and fight for their country. Now the coward talks tough knowing he won’t have to do the dirty work. 

 

On on top of that in no way is that man a conservative. Any tax bill that will add to the debt is not conservative. The second we have an issue paying the interest this country won’t be able to fight a war due to financial issues. I’ve seen that before — where have I seen a massive nation crumble when they began to have issues paying. E army? Oh yeah, Rome. 

 

I could go on....I mean if you’re a “patriot” and agree with Thomas Jeffeson, how can you agree with Trump and his AGs position on marijuana? That’s against personal freedoms and states rights, but what the hell do I know, I suppose that’s “American,” right? I don’t know. Maybe. 

[Koko78]

3 hours ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

I hear you, but if you watch a little closer you will see this has all the hallmarks of something very different. 

 

Hezbollah has been in full retreat for several weeks prior to this kicking off. That wasn't coincidental. 

 

The protests, though smaller in size than in 2009, are much more organized in terms of what they are targeting (they first targeted the suppression tools in the Mullah's toolkit). They've also been getting help from the Iranian military which did not happen in 2009 and is a sure sign the Mullah's are on the ropes. 

 

The military is on the people's side. But the people are leading a protest without violence (even going as far as to bring things outside to burn rather than torching the buildings themselves). This is something wholly new in the ME and perhaps the world that we are witnessing. If it works, and it's still an if admittedly, it will have been a largely peaceful regime change. Far more than in days gone by.

 

I was hesitant to call this regime change at first, but every day it's become more clear. Especially if you examine the response from Pence and Trump on this issue. They're both saying, without saying it, that this is an operation, not just protests. 

 

We will find out soon enough though. 

 

I'm not sure the Iranian military being on the protester's side will be enough. Their regular military has always been secondary (in resources/training/equipment/etc.) to the IRGC, who answer only to the Ayatollah. The commanders of the Revolutionary Guard Corps have a vested interest in using brutal force to keep the status quo, as their corrupt dealings (which the mullahs have turned a blind eye towards) have led them to having their hands in most economic pies, which they would lose if the theocracy is overthrown and their patrons deposed.

[Deranged Rhino]

2 minutes ago, Koko78 said:

 

I'm not sure the Iranian military being on the protester's side will be enough. Their regular military has always been secondary (in resources/training/equipment/etc.) to the IRGC, who answer only to the Ayatollah. The commanders of the Revolutionary Guard Corps have a vested interest in using brutal force to keep the status quo, as their corrupt dealings (which the mullahs have turned a blind eye towards) have led them to having their hands in most economic pies, which they would lose if the theocracy is overthrown and their patrons deposed.

 

This is all valid - and you could turn out to be absolutely correct when this thing is all over.

 

But something about this just smells different to me. I admit it's speculation though.

 

The IRGC already retreated to Tehran, giving up on the rest of the country. That's unheard of, especially considering how peaceful the protests have been. My supposition, and it is still just that, is the Mullahs are broke. Which is how the IRGC will turn - there's no more payouts, no more kickbacks, no more money flowing into their pockets with or without the Mullahs. 

 

That's the only way I can make sense of Hezbollah being in a full retreat and these protests being as effective as they've been so far. Something is different, and it seems like what's difference is the supply lines of illicit funding (terrorism, human trafficking, narcotics, weapons et al) have been cut off. There's a lot of evidence for this prior to the protests kicking off. 

 

I'm also an optimist, and excited by the prospects for peace this could bring to the region (and world) at large if it turns out to be going down the way I think it is...  

[Koko78]

7 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

This is all valid - and you could turn out to be absolutely correct when this thing is all over.

 

But something about this just smells different to me. I admit it's speculation though.

 

The IRGC already retreated to Tehran, giving up on the rest of the country. That's unheard of, especially considering how peaceful the protests have been. My supposition, and it is still just that, is the Mullahs are broke. Which is how the IRGC will turn - there's no more payouts, no more kickbacks, no more money flowing into their pockets with or without the Mullahs. 

 

That's the only way I can make sense of Hezbollah being in a full retreat and these protests being as effective as they've been so far. Something is different, and it seems like what's difference is the supply lines of illicit funding (terrorism, human trafficking, narcotics, weapons et al) have been cut off. There's a lot of evidence for this prior to the protests kicking off. 

 

I'm also an optimist, and excited by the prospects for peace this could bring to the region (and world) at large if it turns out to be going down the way I think it is...  

 

I'm not so sure the mullahs running out of money to pay them is much of a problem; the IRGC has their fingers in most in business dealings throughout the country, so I think they really raise their own revenue (at least in terms of personal enrichment). That's what they're going to be interested in protecting, with the mullahs being protected inasmuch as the religious leaders give them the legitimacy to exist.

 

I hope to God I'm wrong and the protesters prevail. I just see it going bloody and badly there for the protesters in the next few days.

Edited January 5, 2018 by Koko78

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Koko78 said:

 

I'm not so sure theismullahs running out of money to pay them is much of a problem; the IRGC has their fingers in most in business dealings throughout the country, so I think they really raise their own revenue (at least in terms of personal enrichment). That's what they're going to be interested in protecting, with the mullahs being protected inasmuch as the religious leaders give them the legitimacy to exist.

 

I hope to God I'm wrong and the protesters prevail. I just see it going bloody and badly there for the protesters in the next few days.

 

Yep, definitely showing shades of 1989.  But the big question is whether it's Berlin or Tiannamin Square?  Hopefully the former.

 

[KW95 - JA17]

Lots of smoke.....trump's days are numbered

[row_33]

Numbered as in a maximum of 7 years and 2 weeks to go