2017 Politics - The Trump Card

[Gary]

And the winner of the Indictment Lottery is: Paul Manafort!

Don't forget Rick Gates. Now, we get to see where the dots connect.

[RJDiogenes]

Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, and George Papadopoulos-- who pleaded guilty, unlike the first two. The plot thickens.

[Gary]

A nice opinion piece from USA TODAY: Sure, Trump should fire Mueller, pardon everybody involved with Russia ... if he's guilty. Trump is claiming he'll be found innocent if Mueller treats him fairly. This is similar to how he said he would accept the results of the 2016 Presidential election if he won.

Based on recent news, I believe the smaller fish are starting to flip.

[RJDiogenes]

Yep, there's gonna be a lotta deal making going on.

[Orpheus]

I was told today that bridge tournament participation has been really flagging this year (specifically in CT).

I just arched an eyebrow, said "I'm not surprised", and walked away enigmatically.

[RJDiogenes]

Okay, that went over my head.

[Gary]

Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation

[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBAjhxjQ90[/BBvideo]

[RJDiogenes]

Well, that was a creepy display.

Looks like both Flynn and his son are in it deep. That could give them some leverage.

[Orpheus]

Okay, that went over my head.

Would you voluntarily choose a game where everyone is constantly playing Trump and NoTrump cards?

[RJDiogenes]

Ah, but of course. See, my problem is that I know pretty much nothing about card games.

[Orpheus]

I know little about bridge. People have taught me it several times, so I could be a fourth, but I always forget the rules the next day.

Now, poker, on the other hand, I have played professionally. That is to say: when I was bedridden many years ago, it was the early poker boom, and I played quite profitably online. Student loans wait for no man. Deferrals for illness etc. only dig you in deeper. I still can't say I consider myself an expert. I've started playing again a bit recently, and I'm amazed how much better I am than I ever was before -- and how much I still learn each week. There are great books out there, but you have to keep re-reading them as you rise through the stakes. You can only learn the lessons you are ready for, and which apply to the level of games you play. The rest, you can only think you understand -- but turns out to mean something very different when you get there. It's really a completely different game at different levels of play.

You don't play your cards. You play your opponent. (You also don't play the House, which makes it much better than many other types of "gambling")

[RJDiogenes]

I used to play Poker in high school, because that was a thing we did. And a little Blackjack, which I also played (badly) when I visited Las Vegas. That's about the extent of my card-playing experience.

[RJDiogenes]

[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXl8vRmLeJk[/BBvideo]

[Lupine]

Yeah, they've been running that commercial on several stations, especially the news ones.

[Gary]

The Fox network pulled those commercials. I don't think the Trump base appreciates responsible governance.