Senate Intel report: Russia Tried To Help Trump Win 2016 Election

[amrnuke]

Although Obama's reaction to Crimea wasn't exactly strong, Trump has been trying to undo all of it, including crying at the G7 conference about the lack of Russia. Trump also continues to deny that Russia did any with the elections, Obama was too concerned with appearance but Trump is outright lying about it. The two aren't comparable at all.

The Obama admin's reaction to Crimea technically / outwardly was just some sanctions.

But when you look deeper, it was a really good play on the market situation at the time. Oil prices were at highs in early 2014. However, there had been increased domestic oil production, in the US, which sharply increased global oil supply even as global demand was grossly flat. This had started to devalue oil in late June and early July. As oil price devalued, the Russian ruble falters against USD, but net effect is that Russian oil/gas companies could pay for their debt in cheap rubles. Which makes the July 2014 sanction on the largest Russian oil/gas producers that much more biting - it forced them to repay debt in USD. This decimated the ruble and the Russian economy.

Russia then stupidly counter-sanctioned grain/food imports from US and Europe, leading to food shortages in Russia, which along with decreased purchasing power from a weak ruble, produced a great deal of inflation.

I have no evidence the administration directed increased oil production in early 2014 in response to the invasion of Crimea and Donbass. What I do have evidence of is that the administration at the time saw a brilliant opening to punish Russia without ever setting foot on their soil, and took it.

As of early 2015 the Russian ruble was worth 0.016 USD, down from 0.03 to 0.035 in early 2014. GDP fell over 40% from 2013 to 2016 and still hasn't returned to 2013 levels. The ruble has never recovered, actually lower today in comparison to USD than after sanctions.

After the sanctions, you see Russia increasing involvement in US electioneering.

 

[HomerJS]

The Obama admin's reaction to Crimea technically / outwardly was just some sanctions.

But when you look deeper, it was a really good play on the market situation at the time. Oil prices were at highs in early 2014. However, there had been increased domestic oil production, in the US, which sharply increased global oil supply even as global demand was grossly flat. This had started to devalue oil in late June and early July. As oil price devalued, the Russian ruble falters against USD, but net effect is that Russian oil/gas companies could pay for their debt in cheap rubles. Which makes the July 2014 sanction on the largest Russian oil/gas producers that much more biting - it forced them to repay debt in USD. This decimated the ruble and the Russian economy.

Russia then stupidly counter-sanctioned grain/food imports from US and Europe, leading to food shortages in Russia, which along with decreased purchasing power from a weak ruble, produced a great deal of inflation.

I have no evidence the administration directed increased oil production in early 2014 in response to the invasion of Crimea and Donbass. What I do have evidence of is that the administration at the time saw a brilliant opening to punish Russia without ever setting foot on their soil, and took it.

As of early 2015 the Russian ruble was worth 0.016 USD, down from 0.03 to 0.035 in early 2014. GDP fell over 40% from 2013 to 2016 and still hasn't returned to 2013 levels. The ruble has never recovered, actually lower today in comparison to USD than after sanctions.

After the sanctions, you see Russia increasing involvement in US electioneering.

You mean despite the rhetoric from the right, the Negro did a little more then nothing?

 

[amrnuke]

You mean despite the rhetoric from the right, the Negro did a little more then nothing?

I would think the wealthy and investors were happy:
From inauguration day in 2009 until inauguration day 2017, VTSMX (total US stock market index) rose from 20.36 to 56.89, or 179% increase over 2921 days.
From inauguration day 2017 until the VTSMX / market peak on Feb 19 2020, total increase was from 56.89 to 83.76, or 47% increase over 1125 days.

That's 0.0614% per day for Obama
That's 0.0420% per day for Trump

Obama had 46% higher average daily gains than Trump did before COVID hit.

The reason the wealthy and super-wealthy weren't happy is because a lot is never enough, and they constantly clamor for lower taxes even as they're making 22% per year on the market with 15% tax rate on capital gains.

 

[hal2kilo]

I would think the wealthy and investors were happy:
From inauguration day in 2009 until inauguration day 2017, VTSMX (total US stock market index) rose from 20.36 to 56.89, or 179% increase over 2921 days.
From inauguration day 2017 until the VTSMX / market peak on Feb 19 2020, total increase was from 56.89 to 83.76, or 47% increase over 1125 days.

That's 0.0614% per day for Obama
That's 0.0420% per day for Trump

Obama had 46% higher average daily gains than Trump did before COVID hit.

The reason the wealthy and super-wealthy weren't happy is because a lot is never enough, and they constantly clamor for lower taxes even as they're making 22% per year on the market with 15% tax rate on capital gains.

Oh stop making sense.

 

[darkswordsman17]

The Obama admin's reaction to Crimea technically / outwardly was just some sanctions.

But when you look deeper, it was a really good play on the market situation at the time. Oil prices were at highs in early 2014. However, there had been increased domestic oil production, in the US, which sharply increased global oil supply even as global demand was grossly flat. This had started to devalue oil in late June and early July. As oil price devalued, the Russian ruble falters against USD, but net effect is that Russian oil/gas companies could pay for their debt in cheap rubles. Which makes the July 2014 sanction on the largest Russian oil/gas producers that much more biting - it forced them to repay debt in USD. This decimated the ruble and the Russian economy.

Russia then stupidly counter-sanctioned grain/food imports from US and Europe, leading to food shortages in Russia, which along with decreased purchasing power from a weak ruble, produced a great deal of inflation.

I have no evidence the administration directed increased oil production in early 2014 in response to the invasion of Crimea and Donbass. What I do have evidence of is that the administration at the time saw a brilliant opening to punish Russia without ever setting foot on their soil, and took it.

As of early 2015 the Russian ruble was worth 0.016 USD, down from 0.03 to 0.035 in early 2014. GDP fell over 40% from 2013 to 2016 and still hasn't returned to 2013 levels. The ruble has never recovered, actually lower today in comparison to USD than after sanctions.

After the sanctions, you see Russia increasing involvement in US electioneering.

Yeah the sanctions were a big deal. Getting rid of the ones from the USSR days was a big part of Putin's plan to modernize the Russian military and seize more power (good economy = keeps people willing to overlook the means). They spent like a decade of bribing US politicians to overturn them (often legally I should add, but that's what they were doing). And they were almost successful until the one rich American business guy let politicians know that Russia murdered his lawyer after he tried fighting their attempts at screwing him in their mutual fleecing of the Russian people. That led to them not ditching the law that they used to enact the sanctions, but to reaffirming them and then planning more against Russia.

I think I've posted before that I'm pretty damn sure that's exactly why they opened up US fossil fuel production around that time. They wanted to wage economic warfare against multiple countries (Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, come to mind) without having to call it that. It was around that time the US was looking to get Iran to the bargaining table over their nuclear program too. I think we were having some spats with Saudi Arabia over various human rights abuses around that time as well. We could hit a lot of countries we had issues with by doing that.

 

[amrnuke]

Yeah the sanctions were a big deal. Getting rid of the ones from the USSR days was a big part of Putin's plan to modernize the Russian military and seize more power (good economy = keeps people willing to overlook the means). They spent like a decade of bribing US politicians to overturn them (often legally I should add, but that's what they were doing). And they were almost successful until the one rich American business guy let politicians know that Russia murdered his lawyer after he tried fighting their attempts at screwing him in their mutual fleecing of the Russian people. That led to them not ditching the law that they used to enact the sanctions, but to reaffirming them and then planning more against Russia.

I think I've posted before that I'm pretty damn sure that's exactly why they opened up US fossil fuel production around that time. They wanted to wage economic warfare against multiple countries (Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, come to mind) without having to call it that. It was around that time the US was looking to get Iran to the bargaining table over their nuclear program too. I think we were having some spats with Saudi Arabia over various human rights abuses around that time as well. We could hit a lot of countries we had issues with by doing that.

My feelings exactly about oil production. I have no evidence of it, it's all circumstantial, but it all makes a great deal of sense. Too many oil producing nations are far too adversarial, and us pumping the world full of cheap American oil makes a huge amount of sense to hurt oil-dependent despotic countries specifically. It's so interesting that these oil-rich nations are so commonly run by complete taint-rings.

I think with oil sinking to lows, now would be a good time to put KSA, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, et al under a heavy blanket by throwing money into green energy. With US shale fields already emptied out due to price drops, it would be perfect. US green tech could be the new oil well.

 

[Greenman]

You mean despite the rhetoric from the right, the Negro did a little more then nothing?

The negro? Really? is it 1953 again or what?

 

[brycejones]

The negro? Really? is it 1953 again or what?

That is when America was last Great wasn't it?

 

[ivwshane]

The negro? Really? is it 1953 again or what?

When did they have fainting couches?

 

[jackstar7]

The negro? Really? is it 1953 again or what?

Maybe this will help:

i·ro·ny
/ˈīrənē/

noun
noun: irony

1. the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

 

[hal2kilo]

Bu, bu, but, Barr said....

 

[Jhhnn]

They didn't just try to help, they did help immeasurably. I'm waiting for Trump voters to explain why.

 

[JSt0rm]

we need to wreck russia. Oil tanking and a virus spreading like wildfire in their country is a good start. I wonder if putin regrets his decision to put 2 scoops in charge.

 

[Jhhnn]

we need to wreck russia. Oil tanking and a virus spreading like wildfire in their country is a good start. I wonder if putin regrets his decision to put 2 scoops in charge.

Regret? Not one teensy bit. Trump is tearing this country apart, tearing down the institutions of the Government of the People & destroying our faith in them, all predicated on decades of corrosive GOP culture war propaganda. As a chaos generator, he was exceeding expectations before the pandemic. He won't disappoint now, either. It will be difficult indeed for he Russians to fuck it up worse than Trump.

 

[JSt0rm]

putin did not think oil would trade in the negative or that 3% of his population would die from some virus trump bumbled the response to.

 

[Jhhnn]

putin did not think oil would trade in the negative or that 3% of his population would die from some virus trump bumbled the response to.

Negative prices are a function of speculation in the futures market. Middlemen got caught holding delivery contracts w/o the capacity to actually take delivery. Given reduced demand, they have to pay somebody to take it off their hands or be thrown out of the exchange. The Russians & the Saudis still make money because their production costs are quite low. Highly leveraged north American shale oil producers are forced into bankruptcy.

 

[JSt0rm]

Negative prices are a function of speculation in the futures market. Middlemen got caught holding delivery contracts w/o the capacity to actually take delivery. Given reduced demand, they have to pay somebody to take it off their hands or be thrown out of the exchange. The Russians & the Saudis still make money because their production costs are quite low. Highly leveraged north American shale oil producers are forced into bankruptcy.

russia cant make oil barrels for $0

middlemen arent going to buy more if they are holding too much.

 

[HomerJS]

The negro? Really? is it 1953 again or what?

Hyperbole dude. It's how Trump and Republicans think of Obama, that uppity Negro.

 

[Jhhnn]

russia cant make oil barrels for $0

middlemen arent going to buy more if they are holding too much.

You don't understand. In futures trading, a buyer agrees to take physical delivery on a certain date at a certain price. It's a contract, and it's fungible. Some of the people who deal in such contracts have no storage facilities at all. They just have an office. They always have to sell the contract before the delivery date. Sometimes they make money, sometimes they lose. It's a form of gambling.

Capische? They got caught in a squeeze holding the contract when nobody wanted to buy it so they had to pay for somebody to take it off their hands, right now, or they're out of a very elite business.

 

[hal2kilo]

Looks like some Roger Stone evidence got released.

Roger Stone search warrants reveal new clues — and mysteries — about 2016

The unsealed documents offer fresh information on Stone’s contacts with Julian Assange.

www.politico.com

 

[soundforbjt]

Looks like some Roger Stone evidence got released.

Roger Stone search warrants reveal new clues — and mysteries — about 2016

The unsealed documents offer fresh information on Stone’s contacts with Julian Assange.

www.politico.com

Swash Buckler...LOL.

 

[hal2kilo]

Well, one more step closer for Congress to get there hands on the Mueller investigation sealed documents from the DOJ.

Appeals court won't halt order for DOJ to hand over sealed Mueller documents