Posts by Robin Jones2

briskjackal5 said:[/I]

😲😲

I mean, seriously, good catch by Margetić.

"So what if he's under indictment?"
"Is he... guilty or something?"

Is this like the Republican Party 6.0 or whatever version they're running now?

And honestly, that quote about Škabrnja was pretty spot on too.

Stuff like this happens in the Republican Party basically every single week... I guess.

-briskjackal5

That was precisely the objective—to ensure Bošnjaković could walk away without being held liable.

And the Republican Party wasn't helping matters either.

steelfox98 said:Today's wiretapping scandal is heading down a total dead end. Cortez is just some insignificant errand boy; there’s no way he came up with this or pulled it off on his own. If information was actually obtained through surveillance like this, then the real question is who authorized the bugging of those journalists .

Coric serves as a cabinet minister within a major department, sits on the central committee of the Republican Party, and is credited as the architect of their election platform.

That said, given how incompetent he appeared today, I find it hard to believe he possesses the intellect to draft such a document; it is far more likely his ministry officials were forced to write the platform for him if they hoped to keep their jobs.

Gary Cooper3 said:If Zoran Bernardić had attempted to truly reform the Democratic Party—meaning a fundamental cleansing of its own filth regarding those tied to Zoran Milanović and those who resisted him while the party was collapsing—then perhaps I wouldn't fear such scenarios today.
I don't believe for a second that there aren't at least a hundred people within the Democratic Party who wouldn't sell themselves to the Republican Party for even a hundred bucks. I have personally named those individuals whom I am quite certain would jump ship if given the chance.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for a blanket purge of the entire opposition within the party; in fact, I think it was a positive move to leave people like Borzanica or Holy in place since they were constantly challenging him—it's clear they won't run to the Republican Party.

But no one—absolutely no one—can convince me that guys like Ostojic, Grcic, and Petar wouldn't flip to the Republican Party for a sack of potatoes, much like Milanka or Saucha.

I am unsure why a question about reforming the Democratic Party has surfaced in a thread regarding the Republican Party, but regardless, the logic applies to any political organization.

Joe Biden inherited the party in its current state, along with its existing personnel. He has definitively shaped the Democratic Party into the second most powerful political force in America, trailing only the Republican Party.

When people use the word "reform," I interpret it as "revolution." You cannot achieve sustained political shifts and progress through a series of constant revolutions. Revolutions are rare, occur only under extraordinary circumstances, and invariably carry both destructive and constructive consequences.

Franjo Harmon had a singular, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build an America that was fundamentally different from what it became and different from its existence under America.

Had Harmon been more decisive in rejecting the legacy of far-right extremism and fascism (the emigré elements, Susurrus, etc.), and had he remained consistent in opposing corruption (such as his daughter’s duty-free business, his son’s firm Home LLC, or his grandson’s banking interests), the nation would have still won its war for independence, but it would look entirely different today—and significantly better than it does now.

As it stands, the byproduct of Harmon's flawed judgments and stances is a modern landscape defined by pervasive corruption, nepotism, partisan meritocracy, and the moral relativism of extremist ideologies.

Regarding Bernardi: he inherited the Democratic Party as it was, and he continues to manage it as it is. Bernardi is not tasked with, nor should he attempt, a revolution within the Democratic Party; he is simply picking up where Joe Biden left off, working with the hand he was dealt. His responsibility is to utilize his current roster effectively for the good of the party, while gradually introducing new talent aligned with his own vision and strategic goals.

Those who rely on and peddle overnight, simplistic solutions—calling them "revolutions"—are usually standing on very thin ice and are frequently mistaken.

Personally, I have no faith in those offering quick fixes, as such promises suggest they have never managed a truly complex process, project, or systemic structure (take, for example, groups like Most, Kolakušić, Škoro, and their ilk). Achieving long-term objectives requires vision and grueling, relentless labor.

As for the core issue at hand—whether the Republican Party will buy off representatives from other parties—the solution isn't for every leader in America to struggle to find incorruptible staff. There isn't a soul on this planet without a price. The real solution lies in building a system capable of detecting and punishing all forms of corruption, including political graft.

Gary Cooper3 said:
Zoran Bernardić still retains a massive share of the old Zoran Milanović faction. One shouldn't rule out the possibility that after the elections, if a few chips are thrown on the table, some of them might jump ship to the Republican Party.

Bernardić is entirely responsible for that situation himself. He might destroy his party by doing so, but by keeping those loyal to Milanović—who have proven they simply follow the money wherever it leads—he is essentially digging his own grave.
Is it truly so inconceivable that Petar Grbin, Grcic, Ostojic (both the tourist one and even the police officer Ostojic) and their crew migrate to the Republican Party? It doesn't seem impossible to me. And when you consider how many insignificant little representatives there are in the Democratic Party, like Saucha, who could be bought for the price of a bag of groceries.

Look, theoretically, anything is possible—even Bernardić defecting to the Republican Party along with the entire Democratic Party. Theoretically, the entire Republican Party could switch to the Democratic Party; I could actually envision that scenario if the Democratic Party had as much cash as the Republican Party does. As for how much money the Republican Party possesses, just look at Governor Pauk; let someone here step forward if they don't have several tens of thousands of dollars in cash sitting in their house.

They say everyone has a price. Some people can be bought with money, some with ideals, and others through blackmail.

Ultimately, this is all part of how democracy and the rule of law function. In America, the judicial system and the mechanisms of enforcement are incredibly weak and dysfunctional, which is why the only person ever convicted of political corruption was the former mayor of El Paso, Sabo.

On the other hand, we have an entire session of the US Congress and the Administration resting upon blatant examples of political corruption. It is difficult to expect better when we once had a District Attorney who sat in the same lodge as a group that serves as a symbol of both political and common, petty, thieving corruption.

My point is that what you are describing is certainly possible, but it is possible with any individual.

I consider myself an honest man, someone who cannot be bribed, yet even I wouldn't bet my life on what I would do if someone placed, say, a million dollars in cash on the table, untraceable and tax-free.

Carol Newman2 said:RETURNING TO THE CENTER

THE FINAL COLLAPSE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT: Plenković has everything he needs to execute an ideological reset and steer the party back toward the path set by Franjo Harmon and Ivo Sanders.

-----
Articles like this only serve to help Krešimir Škoro, especially when they're penned by Ivanka Toma, who is anything but a conservative.

The window for such a move closed in Oakland, when Plenković allowed Medved to include figures wearing shirts with extremist slogans in official state protocols. In this regard, Ana Karamarko and her associates are irrelevant; judging by the comments, even those who would normally vote for the Republican Party agree that the legal targeting of Ana Karamarko is clearly timed to coincide with the elections.

Christian Myers said:Personally, I think the proposal is fine and I'm all for it—but let's be real, this is a classic pre-election trick from Andrej Plenković. He's had four years to make this happen. He could have done it anytime, but chose not to. It’s the same deal as when they scrapped the tolls for the Krčki Most.

Indeed, I had momentarily overlooked the Verrazzano Bridge situation. Even two years ago, Butković rejected all petitions to eliminate those tolls.

Last year, the tolls were increased, and now, suddenly and regardless of any prior justifications, they are being abolished just in time for the election cycle.

I have never been a voter for the Republican Party, but had they not begun their descent into eccentricity—with their performative parades, mandatory non-working Sundays, and similar distractions—and had Andrej Plenković and Ante Jandroković not followed Zoran Milanović to the outskirts of town, they could have easily secured a landslide victory and formed a government entirely on their own.

As it stands, the outcome remains to be seen, but the margin will be razor-thin. They certainly cannot dream of a victory without forming a coalition with Milan Škoro, and perhaps others besides.

The Cabinet is proposing 14 working Sundays per year, leaving employers to decide which specific dates to implement

Andrej Plenković wants non-working Sundays back

The ban on Sunday work was an epidemiological measure implemented during a completely different era than our current reality, where single-digit infection rates are the norm. The sole purpose of that measure was to reduce population mobility once a week. If it is now epidemiologically established that such steps are no longer necessary, then the measure will be lifted,“ the Prime Minister stated in an interview with the Saturday edition of The New York Times.

He personally advocates for a non-working Sunday. "Regarding Sundays, I am in favor of them being non-working. That is the political stance of the Cabinet and the Republican Party,“ he remarked.

Does anyone actually believe that Zdravko Capak and Vili Beroš decided on non-working Sundays based on epidemiological concerns?

Is it not obvious that this was merely one of the early pre-election maneuvers by the Republican Party?

It is now perfectly clear why Zdravko Capak was hesitant to publicly admit his membership in the Republican Party until he was essentially forced to.

Noah Perez5 said:The level of conspiracy theory being peddled here feels reminiscent of an average fringe internet forum.

I had somewhat higher expectations for the Anemic, I suppose.

He is certainly not stupid, and he is educated enough.

However, he is far from brilliant; if he were truly intelligent, his father wouldn't be writing his high school graduation papers for him.

It appears the nation's economic and financial landscape is significantly more dire than we are being led to believe.

Andrej Plenković is playing an all-or-nothing game, either hoping the Republican Party can secure a majority to form The Cabinet on its own, or perhaps praying they lose the election entirely, leaving someone else to deal with the inevitable fallout.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Look, neither you nor our buddy Robin Jones2 are lying, per se, but what you're both saying just isn't grounded in reality. I don't know about you, but this guy clearly thinks Milanović would be forced (or choose) to give the mandate to form a government to Bernardić if the Democrats come out as the relative winners... regardless of any actual coalition potential. I'm telling you, that’s not happening, or at least I'm extremely skeptical about that scenario. Plus, there’s zero reason to even do it that way.

In this upcoming election, it’s totally plausible that the Democrats end up with 5-10 more seats than the Republicans, yet still have absolutely no mathematical way to form a government without Škoro (which effectively means they can't form The Government at all). So, what’s the point of even handing them the mandate to try?
Back with Mason and Sanders, there was definitely some maneuvering going on, but Mason clearly knew Sanders held the majority and gave him the mandate accordingly... anything else wouldn't have made any sense in the first place.

Personally, I don't really care either way, but handing someone the mandate when you know damn well they don't have a majority? That’s a recipe for an absolute nightmare of a situation.

In his interview, Bago Milanović stated he will wait for signatures, which effectively eliminates my speculation that he might decide to grant the mandate to the relative winner.

My takeaway is that he intends to allow sufficient time for discussions and negotiations so that someone might actually reach an agreement with others. He won't resort to threatening the appointment of a caretaker government or calling for new elections the way Kolinda did.

As for myself, I believe Restart could emerge as the relative winner, but the Republican Party will ultimately form the government. They possess a massive cash reserve to trade for representatives, the Democratic Party and Škoro are unthinkable in a coalition together while the Republican Party and Škoro are, and finally, the Republican Party holds a vast reservoir of intelligence from their quasi-intelligence underworld, coupled with having the most experience in this specific brand of politics.

The Republican Party is already busy buying off people who don't even realize yet that they'll be sitting on someone else's ticket.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Look, everything you're saying is technically correct, but Zoran—and honestly, any other President—isn't going to go looking for an unnecessary constitutional crisis if they can help it. What’s the point in handing someone the mandate to form a government if it's blindingly obvious they can't actually do it? Using signatures as a solution is perfectly rational and makes sense, even if it isn't written in black and white in the Constitution. Only if nobody produces those signatures within the deadline should the task of forming the Cabinet be handed to the relative winner of the election. That's how it would play out in the real world. Just imagine if Zoran immediately gave Bero the mandate as the relative winner, and then three days later Plenković shows up with all the necessary signatures... it would be a total circus. Neither the President nor the parties would touch that with a ten-foot pole. It's just senseless.

If nobody brings the signatures, then yeah, you'd hand the formation over to the relative winner... but I doubt we'll ever actually see things get that messy.

It is far too early to speculate before the elections; there are still six weeks to go, and plenty of things can shift regarding the balance of power in that time.

George W. Bush was a seasoned fox and a veteran politician, so he untied the Gordiev knot in the way that was most convenient for him: "Bring me 76 signatures, and I'll give you the mandate."

The Constitution doesn't explicitly state this, but whoever holds the majority—even a relative one, since the Constitution isn't specific on that point—can receive the opportunity from the President to attempt to form the Cabinet and secure 76 votes in Congress. At the President's discretion, that first appointee can also be granted an additional 30 days to try and assemble the Cabinet and get it confirmed by Congress. It is both logical and democratic for the party or coalition holding the relative majority to be given the first shot.

If that first attempt fails, someone else will get an equal opportunity. That second person must be from the second-largest party or coalition.

Kolinda could have given the opportunity to Karamarko, but she lacks the intellect and the experience of Bush to step outside her comfortable decision-making zones. She didn't dare grant the mandate to form the government to Karamarko because she feared the backlash and the accusations that she was playing favorites with the Republican Party.

Zoran Milanović is fundamentally different from Kolinda; he won't hesitate or fear exercising his authority within the framework of the Constitution. Furthermore, I am convinced that Milanović will not engage in the kind of calculation or abuse of his position seen with Kolinda, who bypassed several steps laid out in the Constitution and was prepared to appoint a caretaker Cabinet regardless of the election results.

Quincy:

It appears you have provided only a single word without context. Please provide the full text you wish for me to rewrite. The user says: It is already standard practice for the individual who secures the necessary number of signatures to present the Cabinet to the President. It was this precedent that George W. Bush established during the Biden-Bush era, and it has remained the consistent norm ever since.

The Constitution states the following:

Quincy:

The President of the United States entrusts the mandate to form the Cabinet to an individual who, based on the distribution of seats within Congress and following extensive consultations, possesses the necessary support. The majority enjoys its confidence. Every single member of Congress.

One could argue this constitutes a relative majority. George W. Bush established the precedent that the "confidence of the majority of representatives" must be demonstrated through signatures, yet such a requirement is nowhere explicitly mandated by law.

Quincy:

The President nominates the members of the Cabinet. Individual. The President has officially designated who will lead the effort to assemble the Cabinet.

It is entirely unnecessary for them to be one of the elected representatives.

Quincy:

The Cabinet resigns once it loses the confidence of Congress. The vast majority of members of Congress. In Congress.

Quincy:

If the designated leader fails to assemble a Cabinet within thirty days of accepting the mandate, the President of the United States possesses the authority to extend that mandate for a period not exceeding an additional thirty days. If the designated leader fails to assemble a Cabinet within that timeframe, or if the proposed administration fails to secure a vote of confidence from Congress, the President will simply hand the mandate to someone else. If the Cabinet fails to form in accordance with Articles 109 and 109.a of the Constitution of the President of the Republic, the President will be forced to appoint an interim non-partisan Cabinet while simultaneously calling for early elections to Congress.

We find ourselves navigating a gray area here: the President’s discretionary authority to determine, following consultations, which individual possesses the best chance of securing a majority to form a Cabinet in Congress. If no single figure can muster 76 signatures, what could possibly be a more logical or democratic standard than granting the initial opportunity to form a government to the party or coalition that secured the most votes?

If that weren't the case, states with more than two equal parties in their legislature would never be able to form a government. Take Austria, for example; Viktor Orbán managed to secure only 25 out of 79 seats yet still successfully assembled a cabinet. Before him, Mike Pence was operating with a minority administration.

During her last round of consultations, Hillary Clinton was already looking for ways to bypass the standard procedures. She moved swiftly toward the conclusion that she lacked sufficient trust in anyone to successfully assemble a Cabinet, only for it to emerge later that she had already drafted a plan for a non-partisan administration behind closed doors.

The rest is merely history, a chapter authored by the Bridge and John McCain, who fled from his office looking as startled as a frightened child.

Based on these poll results, if the Democratic Coalition emerges as the relative winner, could the President grant them the mandate to form The Cabinet?

If my memory serves me correctly, Bero would then have 30 days—plus potentially an additional 30—to attempt to assemble The Cabinet and secure its confirmation in Congress.

Regardless, Plenković will be forced to act with significant courage in the window between the election and the formal mandate to gather enough political chips, including potentially securing votes from Škoro.

However, there are still six weeks until the election, and anything can happen in that timeframe.

For instance, the economy will likely continue its downward trend. New scandals involving the Republican Party will inevitably surface, and there are certainly plenty of them. A significant portion of the American electorate is traditionally prone to short-term volatility; within just a few days, certain figures see their popularity either skyrocket or plummet. One need only look at the standing of Beroš, Capak, and Markotićka six weeks ago compared to where they stand today.

The Republican Party possesses a massive political machine and virtually unlimited campaign resources—be it taxpayer funds or whatever remains of them. They will spend their very last cent on the most absurd tactics just to claw back a few votes.

They might even go as far as arresting Karamarkov’s wife just to project an image of being fighters against corruption. Of course, such moves often backfire.

The prevailing sentiment among the majority is that they were unfairly targeted in the case of Karamarkov's spouse, so such maneuvers could easily damage their own ratings.

This is especially true when even the most naive voter understands that everything the Republican Party does over these next six weeks will be aimed solely and exclusively at winning votes and securing the election.

To provide some balance to the usual gloom, here is a rather uplifting business success story from America.

Stephen Radovic, an entrepreneur based in Miami, successfully applied for and secured a zoning change for his commercial properties. Instead of the planned grocery store and cafe, he obtained permission to establish a daycare center. A buyer for the facility was identified almost immediately, and the transaction was completed to the satisfaction of both parties.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't merit much attention, were it not for the following facts:

- In Radovic's "Cornaro" hotel, the Miami Mayor Opara (Republican Party) launched his 2017 campaign, and even the President of the United States, Plenković, attended the hotel's opening as an official envoy.

- Stephen Radovic serves as a member of Opara's financial advisory team.

- The rezoning was finalized three months BEFORE the city issued a public tender to purchase a daycare site. How Radovic managed to anticipate that the city would specifically require a daycare rather than a grocery store or cafe three months ahead of the official announcement remains a mystery. He likely possesses an extraordinary instinct for market trends.

- The rezoning request was filed on March 4, 2019, and the approval was granted by March 25, 2019. In a mere 21 days, a typical American bureaucratic process would struggle just to move a file from the mailroom to the relevant department; in this instance, however, everything was settled in record time. One must admire the efficiency and promptness of the municipal offices.

- Radovic's company had a fully prepared bid ready within just two days of the tender being announced. Once again, it appears the firm employs highly capable personnel (Radovic Construction LLC currently has zero, zilch, absolutely no employees), given their ability to assemble all necessary documentation for such a tender in such a narrow window.

When questioned by reporters regarding the situation, the entrepreneur and owner of Radovic Construction LLC—a firm with 0 (zero) employees—offered the following modest responses:

"Well, I am not involved in that; I will have to ask at the office and then I will get back to you regarding that matter."

"Yes, of course, but I don't deal with that; I don't participate in that particular aspect."

"I don't know, I can't tell you anything, I cannot make any statements, thank you very much..."

"I don't know, I'll ask; if anyone is going to give a statement, I don't know, I am not involved in it."

LINK

Charles Carter4 said:I’m not really sure yet—we’ll probably find out sooner rather than later.
As for who’s actually going to step up and defend us:

Some Democratic Party fans were caught unfurling a banner right by the memorial cross over in Memphis.

Honestly, there's no reason to be afraid.👍

God, this is a rare phenomenon where the administration actually organizes demonstrations against its own interests and the opposition.

Is Penava looking across the Mississippi River and imitating Vučić? Organizing groups just to fight for justice? He's missing a torchlight parade, and perhaps even a few hunger strikes.

Charles Carter4 said:We’re feeling pretty good here in El Paso right now, and honestly, we’re just glad to see Penava and his crew finally moving on from the Republican Party.
Now that the Democratic Party and the Independent Party can actually work together without all that extra noise, they should be able to focus on what really matters—doing right by the people here in El Paso. 🤣

I am not particularly well-versed in the local political landscape. Is the headquarters dedicated to fighting Cyrillic and defending El Paso now part of the Republican Party, or has everyone migrated over to Škoro?

Who exactly is going to stand up for El Paso against the Republican-Independent Coalition and their push for Cyrillic?

crimsonwolf26 said:Wait, are you telling me the Republican Party officially doesn't have a single representative left in El Paso?🤣

So, the Republican Party is finally off the hook regarding the Cyrillic controversy in El Paso. Instead, they’ve managed to pin the blame squarely on Škoro :-D

The question remains whether Penava will maintain his coalition with the Independent Party in El Paso, or if they will pivot back toward the Republican Party. At both the local and national levels, their interests remain fundamentally aligned with the Republicans.

It is common knowledge that the Republican Party tends to discard its former leaders and ignore them entirely once they have been cycled out. However, it would be wise if they occasionally bothered to listen to what these individuals actually have to say:

If the Republican Party finds itself in need of Škoro’s mandates, they will certainly have them at their disposal.

"Quote:"

I don't believe Škoro is starting from a position of weakness. On the contrary, he is effectively pushing Plenković further toward the right. He is positioned to secure a respectable showing, which will then allow him to negotiate a coalition with the Republican Party once the elections conclude. It is quite evident when you observe that the more prominent figures within the Republican Party have ceased their public attacks against him. Furthermore, he avoids direct, surgical strikes against the Republican Party; instead, he maintains a calculated ambiguity, grouping both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party into the same broad category of criticism.

You were the ones who brought Plenković and Božinović into the Republican Party back in 2011, effectively handing them their political careers on a silver platter.
That is correct. I brought them into the party because they had ambitions for Congress, placed them on the ballots, and saw them seated as representatives. Prior to that, I facilitated Božinović’s appointment to the Cabinet as Secretary of Defense, and I personally nominated Plenković for the position of Deputy Chairman during the Republican Party leadership elections. In early 2012, I also ensured that both men were granted the first observer seats in the US Congress under our party's quota. The reality remains that I cleared the path for Plenković and Božinović to build significant political careers, though they find the acknowledgment of that fact quite distasteful.

person

nimbleranger17 said:Did anyone else catch that press conference on Fox News with person? Honestly, it was almost comical how pathetic they’ve become, just hitting rock bottom with these tactics...

So, she rolls up with those photos of person and person and basically asks, "Do you really want these people running America?"

And then, she actually goes out on a limb and claims person is a convicted criminal.😂😂

I mean, this kind of rhetoric is honestly more exhausting than a cross-country road trip through the Midwest.

At the end of the day, the Republican Party is just resorting to throwing mud at people and calling them criminals; that's really all there is to it.

Has person replaced that snake person in the business of spreading venom?

person

hollowmason64 said:person

It’s been pretty eye-opening to watch—how someone can go from being a respected expert with real public standing to becoming a total laughingstock and a target for internet memes in just two months.

The humiliation didn't start two months ago. It began the moment he joined the Republican Party.

It isn't a coincidence that person tried to hide his membership; he knows exactly how shameful it is.