Ted Lieu!!!

[kpete]

Dear @realDonaldTrump: Even if we ignored Russia's bad behavior, it doesn't deserve to be in the G-7 because it's not even a top ten economy. Both Brazil & India have far larger economies.

Why didn't you invite them? Is it because they didn't help you win the Electoral College?

Link to tweet

?s=20

UPDATED TO ADD THIS FROM: Rep John Yarmuth

Link to tweet

[PearliePoo2]

1. Ted, you absolutely ROCK!

LOVE this guy!

[fleur-de-lisa]

2. I love Ted Lieu! This is another of his tweets from earlier today:

Ted Lieu✔ @tedlieu

The Kremlin committed mass murder with the downing of the civilian airliner. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia interfered in American elections.

Now @realDonaldTrump wants to reinstate Russia to G-7.

What exactly does Putin have on Trump?

8:16 AM - Jun 8, 2018

Link to tweet

[R B Garr]

3. He is so awesome!

[Gothmog]

4. Great tweet

[PatSeg]

5. Not to mention

Brazil and India might be a little too "brown" for Trump's taste. There seems to be an element of race in almost anything he does.

[Duppers]

7. So true!

[erronis]

14. Given most of the world is not northern european like dump's ancestors

He must have a ton of disdain for all of us.

Now to find some lineage that connects him to a swarthy troglodyte!

[sandensea]

17. We know his father was a Klansman, and his grandfather a pimp.

So who knows what else is in that family tree!

[PatSeg]

27. If his grandfather had stayed in Germany

or allowed to return, I'm quite sure the "Trumps" would have been good Nazis.

[PatSeg]

26. Yes

Just look at the marked difference in his reaction to Texas and Puerto Rico during the last hurricane season. He doesn't even try to disguise his inherent racism. He's even talked about his good genes, i.e. German roots. Like so many white supremacists, he has the arrogance, but lacks the superiority.

[uponit7771]

24. +1

[oswaldactedalone]

6. They're $h!thole Countries

Of course he wouldn't want them.

[Duppers]

8. K & R

[erronis]

9. Where does the russian/syrian/israeli conflict play in this n-dimensional chess game?

The russians/USSR are supporting Assad and of course Iran.

The US and Israel are supporting each other and wars in other Islamic countries which intersects with Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.

Underneath, the lines of intrigue and power are much murkier. There are third/fourth party players who will take actions for whoever pays them and has a regular relationship (a $1,000,000 payment for a one-time murder does not establish a trustworthy relationship.)

Throw in the Chinese, the rest of the 5-eyes, the radicals, the anarchists, and the dimensions expand beyond normal human understanding.

However these dimensions are all being mapped by most of the interested parties. You are at one or more of the intersections.

[sandensea]

13. One can only guess.

But we know Bibi wants Syria, and has been trying to curry favor with the (easily-bribed) Trump in order to get us on board. Throw in the Saudis, who hate the Shiite (but secular) Assad regime, and you've got the ISIS/Islamic Army problem.

That puts Cheeto in a pickle, since Putin, as you pointed out, wants the exact opposite: a stabilized Syria under firm Assad control - i.e. the status quo ante (pre-2011).

What's a kleptocrat to do? I suspect Trump's using this opportunity to create a bidding war, selling out U.S. policy (which frankly should be neutral) to the highest bidder:

Which of course means: Whoever gets the Trump family over the $10 billion net worth mark, wins Syria.

[erronis]

16. And Jordan and the full range of the eastern Mediterranean.

Who knows what winds are filling Erdogan's sails right now. Russians are right next door but I think even the Turks are smart enough not to welcome a bear into their home.

Funny thing - while all this "crusade" era stuff is going on - cowboy style, the Chinese are quietly solidifying real partnerships.

[sandensea]

18. True. China's being the real adult in the room these days - the role WE would have had under Hillary

Interesting times, right?

[olegramps]

29. Unfortunately, this is basically a religious war dating to the 7th century.

The battle lines are drawn between the Sunnis and the Shiites with the Kurds fighting for a homeland that they were promised and screwed out of.

[Hekate]

10. Two-fer from Lieu and Yarmuth!

[lagomorph777]

11. I like both

Yarmuth hadn't even been on my radar before this.

[D_Master81]

12. Lieu FTW!!!

Excellent tweet!

[sandensea]

15. Not to mention the world's biggest economy: China.

How Canada, for all its virtues, is still in the G-7 (other than because both the UK and US like it that way), is beyond me.

The G-7 Summit in Venice, in 1980. So much has changed since then - except the G-7.

[shanny]

20. fwiw China is still #2, approximately 2/3 the size of ours.

Don't ever let anybody tell you we can't afford "x".

[sandensea]

22. I KNOW we can! The Pentagon alone can't "find" $3 trillion.

That's a larger dollar figure than all but four of the world's economies.

The problem, of course, is our dysfunctional government - care of a 50-year corporate effort to discredit, and to a large extent dismantle, our government (except, of course, defense).

As far as China, I was referring to purchasing power parity - i.e. the revised GDP figure for each nation taking into account local costs relative to the U.S. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP))

But even then, as the 2nd-largest economy, China should definitely be in the G-7 (and possibly India as well).

I love Canada and Italy - and God knows I wouldn't mind living in either (Umbria!). But so much has changed since the '80s - not least of which, international rankings.

[duforsure]

19. Good one Ted!

Its all because Putin has stuff on him, and he stands to make money on it in some way. putin is a terrorist, and so is trump. If anything should change, they should kick out the USA as long as he's in office, and be done with him. They'll regret it if they don't.

[shanny]

21. Jaysus H, California is #5, even ahead of the UK.

Methinks CA should be included in the G-whatevers.

[calimary]

23. Yep. I Love Ted Lieu!

[trof]

25. And...India got brown people.

Yeah, they do.

[Cha]

28. Ted Lieu and John Yarmuth!