Information here. This is 3 CDs of his oeuvre, with all the old songs we've heard innumerable times before, like the Prelude and Don't Remember.
It was a bit of a surprise I guess to find out that Russia under Putin would still use tapes in hotel rooms of prostitutes to compromise important men (although apparently Russian hookers are the 'best in the world'). (What about impt women, like Merkel? Presumably untemptable?) It just seems like such a passe, cold war tactic, I mean, even in 1994 Marion Barry was reelected after a crack-hooker tape, and after spending time in jail (23 years ago already!).
[Btw for those curious (like me yesterday) about the golden showers appellation of that dossier-- I mean whether or not it really involves that well-known perversion-- I was reading that one of the hookers pees on Obama's bed, and possibly there is nothing more to it than that (involving Trump). Or hopefully nothing more, I should say. Good title though, since so weird/insulting. Reminder to myself: watch From Russia with Love again. My favourite when I was a kid.]
My question is, has Putin never heard of Toronto mayor Rob Ford? He survived a far worse scandal-- I doubt the Trump tape could be as bad.
In any case the parallels between the two men and their careers are eerie, and educational, not necessarily just because of their similar personalities but because of the way in which they were popularized and unexpectedly elected by a minority of people, in reality the same minority: non-college-educated middle-aged white males, who mostly having grown up in a milieu in which snarky rebellion is cool, loved the uncouth and unintellectual middle finger attitude of a guy like them. So my prediction is that Trump will follow along the same lines as Rob Ford. We can learn from the latter to see how the former's career will play out.
Even early into Rob's mayoralty, after agreeing with most of his crazy political antics (partly due to his bullying) the city council decided he was too unhinged to follow and began to shut down his powers by siding against him. We can very confidently predict the same will happen to Trump. Towards the end of it, they actually took away all his powers to render him a figurehead to minimize the damage. (Except for a couple of sycophant councillors-- and this is so predictable-- who stuck by him as if they were desperate every day to get their oral cavity on to his testicles.)
Half way through though that notorious crack tape surfaced, and his supporters refused to believe it existed, or if it did, that it really showed crack-smoking, or if it did show crack, that it didn't mean he was a bad man. (Showing you the intellectual faculties of his supporters.) But the important thing for us is that it didn't damage his reputation overall, among the majority. So my guess is that there are tapes of Trump too, which might eventually surface, most likely because they are being used as blackmail by the Russians and will therefore have to be released because Trump refuses to (or is unable to) for ex., lift those financial sanctions and to demonstrate vigorously (presumably to others) that their threats are not idle.
But come on, maybe the Russians don't, but we in the West live in a completely different world now where such a thing might well be laughed at-- look at the earlier Bush tapes. Maybe Donald is personally afraid of being humiliated, but he can rest easy there. For sure Trump's supporters will defend him more vigorously than ever, like Ford's did by saying look what a regular guy he is... yeah, like we all smoke crack with a bunch of black dealers and down a bottle of vodka every sunday afternoon... sure... My one and only political contribution ever I like to say was to donate 100 dollars to the gawker campaign to buy the Rob Ford crack tape back when news of it first surfaced... Today you can watch it for yourself on youtube, it's interesting in a very very depressing way, mainly to compare with your mental image of what it might have looked like. Those who questioned whether he was really smoking crack will certainly shut up: there's absolutely no doubt about it. Watching it today I feel again that profound sadness that makes me stop halfway through, I can't see it through to the end, despite having once paid for the right to see it...
Hopefully everyone knows what happened to Rob in the end: before even his 4 years ended he was diagnosed with a highly dangerous and rare cancer called liposarcoma which was treated but eventually killed him within 2 years at the age of 47, but young death is a common end for drug addict-alcoholics. Today his hardcore supporters are willing to back his brother for mayor of Toronto, having never forgotten the wonderful late hero they loved so profoundly. But the rest have moved on, and in a sense, become immunized against a repeat of this particular virulent infection. At least locally.
So what do we predict for Trump?
--There are tapes, they will be released eventually (it took 3 years for Rob Ford) but they won't damage his reputation.
--His supporters will back him through thick and thin as if this was a crazy cult, which it is, and he is their saviour.
--The rest of government will try frantically to limit his powers to restrain the damage he can cause (e.g. start a nuclear war).
--His agenda and plans and all his energy in fact will be constantly tied up in fighting with other politicians, mostly because he doesn't understand how to work with other human beings.
--Purely speculative: some medical condition will stop him in his tracks, or at least, give him a face-saving way to resign with pride and dignity and lead to the majority suddenly switching from attack to sympathy....
--His family will try to continue the dynasty (either Ivanka or Jared, obviously, though I could see a huge internal power struggle there between Donald Junior and Jared, perhaps settled in favour of the ridiculous cosmetic surgery-addicted barbie girl?) Imagine for a second Ivanka as presidential candidate. For example running against Hillary. Is this a joke???
--The next president will be a middle of the road, highly generic, sensible and boring, pragmatic leader who will promise never to create any drama... and the American people, like Toronto, will hopefully be immunized against this kind of nasty craziness...
If we look at the bigger picture I think that a great deal of compassion is due here, because the good-hearted and almost naive nature of Americans has made them ripe for a demagogue-- mostly due to the newness, unexpectedness of the situation, the innocence of the people, and the beauty of the promises... And it was easy to be taken advantage of by Putin for the same reasons, to be honest, who would have expected such cold war tactics the world had left behind 30 years ago? an entire generation has grown up susceptible, like people never immunized against measles who can now catch it due to immune naivete. But this, after a slight fever, will give them antibodies so it doesn't happen again, if not in the frontal cortices of people, at least, institutionally (e.g. protecting later elections against interference). Personally, I have faith in the American people. I love them, sorry, I mean, all y'all, and I love the great US of A. God bless--....
Obviously, since CD, link will be taken down soon.
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