Trump Hotel Price Gouging - Grifting The GOP

[Cheerful Charlie]

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/tr...s-during-a-planned-republican-retreat-report/
...
On Monday, Law and Crime reported that the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. plans to dramatically raise room rates on November 7, when a two day Republican Party retreat is scheduled to begin on the premises.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has determined that the hotel will be charging $1,345 for a “premier” room and $1,395 for a “deluxe” room — the two cheapest kinds of rooms at the hotel. That is roughly a 200 percent increase from their average price.
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Shameless, utterly and totally shameless. Greed is good!

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I'm torn. On the one hand, Trump is price gouging people and that's bad. On the other hand, it's the GOP guys who are getting fucked over and I don't mind that at all.

It's sort of like if Robin Hood knifes your wife. Part of you is like "Hey ... that's my wife ... not cool, man" and another part is like "Hey ... can I get an autograph? I'm a big fan of your work".

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

And the feckless GOP did not say, "Hey! WTF?!" They apparently will cheerfully allow themselves to be overcharged by Trump. I would like to see some reporter stick a microphone in some GOP leaders faces and ask "What's up with that?".

Some men will rob you with a gun and others will rob you with a pen. Or something.

 

[RVonse]

Perhaps I am missing something. How is this different than the politicians speaking tour when they charge $1500 for a plate? Or when Hillary gets $millions just for speaking in front of people. Is it because of her beautiful voice?

Its all bullshit IMO. But the people who pay for this crap are adults with free will who obviously know how much a room is supposed to cost.

 

[Gun Nut]

Perhaps I am missing something. How is this different than the politicians speaking tour when they charge $1500 for a plate? Or when Hillary gets $millions just for speaking in front of people. Is it because of her beautiful voice?

Its all bullshit IMO. But the people who pay for this crap are adults with free will who obviously know how much a room is supposed to cost.

When a public servant accepts money it is illegal. When a private citizen accepts money it is not illegal. That is the obvious difference.
The less obvious difference is when you feel like going to a football game and choosing to spend $100 to buy a ticket... versus your boss telling you that you have to attend a football game, and have to buy the $100 ticket from your bosses' boss for $200.

Another difference between a fundraising event where the "plate" costs $1500 (the donation to the cause / campaign / charity / whatever) and where a president illegally violates the Emoluments Clause by personally charging people by way of using his position, is that one is a great way to fund events and the other is fucking illegal for very good reasons, not the least of which is to ensure the US does not owe any foreign leader any "under the table" favors - that is not foreign "policy" by any stretch of the imagination. That is bribery and corruption, by definition. One of the "highest" crimes there is in government.

 

[Worldtraveller]

I'm torn. On the one hand, Trump is price gouging people and that's bad. On the other hand, it's the GOP guys who are getting fucked over and I don't mind that at all.

It's sort of like if Robin Hood knifes your wife. Part of you is like "Hey ... that's my wife ... not cool, man" and another part is like "Hey ... can I get an autograph? I'm a big fan of your work".

They probably have a way to write it off, so it's really us taxpayers paying for it.

 

[Bronzeage]

It certainly puts Scott Pruitt's $50/night condo rental in perspective. Pruitt is saving more than five grand a week, which is pretty shrewd.

 

[RVonse]

.... which is to ensure the US does not owe any foreign leader any "under the table" favors - that is not foreign "policy" by any stretch of the imagination. That is bribery and corruption, by definition. One of the "highest" crimes there is in government.

But that's exactly what happened all the time with the Clinton foundation. Seven foreign governments donated heavily with expectations while Hillary was secretary of state:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...871a82-9319-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html

Trump could not possibly be so corrupt as the Clintons. But even if he were, there have been many other politicians doing the same types of things in the past. Actually our federal government does not even follow the same laws as private citizens (which you think is so important) or they would probably be charged with felonies.

I see no difference at all with the corruption other than Trump was already rich (unlike the Clintons) before he took office. Business as usual for Washington elite.

 

[RVonse]

versus your boss telling you that you have to attend a football game, and have to buy the $100 ticket from your bosses' boss for $200.

Higher room rent would be reimbursed by the government and not paid by the employee. Even private employers do not expect employees to pay for their own hotel rooms. And the government is far far more generous than private industry.

 

[Patooka]

Trump could not possibly be so corrupt as the Clintons.

Are you fucking kidding?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Lfd1aB9YI[/youtube]

That clip is over three years old. Since then we have seen:
Trump use campaign funds to pay off porn stars multiple times,
force the armed services and the vice president to use his real estate holdings to further enrich himself,
leak classified material from an ally to Russian officials,
have his family go on international trips in a semi official capacity on the tax payers dime,
give Saudi Arabia a pretty sweet arms deal despite congress voting against it because Saudis use his hotels,
try to intimidate the head of the FBI to drop an investigation on his National Security Advisor,
provide himself one hell of a tax cut at the expense of middle class America,
give prominent campaign donors prestigious positions in his cabinet,
claim the constitution allows him to do whatever the fuck he wants,
declare anyone who disagrees with him an enemy of the people,
force taxpayers to fund his golfing ventures at an exorbitant rate,
ensure his daughter/wife receives some pretty sweet Chinese trademarks in exchange for some dogey quid pro quo,
making sure his son in law and daughter/fuck trophy are privy to classified material despite failing their background security checks,
and finally, vetoed a bill that would prohibit foreign nations tampering in US elections.

That's off the top of my head, I'm sure I've left a couple out. But at least the Trump administration never put their emails on a private server.

 

[Metaphor]

Am I missing something? Is the government actually going to pay for this, or the Republican party. If it's the latter, who cares?

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

The latter. GOP officials, their aides and of course the usual lobbyists et al who will attend. Lots of money will flow through these from the usual deep pocketed money men and into Trump's hotel.