douwd20
Registered Senior Member
I'm sure this had nothing to do with Duarte getting a White House invite.
The Trump Presidency
- Thread starter joepistole
- Start date
- Status
The main difference between Trump and the establishment is connected to their service philosophy. Trump made his fortune in the service industries. He owns casinos, hotels and golf courses. In each case, the consumer is treated like he/she is a VIP. In the competitive service market industry, the key to success is quality and good customer service. The Washington establishment looks at itself as the most important thing, with the tax payer service, secondary. These are opposite in terms of how their see the consumer/tax payer.
The contrast is like going to a hotel for vacation (Trump) versus going to the registry of motor vehicles (Establishment). The first welcomes you and treats you like you are a VIP, trying to make you stay easy and fun. The second treats you like you are an inconvenience. This is why Trump appeals to his people and why the establishment appeals to its people.
The Establishment does not want the current government dynamics to change. They are doing everything they can to sabotage the change toward a private sector service model of government; efficient and tax payer (consumer) friendly. Trump wants to give a large tax break to everyone. Trump is comping all the tax payers, like they were guests at a casino, who had a previous bad stay at the Washington Hotel. The Establishment does not like this because this means they will need to work harder with less resources.
Imagine going on a fancy vacation and having service, like you get at the Registry of motor vehicles, along with all types of regulations and red tape even if you wish to go for a swim at the hotel pool. It is a dysfunctional environment of pretend royalty. The tax payer and Trump supporters want to feel that they are getting their money's worth in terms of services provided. They no longer want to be ripped off by hotel staff that eats first, while they get to pay the tab.
The Hollywood types prefer the Washington Establishment Hotel, since they are used to being treated like pretend royalty. The media is also full of itself and forgets they are there to provide a service; journalism. Instead, they try to lord their opinions and bias over the clueless masses, who get to pay their salaries. Liberals are also very pretentious and prefer the establishment hotel. In the current model they can break into guest rooms and pillage the tax payers.
The contrast is like going to a hotel for vacation (Trump) versus going to the registry of motor vehicles (Establishment). The first welcomes you and treats you like you are a VIP, trying to make you stay easy and fun. The second treats you like you are an inconvenience. This is why Trump appeals to his people and why the establishment appeals to its people.
The Establishment does not want the current government dynamics to change. They are doing everything they can to sabotage the change toward a private sector service model of government; efficient and tax payer (consumer) friendly. Trump wants to give a large tax break to everyone. Trump is comping all the tax payers, like they were guests at a casino, who had a previous bad stay at the Washington Hotel. The Establishment does not like this because this means they will need to work harder with less resources.
Imagine going on a fancy vacation and having service, like you get at the Registry of motor vehicles, along with all types of regulations and red tape even if you wish to go for a swim at the hotel pool. It is a dysfunctional environment of pretend royalty. The tax payer and Trump supporters want to feel that they are getting their money's worth in terms of services provided. They no longer want to be ripped off by hotel staff that eats first, while they get to pay the tab.
The Hollywood types prefer the Washington Establishment Hotel, since they are used to being treated like pretend royalty. The media is also full of itself and forgets they are there to provide a service; journalism. Instead, they try to lord their opinions and bias over the clueless masses, who get to pay their salaries. Liberals are also very pretentious and prefer the establishment hotel. In the current model they can break into guest rooms and pillage the tax payers.
Hmm....you do realize Trump's service industry businesses have repeatedly gone bankrupt? Trump has repeatedly made the same mistakes. He has consistently failed to understand his customers. He has consistently over built and over borrowed and incompetently managed his businesses.
Trump didn't make his fortune. He inherited his fortune. There is a big difference. Trump's "service philosophy" begins and ends with his ego.
Here is strange thing about your assertion, Trump has farmed out his administration to the "establishment". Thus far, Trump's administration has been nothing but mainstream Republicanism. He has appointed a popular right wing Supreme Court nominee, and his policies thus far from Syria to China have been a continuation of the establishment. He hasn't labeled China a currency manipulator on day one has promised. He has extended American involvement in Syria. He has outsourced his legislative agenda to the Republican establishment in Congress. Yeah, despite his rhetoric, Trump has been nothing but establishment.
#blitheringincompetence | #WhatTheyVotedFor
The problem with laughing is that this is the government, and this sort of thing can have serious consequences:
Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the reason Trump floated the possibility of a shutdown was all because of Democrats' happiness at the spending deal. Over and over, he went after Democrats for hurting the president's feelings.
(Terkel↱)
(Terkel↱)
Yes, really. The Trump administration is threatening a shutdown because master baiter and negotiator's feelings are apparently hurt.
• “The Dems have been trying to claim victory on this, which I think is a very strange way to look at a bipartisan discussion. If you're in a bipartisan meeting, I think it is very unusual for one group to walk out and start spiking the football and say, ‘We won, we killed the other guys.' It certainly doesn't bode very well for future discussions.”
• “I think the president is frustrated with the fact that he negotiated in good faith with the Democrats and they went out to try and spike the football to make him look bad. I get that frustration because I think it's a terrible posture for the Democrats to take.”
• “I think what you heard this morning was his sense of frustration over how he's being mistreated by the Democrats on a bipartisan piece of legislation.”
• “You have a president who is able to work with Democrats and Republicans. Again, a little disappointed with the way Democrats acted after the deal was put together.”
• “What I think you heard the president express this morning was frustration over how he's been treated as part of the negotiation. And it may be if things don't get better, we may get to that point [of a shutdown].”
• “I think the president is frustrated with the fact that he negotiated in good faith with the Democrats and they went out to try and spike the football to make him look bad. I get that frustration because I think it's a terrible posture for the Democrats to take.”
• “I think what you heard this morning was his sense of frustration over how he's being mistreated by the Democrats on a bipartisan piece of legislation.”
• “You have a president who is able to work with Democrats and Republicans. Again, a little disappointed with the way Democrats acted after the deal was put together.”
• “What I think you heard the president express this morning was frustration over how he's been treated as part of the negotiation. And it may be if things don't get better, we may get to that point [of a shutdown].”
It should be astounding to witness this degree of mendacity, but these are Republicans, so, you know, whatever; we should have stopped being surprised, oh, I don't know, what, after the 2012 election? Or maybe 1980? Meet the new prick, same as the old prick? Small and dysfunctional and contagious?
To the one, you might think, to hear Mulvaney tell it, Democrats had some sort of majority.
To the other, maybe that's the best they could come up with, because on the Congressional side, Speaker Ryan was busy lying to everyone↱.
Sounds about right; this is #WhatTheyVotedFor, except it isn't. But that's the thing, these lies are largely for the sake of the disappointed base, but I'm not entirely certain how to deal with the notion that Trump supporters are only now realizing that he is an "open borders globalist that only does things that enrich himself and his fat cat friends" (qtd. in Coaster↱). It's true, once we stop laughing at the self-aggrandizing codespeak, we might find out some of them are really, really pisseed off because apparently they ... er ... ah ... what, I mean, didn't know?
I mean, you know: Open borders globalist, fat cat friends ... what, this is news?
He's been that way for decades. He is an iconic boor, famous and then notorious worldwide for being a selfish, insensate prig. I don't know, maybe some of them were too busy complaining about liberal elitism to notice.
"For surely it is not the rich who contribute to patriotism. They are cosmopolitans, perfectly at home in every land. We in America know well the truth of this. Are not our rich Americans Frenchmen in France, Germans in Germany, or Englishmen in England? And do they not squandor with cosmopolitan grace fortunes coined by American factory children and cotton slaves? Yes, theirs is the patriotism that will make it possible to send messages of condolence to a despot like the Russian Tsar, when any mishap befalls him."
A hundred some years ago, this was part of what helped an uppity woman become the most feared and reviled person in American society. But, you know, not only was she a woman in the early twentieth century, she was also a leftist, so nobody listened to her. I recall sometime around the turn of the new century watching a local news report involving local business owners complaining about prison labor, including one who basically admitted—albeit in a self-righteous huff—that had he done his market research he would not have opened in this sector because he didn't think he could compete with prison labor. And, you know, maybe if people had paid attention to economic justice instead of making it a matter of identity politics, we could have figured out how to deal with the issue along the way. No, really, all I could think, watching that segment those years ago, was Emma Goldman on prisons↱. The irony was such that, while blessed is never quite the proper word, yeah, 'tis true not everyone gets to experience that moment.
That Americans keep making her point, or that we keep reminding how far we have to go before we catch up to the Luddites, for heaven's sake, is what it is, but for the moment it seems sufficient that we might wonder at the prospect that Trump supporters somehow just didn't know.
Still, though, we find the situation such a mess that apparently John T. Bennett↱ wasn't kidding when he opened his analysis for Roll Call with:
The Trump administration delivered a public service announcement on Tuesday: “We are competent, we know what we're doing, and the country is safe in our hands.”
OMB Director Mick Mulvaney really did say that↱. Clearly, he, like Speaker Ryan, is messaging to his right flank. I mean, really, those of us to the Trump administration's left just don't believe the excrement they're peddling, anyway.
Who, though, remains to believe them?
____________________
Notes:
Bennett, John T. "Analysis: Defensive White House Insists ‘We Are Competent'". Roll Call. 2 May 2017. RollCall.com. 3 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2pxqxbR
Goldman, Emma. "Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty". Anarchism and Other Essays. Second Revised Edition. New York & London: Mother Earth Publishing Association, 1911. DWardMac.Pitzer.edu. 3 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2lxfQV5
—————. "Prisons: A Social Crime and Failure". Anarchism and Other Essays. Second Revised Edition. New York & London: Mother Earth Publishing Association, 1911. DWardMac.Pitzer.edu. 3 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2p9yWzy
Miller, Zeke. "Mulvaney: 'We are competent, and we know what we're doing, and the country is safe in our hands'". Twitter. 2 May 2017. Twitter.com. http://bit.ly/2pxNbRu
Terkel, Amanda. "White House: Government Shutdown Possible If Democrats Keep Hurting Trump's Feelings". The Huffington Post. 2 May 2017. HuffingtonPost.com. 3 May 2017. http://huff.to/2oXXYWB
Cucked and Loaded
Robert J. Matson, Roll Call, 2 May 2017
TalkingPointsMemo editor and publisher Josh Marshall↱ on President Trump "crying uncle", such as it was, or, you know, whatever:
And the thing about Trump voters getting absolutely cucked is that they expected it would be someone else taking it. (Remember, when it comes to the cuckold, they're supposed to be the wanker in the corner.)
To the other, it is easy to take this too lightly. Marshall closes:
And, yes, it is. But, you know, everybody thought someone else was just, you know, whatever, full of shit and all that, until they went and did serious damage. Donald Trump is already president. He has already made amply clear that he is manifestly unsuited to and unsuitable for the office. And, sure, this might seem like the one time we can laugh at the rape metaphor, but no: As much as Trump voters really did ask for it, it's a bit like laughing at children playing in traffic. If we're okay with the carnage as long as we get to see the fuel tanker roll and burst into flames, there is something wrong with us.
Still, though, yeah, listening to the alpha-superlative self-inflicted dehumanization, there is some temptation about wallowing in their stew. Because they didn't just do this to themselves; they deliberately inflicted themselves on everybody else, too.
____________________
Notes:
Marshall, John. "The Cuck Stops Here". Talking Poins Memo. 1 May 2017. TalkingPointsMemo.com. 3 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2qFYAwq
Robert J. Matson, Roll Call, 2 May 2017
TalkingPointsMemo editor and publisher Josh Marshall↱ on President Trump "crying uncle", such as it was, or, you know, whatever:
Let's go down the list.
The EPA was slated for massive cuts—roughly 31%. It will retain 99% of its funding.
Trump demanded funding for his border wall. He didn't get any.
Trump wanted to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health. It's getting $2 billion of additional funding.
Funding is included for the Obamacare subsidies Trump has threatened not to pay.
There's no provision for "defunding Planned Parenthood."
There's no language to defund "sanctuary cities."
There are obviously many other things included in the bill. And it's not like Trump got nothing. But at least on most of the hot button issues he's pushed as part of his agenda he folded like a cheap suit.
Yes, that's a cliche. But he folded so bad, it's really okay. Trump's first mini-budget is largely a continuation of Obama's last budget.
Domestic critics aren't the only ones noticing.
Late last week, The New York Times published a story describing how Mexicans and the government of Mexico have shifted their opinion on Trump pretty substantially. Basically they've taken his measure and decided he's all bark and little or no bite.
The EPA was slated for massive cuts—roughly 31%. It will retain 99% of its funding.
Trump demanded funding for his border wall. He didn't get any.
Trump wanted to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health. It's getting $2 billion of additional funding.
Funding is included for the Obamacare subsidies Trump has threatened not to pay.
There's no provision for "defunding Planned Parenthood."
There's no language to defund "sanctuary cities."
There are obviously many other things included in the bill. And it's not like Trump got nothing. But at least on most of the hot button issues he's pushed as part of his agenda he folded like a cheap suit.
Yes, that's a cliche. But he folded so bad, it's really okay. Trump's first mini-budget is largely a continuation of Obama's last budget.
Domestic critics aren't the only ones noticing.
Late last week, The New York Times published a story describing how Mexicans and the government of Mexico have shifted their opinion on Trump pretty substantially. Basically they've taken his measure and decided he's all bark and little or no bite.
And the thing about Trump voters getting absolutely cucked is that they expected it would be someone else taking it. (Remember, when it comes to the cuckold, they're supposed to be the wanker in the corner.)
To the other, it is easy to take this too lightly. Marshall closes:
None of this is terribly surprising. Trump presented himself as the consummate alpha-male ball buster, someone who speaks and embodies the ethos of domination his most ardent supporters instinctively crave and believe in. In practice, he's repeatedly adopted what might be termed the preemptive fail, not only talking tough but failing to achieve his aims but actually jumping ahead of the process and unilaterally backing down or saying a metaphorical 'nevermind' before the supposed confrontation even arrives. As the Mexicans seem to have concluded Trump is less a threat than a bullshit artist who caves easily and is best either ignored or treated with a stern, disciplined and unafraid response.
In other words, SAD!, on so many levels.
In other words, SAD!, on so many levels.
And, yes, it is. But, you know, everybody thought someone else was just, you know, whatever, full of shit and all that, until they went and did serious damage. Donald Trump is already president. He has already made amply clear that he is manifestly unsuited to and unsuitable for the office. And, sure, this might seem like the one time we can laugh at the rape metaphor, but no: As much as Trump voters really did ask for it, it's a bit like laughing at children playing in traffic. If we're okay with the carnage as long as we get to see the fuel tanker roll and burst into flames, there is something wrong with us.
Still, though, yeah, listening to the alpha-superlative self-inflicted dehumanization, there is some temptation about wallowing in their stew. Because they didn't just do this to themselves; they deliberately inflicted themselves on everybody else, too.
____________________
Notes:
Marshall, John. "The Cuck Stops Here". Talking Poins Memo. 1 May 2017. TalkingPointsMemo.com. 3 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2qFYAwq
Now "The Donald" is threatening a temper tantrum with government shutdown.
The schadenfreude is wonderful - I will swallow their tears till drunk...
However, the danger I'm concerned with has to do with Trump's actions when his base starts doing the rats and ship thing. "All bark and no bite? I'll show them..."
/casts about for a mushroom cloud emoji
When is a fence a wall? Answer: When the Thrumper needs it to be a wall. The fence below, commonly known as a bollard fence has now become a bollard wall by decree of "The Donald".
Be afraid, be very afraid:
http://www.americanthinker.com/arti...ty_disorder_an_interview_with_sam_vaknin.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/arti...ty_disorder_an_interview_with_sam_vaknin.html
As a matter of interest... local daily statewide newspaper.
So why couldn't the Civil war be avoided?
Trump reveals something about himself every day.
So why couldn't the Civil war be avoided?
Trump reveals something about himself every day.
Last edited:
I think Trump's election win and subsequent behavior may have scared the French electorate some what....
Unprecedented result in the french elections.
Unprecedented result in the french elections.
Trump was a builder, before being president, and was often involved in large scale projects. If you know anything about building, especially large scale projects, it is a long time and resource intensive process, from conception to completion. It does not happen over night, like the plot of a 1 hour TV show. The Left appears to have a TV mentality, where major things are expected to happen in a 1-hour show, even with commercials. This perception by the left, has to do with the dependency mentality, and not enough reality experience, via hands on self reliance.
In reality, the first couple of years of a large building project, will show nothing outwardly happening, since this phase is all about going through the proper channels of compliance, idea development, and review. Only on TV would one expect this to be done before the first commercial break. You can see the TV mentality of the left. This explains why they are so easily duped by fake news.
What TV and cable news show do is try to create urgency so even a mole hill becomes a mountain. The idea is to take your mind away from the long term view of hard reality; normal ups and downs, and narrow it to the short term view; downs or ups, so it better fits into the TV mentality template for a oner hour show.
Trump is like the builder who says I will build a sky scraper over there. The next day, people on the left are complaining, he is not keeping his promise of the sky scraper. They expect it overnight. They don't really seem to understand how large projects works in reality. This is due to short term thinking, where they assume what is on TV, is how reality works.
Notice, also, all the leftist media spin is all drama and not presented as facts, only. That is part of the TV mentality template. Imagine if these people ran the country! It was a good thing that the hard working people who live in reality decided to speak up.
In reality, the first couple of years of a large building project, will show nothing outwardly happening, since this phase is all about going through the proper channels of compliance, idea development, and review. Only on TV would one expect this to be done before the first commercial break. You can see the TV mentality of the left. This explains why they are so easily duped by fake news.
What TV and cable news show do is try to create urgency so even a mole hill becomes a mountain. The idea is to take your mind away from the long term view of hard reality; normal ups and downs, and narrow it to the short term view; downs or ups, so it better fits into the TV mentality template for a oner hour show.
Trump is like the builder who says I will build a sky scraper over there. The next day, people on the left are complaining, he is not keeping his promise of the sky scraper. They expect it overnight. They don't really seem to understand how large projects works in reality. This is due to short term thinking, where they assume what is on TV, is how reality works.
Notice, also, all the leftist media spin is all drama and not presented as facts, only. That is part of the TV mentality template. Imagine if these people ran the country! It was a good thing that the hard working people who live in reality decided to speak up.
Thrumper is really scared. It's very clear he fears the congressional testimony of Attorney General Yates. He staged and elaborate scheme to torpedo her testimony before the House, and he was successful for awhile. But now Yates is back and testifying before the Senate, and Thrumper has been tweeting since before dawn in an attempt to discredit her.
What is Trump so worried about? Isn't Trump God incarnate?
It will be interesting to see how she is treated by Republicans. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say.
What is Trump so worried about? Isn't Trump God incarnate?
It will be interesting to see how she is treated by Republicans. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say.
Well, cutting through the theatrics ... okay, let's just imagine ... er ... ah ... right, just work with me, here:
• So the job caught Mr. Trump off guard.
• Betcha, then, the whole thing did.
• If he is even a mere fraction of the businessman he pretends to be, then he might not know the score but he knows he's got a terrible seat at the table.
• If this is out of his control, then he suspects he has exposure.
• Donald Trump has every reason to be terrified of what he has gotten himself into, even more so if he had half a clue what he was doing when he did.
• Betcha, then, the whole thing did.
• If he is even a mere fraction of the businessman he pretends to be, then he might not know the score but he knows he's got a terrible seat at the table.
→ (He probably expects the President of the United States should have the best seat at the table.)
• If this is out of his control, then he suspects he has exposure.
• Donald Trump has every reason to be terrified of what he has gotten himself into, even more so if he had half a clue what he was doing when he did.
Hee hee
CNN has just reported Lindsey Graham wants to investigate Trump's business ties to Russia. Ouch! This is what Trump feared or at least part of what Trump feared. Trump's closely guarded tax returns cannot be far behind. I can't imagine a legitimate investigation of Trump's business ties without looking at his tax returns.
Can impeachment be far behind? This is Watergate 2.0 on steroids.
Can impeachment be far behind? This is Watergate 2.0 on steroids.
#Canada | #WhatTheyVotedFor
Matt Bors, Daily Kos, 8 February 2017.
There are so damn many things wrong with this passage from Steve Benen↱—
Canada's National Post, a conservative newspaper out of Toronto, added another element to the story yesterday:
To be sure, this report hasn't yet been independently verified by any U.S. outlets, but if accurate, it's quite a revelation. Trump's aides, the story goes, wanted to stop the American president from doing something irresponsible, and as part of their pitch, the White House staffers quietly reached out to Ottawa for help in persuading their erratic boss.
White House staff called the Prime Minister's Office last month to urge Justin Trudeau to persuade President Donald Trump not to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to multiple Canadian government sources.
The unconventional diplomatic maneuver—approaching the head of a foreign government to influence your own boss—proved decisive, as Trump thereafter abandoned his threat to pull out of NAFTA unilaterally, citing the arguments made by Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as pivotal.
But the incident highlights the difficulties faced by governments all over the world when it comes to dealing with a president as volatile as Trump.
The unconventional diplomatic maneuver—approaching the head of a foreign government to influence your own boss—proved decisive, as Trump thereafter abandoned his threat to pull out of NAFTA unilaterally, citing the arguments made by Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as pivotal.
But the incident highlights the difficulties faced by governments all over the world when it comes to dealing with a president as volatile as Trump.
To be sure, this report hasn't yet been independently verified by any U.S. outlets, but if accurate, it's quite a revelation. Trump's aides, the story goes, wanted to stop the American president from doing something irresponsible, and as part of their pitch, the White House staffers quietly reached out to Ottawa for help in persuading their erratic boss.
—that I'm tempted to overlook the point that I find that sentence about being independently verified by American news outlets hilarious.
I mean, you know: Really?
We're better off joking about it being NP as if we knew what that meant.
As to the rest: Okay, so, right. I can imagine a diplomat saying, "Yeah, your boss might want to give a call and talk some sense into mine."
But the National Post↱ article, noting that mere rumors of American NAFTA withrdawal affected the currencies of Mexico and Canada, and that, in the end, "White House advisers pushing a more cautious approach" than a Bannon-drafted executive order that "would have triggered the withdrawal process".
“You never know how much of it is theatre, but it didn’t feel that way,” said one senior Canadian diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. “Maybe they’re just learning how to be a government. At least they were open to the conversation, and that stopped them doing something rash and destructive” ....
.... The diplomatic source suggested that the decision to reconsider was pay-off for the relationships that have been built between the Prime Minister’s Office and the White House.
.... The diplomatic source suggested that the decision to reconsider was pay-off for the relationships that have been built between the Prime Minister’s Office and the White House.
We do, in the end, get something of an answer; Benen recalls Kevin Drum↱, who wondered, last month:
But here's the part of the story I still don't understand: what happened on Wednesday that suddenly put a burr up Trump's ass to pull out of NAFTA? Just a few weeks ago he sent a list of negotiating points to Congress, and both Mexico and Canada have agreed the treaty needs some updating. Things were moving along fairly normally, and then suddenly Trump woke up one morning and decided to light off a nuclear bomb.
What was that all about? Was it really because of Trump's obsession over having some kind of accomplishment to show for his first hundred days? Did he eat a taco that didn't agree with him? Did Steve Bannon have a late-night talk with him?
What was that all about? Was it really because of Trump's obsession over having some kind of accomplishment to show for his first hundred days? Did he eat a taco that didn't agree with him? Did Steve Bannon have a late-night talk with him?
And, yes. That last, according to John Ivison's report from the northland, is pretty much what happened. We might look back to February, when we learned↗ Mr. Trump is not necessarily aware what he is signing↱ when his staff puts an executive order in front of him.
Drum, for his part, called that tumbling NAFTA jape "the most dangerous day so far" and "the most dangerous thing Trump has done so far". The only reason such statements are hyperbole is because they lack a certain disclaiming phrase: The most dangerous thing we know of.
The other counterpoint is more complex; for instance, what about the State Department? Our foreign service is intentionally depleted and trusted to the stewardship of someone who doesn't want the job, doesn't know how to do the job, and doesn't seem interested in learning. If you want to watch crackpottery, keep an eye on what is happening at state while trying to refuse a conspiracy theory that Mr. Trump is denigrating American prestige and international efficacy on behalf of a foreign government, with the expectation of reward for himself and his family either directly or through their businesses. Seriously, try it. Point being, though, until that actually happens, sure, the possibility of upsetting international economics because Bannon put an executive order in front of him actually can be the most dangerous thing Donald Trump does. And blowing up NAFTA would be a fine candidate for a dangerous executive order.
We are one hundred ten days into the Trump presidency, and let's face it, the good news discussion is that White House staff called their counterparts in another country for help dealing with their boss.
Suffice to say, there wasn't any good watch-the-birdie distraction, yesterday. Well, not if we are the Trump administration. To wit, Garrett Epps↱ opens, for The Atlantic, with:
Not since the 1956 fall TV season pitted Steve Allen against Ed Sullivan on Sunday night prime time has there been such a brutal head-to-head video matchup—oral argument in the Fourth Circuit in International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump streaming at the same time as former acting Attorney General Sally Yates’s testimony before a panel of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The one didn't go well; the other went even worse. Well, if we are the Trump administration.
____________________
Notes:
Benen, Steve. "White House aides turned to Canada to keep Trump in check". msnbc. 9 May 2017. msnbc.com. 9 May 2017. http://on.msnbc.com/2q0wPl8
Drum, Kevin. "Wednesday Was the Most Dangerous Day So Far of the Trump Presidency". Mother Jones. 29 April 2017. MotherJones.com. 9 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2qYfGqb
Epps, Garrett. "A Double Dose of Lawlessness". The Atlantic. 9 May 2017. TheAtlantic.com. 9 May 2017. http://theatln.tc/2qnP44Q
Ivison, John. "White House advisors called Ottawa to urge Trudeau to help talk Trump down from scrapping NAFTA". National Post. 8 May 2017. News.NationalPost.com. 9 May 2017. http://bit.ly/2q2Zynk
Thrush, Glenn and Maggie Haberman. "Trump and Staff Rethink Tactics After Stumbles". The New York Times. 5 February 2017. NYTimes.com. 9 May 2017. http://nyti.ms/2l9HtUU
The big news, via Associated Press↱:
President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, saying it was necessary to restore “public trust and confidence” in the nation's top law enforcement agency following several tumultuous months.
“The FBI is one of our nation's most cherished and respected institutions, and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” Trump said in a statement.
The White House said the search for a new FBI director was beginning immediately.
The White House made the stunning announcement shortly after the FBI corrected a sentence in Comey's sworn testimony on Capitol Hill last week. Comey told lawmakers that Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton, had sent “hundreds and thousands” of emails to her husband's laptop, including some with classified information.
“The FBI is one of our nation's most cherished and respected institutions, and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” Trump said in a statement.
The White House said the search for a new FBI director was beginning immediately.
The White House made the stunning announcement shortly after the FBI corrected a sentence in Comey's sworn testimony on Capitol Hill last week. Comey told lawmakers that Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton, had sent “hundreds and thousands” of emails to her husband's laptop, including some with classified information.
I'm sorry, did that just happen?
____________________
Notes:
Associated Press. "Trump fires FBI Director James Comey". 9 May 2017. APNews.com. 9 May 2017. http://apne.ws/2pwKoWu
- Status