Sean Spicer: King of Alternative Facts

[onekidanddone]

17 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Priebus and Bannon. Especially Bannon. And Priebus. Him too. Oh yes. 

As my dad used to say about Rethugslicans "Fight boys, don't play nice.  You all go on and fight".

[GrumpyGran]

36 minutes ago, JMarie said:

Priebus or Bannon.  Neither have been in the spotlight lately.

Bannon supposedly has returned to grace but he and Scary Moocher are both alpha dogs so there won't be a lot of air left in the White House now. Three egomaniacs makes an odd marriage. Bannon is a brawler, Moochie's the type to have someone else do his dirty work for him. But they both have that Navy connection? I don't know what the Moocher connection is because he admitted he has never been in the armed services but he seemed to love the Navy. Along with about 3,000 other things.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Don’t cry for Spicer. His tenure was a disaster from Day One and he should have quit immediately."

Spoiler

There’s something about Sean Spicer that inspires pity. He’s had so much to deal with: The brutal “Saturday Night Live” skewerings. The fact that his boss, President Trump, wouldn’t let him meet Pope Francis during the Vatican visit. That ill-fitting suit he started out in. And so, so much more.

But don’t give in to that emotion. To use current parlance, resist.

Because Spicer should have known from the very start that this would end badly. There was never any other possibility for a press secretary who was in the most unacceptable position for a White House press secretary. A classic CNN chyron last month got it just right: “President’s Spokesman Says He Can’t Speak for the President.”

That’s been a problem.

Spicer — awkwardly combative, cringingly defensive and ever-so-easy to parody — started out with a world-class disaster.

“This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in person and around the globe,” the former Republican National Committee official told reporters on Jan. 21, just one day after Trump took the oath. The Washington Post’s Fact Checker gave this claim its worst grade: Four Pinocchios.

The Post’s Glenn Kessler wrote:

“This is an appalling performance by the new press secretary. He managed to make a series of false and misleading claims in service of a relatively minor issue. Presumably he was ordered to do this by Trump, who conjured up fantastic numbers in his own mind, but part of a flack’s job is to tell the boss when lies are necessary — and when they are not.

“Spicer earns Four Pinocchios, but seriously, we wish we could give five.”

The tone seems almost quaint. It was an era long ago — six full, insane months ago — when everyone still expected the White House press secretary to hew to reality.

Spin, everyone understands, is in the job description. But serving up outright falsehood as truth, with a side of outrage at not being believed? This was new.

Nevertheless, the president wanted it to be so and insisted that Spicer defend his claim vigorously.

This was the moment when Spicer should have hung it up and walked away.

That would have been uncomfortable, and certainly unprecedented, but it would have had something important going for it: integrity.

Instead Spicer toughed it out. This was poor decision-making for where could it lead?

The worst moment — and it’s a matter of debate because the competition is fierce for that distinction — may have come on the mid-May night that Spicer told the assembled members of the press to work in the dark.

“Just turn the lights off,” he pleaded, as he emerged from half-shadow to address, more or less, the president’s abrupt firing of FBI director James B. Comey.

But that statement, which seemed an all-too-apt metaphor at that fractious moment, has become reality, too, as more and more, press briefings have been held off-camera, audio-only.

As the lights go out on Sean Spicer’s unforgettably awful tenure, we can only wish — for his sake — that he had seen this moment coming and saved himself months of humiliation.

Instead, likable as he is said to be, Spicer goes down in history as a joke: The president’s spokesman who couldn’t speak for the president.

Yes, he is going to go down in history as a joke. A bad one.

[candygirl200413]

I heard he was already on fox tonight. He is just an enabler who needed a way out.

[GreyhoundFan]

There are some great reactions to Spicey's departure here. My favorite:

[JMarie]

I watched him on Hannity last night.  He was a completely different person; he was relaxed and smiling, even laughing (appropriately).  He said that it was too crowded "at the top" and he was leaving to create a "clean slate" for the administration.  But that doesn't make sense.  His leaving didn't eliminate his position.  Sarah Huckabee Sanders now has his position (wonder who will be portraying her on SNL).  Someone will advance to take her old position.  The only "clean slate" person is Scaramucci.

Of course he was fawning all over Trump.  Even those who were fired, like Corey Lewendowski, continue to fawn.  There must be something in that Trump water that makes them all Stepford Wives-ish.

[onekidanddone]

33 minutes ago, JMarie said:

There must be something in that Trump water that makes them all Stepford Wives-ish.

Blackmail and threats to keep silent.

[fraurosena]

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/us/politics/sean-spicer-resigns-as-white-house-press-secretary.html

Quote

[...]In recent weeks, Mr. Trump had told people that Mr. Spicer was no longer “tough,” one of the harshest insults he can level. And Mr. Spicer told friends he was tired of being blindsided by Mr. Trump, and weary of Mr. Trump’s constant criticism. He instituted the highly contentious practice of holding off-camera briefings, less so to snub reporters than to avoid Mr. Trump’s critiques of his performance, according to one of Mr. Spicer’s friends. [...]

How excruciatingly SAD

[GreyhoundFan]

"Sean Spicer’s 6 months in the White House, as told by Stephen Colbert". There are far too many videos and tweets for me to quote, but the article is a good compilation.

[Bethella]

13 hours ago, JMarie said:

Sarah Huckabee Sanders now has his position (wonder who will be portraying her on SNL).

Aidy Bryant was playing her last season. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mike-huckabee-snl-parody-daughter-sarah-huckabee-sanders-was-sexist-1004374

[VixenToast]

Melissa should play SHS now, instead of Spicey. It would still be hilarious.

[JMO]

[GreyhoundFan]

Wow, Spicey.... "Sean Spicer Stole A Mini-Fridge From His Own Staff Before He Resigned"

Spoiler

As Trump's Press Secretary, he was known for such hilarious anecdotes as tweeting out his password, and hiding from reporters in the bushes.

But nothing beats the latest breaking Spicer story, which serves as the perfect sendoff: during his time as White House Press Secretary, he stole a mini-fridge from his junior staffers.

Yes, the man who was earning an annual salary of $179,700 wanted a mini-fridge to keep his snacks cool. But rather than buy one for himself, he stole it from junior staffers.

To be fair to Spicer, he first asked them nicely if he could have it. They said no, so he came back after dark and stole it.

...

The twitter responses in the article are wonderful.

[Curious]

I was going to say cue the tell-all book, but after some thought, I realized they kept spicy so in the dark he probably doesn't have anything to tell.

[GreyhoundFan]

I'm figuring Agent Orange has forced everyone in his orbit to sign an NDA. He wouldn't want dirt getting out on him. Or, even worse, someone not related by blood profiting on information about him.

[AmazonGrace]

Spicer sings I will survive: 

 

[Curious]

14 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I'm figuring Agent Orange has forced everyone in his orbit to sign an NDA. He wouldn't want dirt getting out on him. Or, even worse, someone not related by blood profiting on information about him.

Can a govt employee sign an NDA to a person?  They work for US, not the Trump Organization.  I think that would violate FOIA and other laws.  I know that Trump thinks he's exempt from all laws, but other people should realize they are not.

@Buzzard found this on facebook and I shamelessly stole it from her to post here

[GreyhoundFan]

1 minute ago, Curious said:

Can a govt employee sign an NDA to a person?  They work for US, not the Trump Organization.  I think that would violate FOIA and other laws.  I know that Trump thinks he's exempt from all laws, but other people should realize they are not.

i don't think it would be legal, but as you said, Agent Orange feels the laws don't apply to him. Even if there isn't an NDA, I would assume AO and his minions probably made sure to gather dirt on everyone, so they can use it as leverage. Yeah, I know it sounds like the mafia, but I can see it.

[GrumpyGran]

6 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

i don't think it would be legal, but as you said, Agent Orange feels the laws don't apply to him. Even if there isn't an NDA, I would assume AO and his minions probably made sure to gather dirt on everyone, so they can use it as leverage. Yeah, I know it sounds like the mafia, but I can see it.

I think what will keep people in line is the absolute believe that he would drag them into court, requiring them to retain expensive lawyers, even if he didn't have a case and that he would hound them to death. He would use all means available to ruin their reputations and blackball them in their careers. And most of these people don't exactly have stellar reputations to begin with.

[AmazonGrace]

Who wants to see Spicey salsa? 

http://pagesix.com/2017/07/26/dancing-with-the-stars-wants-sean-spicer/

[GreyhoundFan]

@AmazonGrace -- OMG, I don't watch DWTS and Spicey's participation wouldn't change that, but it's too funny. It's not like he could be any more humiliated than he has been for the last six months.

[onekidanddone]

2 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

@AmazonGrace -- OMG, I don't watch DWTS and Spicey's participation wouldn't change that, but it's too funny. It's not like he could be any more humiliated than he has been for the last six months.

Well if Rick Perry could be on it why not Spiceypoo?

[GreyhoundFan]

5 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Well if Rick Perry could be on it why not Spiceypoo?

Hey, maybe we could have an entire season of former TT staffers once our long nightmare is over. Betsy DeVos, Rex Tillerson, Wilbur Ross, Jeff Sessions, Ben Carson, Kellyanne Conjob, Mooch, Sarah Fuckabee Sanders, Omarosa, Rancid Penis, Jared and Ivanka, and Steve Bannon. Of course, if the world was just, they would all be in prison, so it could be a special remote season from cellblock E.

[GrumpyGran]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Hey, maybe we could have an entire season of former TT staffers once our long nightmare is over. Betsy DeVos, Rex Tillerson, Wilbur Ross, Jeff Sessions, Ben Carson, Kellyanne Conjob, Mooch, Sarah Fuckabee Sanders, Omarosa, Rancid Penis, Jared and Ivanka, and Steve Bannon. Of course, if the world was just, they would all be in prison, so it could be a special remote season from cellblock E.

Okay, I was going to say no, because I rarely watch it and swore off of it last season because of the ridiculous manipulations but... this has piqued my interest.

You know Ivanka would win, though, so no suspense.

[GreyhoundFan]

"America needs Sean Spicer on ‘Dancing With the Stars’"

Spoiler

Sean Spicer is reportedly talking to various television networks about becoming an on-air commentator. If he does, we know what we are likely to get: little insight and lots of praise for President Trump.

That's what we got when Corey Lewandowski joined CNN after Trump fired him as campaign manager last summer. Despite the indignity of his dismissal, Lewandowski never really stopped being a Trump mouthpiece.

It's early, and Spicer, a former Republican National Committee spokesman, owes less of his success to Trump than Lewandowski did. But the outgoing White House press secretary already appears to be modeling his post-breakup career after Lewandowski's, showering the president with compliments on his way out the door.

There is hope, however, that we might get something more interesting from Spicer in another capacity — as a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”

That's right, America, the New York Post and Politico report that ABC wants to bring Spicy Time to prime time.

The entertainment potential is boundless, and Spicer wouldn't have to win — or even come close — to make his stint a success. He'd just have to be better than Rick Perry.

... < Great picture of Rick Perry looking stupid >

And just imagine if “Dancing With the Stars” could manage to cast Melissa McCarthy, too. What an epic rivalry that would be. What's bigger than “epic”? “Tremendously huge”?

Seriously, though, “Dancing With the Stars” is where celebrities go to bare their souls while cha cha cha-ing their way to emotional breakthroughs. There are more tears than sequins on that show, which is saying something.

If Spicer is going to open up about what happened during his tenure in the Trump White House, it won't be in a TV studio with DWTS alum Tucker Carlson; it will be in a dance studio with Sharna Burgess or another ballroom pro.

For an authentic look at what it's like to be Trump's spokesman, we need Sean Spicer on “Dancing With the Stars.”

Okay, having Spicey and Melissa McCarthy on DWTS would be epic. I would probably have to tune in.