Trump 11: Worse than Expected

[Destiny]

John Oliver will now be running ads during shows Trump watches to educate him on important subjects. It is funny, but at the same time very, very sad that we have gotten to this point.
http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/john-oliver-donald-trump-cable-news-tv-ads-1201986428/

Oliver said he intended to run commercials on Washington D.C. area cable systems between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. during Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” CNN’s “New Day” and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that would educate Trump on facts of which Oliver believes he is not aware. The commercials, designed to look like a direct-response medical commercial touting help for people who use catheters, will instead offer remedial help on subjects like the nuclear triad and African geography.

 

THAT'S MY TV HUSBAND!

Seriously, my love for John Oliver is deep and abiding and I've missed him. so. fucking. much. The commercial is hilarious by the way.

3 hours ago, fraurosena said:

If this is true, then it's absolutely disgusting! And isn't it sad that I'm not surprised at this pettiness?

http://sacramentodispatch.com/trump-denies-ca-plea-for-federal-funds-cites-sanctuary-cities/

 

It's not, this is a satire site. That said, I have a feeling that this is what's happening. 188k people are evacuated for unknown duration. That's the definition of a federal disaster declaration and I'm fucking furious that it hasn't happened. 

Current federal disasters in California:

https://www.fema.gov/disasters?field_state_tid_selective=77&field_disaster_type_term_tid=All&field_disaster_declaration_type_value=All&items_per_page=20

[Local Gorilla]

23 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

You know what? I don't care what Breitfart looks like. I don't care how Conjob looks. That is not important at all. They can be asswipe ugly or gloriously pretty. Makes no difference. It's their terrifying acusations and their white-supremasist, bigoted, patriotic, xenofobic, racist and mysoginist ideology that is so nauseating and dangerous.

I'd rather focus on that, instead of pointing out the deficiancies in their outward appearance, because it only detracts from what's really important.

It is called humor, and it is a coping mechanism. It helps, goddamnit!

...I mean, that was a really  good photoshop of Bannon  ...compared to the original!

[formergothardite]

1 hour ago, Destiny said:

THAT'S MY TV HUSBAND

WE ARE TV SISTER WIVES!!!

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Local Gorilla said:

It is called humor, and it is a coping mechanism. It helps, goddamnit!

...I mean, that was a really  good photoshop of Bannon  ...compared to the original!

 

Don' t be so mean to Jabba. He doesn't deserve to be compared to Bannon. 

 

New York Magazine has a good article: "The Madness of King Donald". The article is interesting, but this is my favorite part:

Quote

With someone like this barging into your consciousness every hour of every day, you begin to get a glimpse of what it must be like to live in an autocracy of some kind. Every day in countries unfortunate enough to be ruled by a lone dictator, people are constantly subjected to the Supreme Leader’s presence, in their homes, in their workplaces, as they walk down the street. Big Brother never leaves you alone. His face bears down on you on every flickering screen. He begins to permeate your psyche and soul; he dominates every news cycle and issues pronouncements — each one shocking and destabilizing — round the clock. He delights in constantly provoking and surprising you, so that his monstrous ego can be perennially fed. And because he is also mentally unstable, forever lashing out in manic spasms of pain and anger, you live each day with some measure of trepidation. What will he come out with next? Somehow, he is never in control of himself and yet he is always in control of you.

 

[onekidanddone]

5 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

WE ARE TV SISTER WIVES!!!

My TV husband is Keith Olberman. Only he is now my YouTube husband.  I haven't been able ot listen to him much. Gives me panic attacks. I still  him thought. 

[JMarie]

5 hours ago, Dark Matters said:

Some John Oliver truth to brighten your day:

 

"There are actually many non-you people.  We call those 'other people'."

[GreyhoundFan]

My dog got grumpy because I laid in bed, cackling up a storm, watching John Oliver last night. He is truly wonderful. I'm sure everyone has seen it, but he was on the cover of Rolling Stone this week. It was a good article.

 

Another interesting article: "We’ve never seen anything like Trump’s rough treatment of his White House staff". Gee, he acts just like the jackass he's always been, and people are surprised. I can't imagine choosing to work for the Orange Menace. An excerpt:

Quote

Some of that is because of Trump's own penchant for exaggeration. Some of it is because of the nature of the Internet; the best or worst of something is more interesting — and clickable — than something that is just sort of interesting. And some of it is due to the fact that Trump does, more than occasionally, say or do something that is truly unprecedented. As in, there is no historical precedent for it. There's no map for the places he's going.

The way that Trump treats his senior staff is one of those places where he is totally and completely off the charts.

Most presidents do everything they can to show public support for the men and women in their inner circle. If a president has an issue with someone in a senior spot in their administration, that person is usually discreetly given a tap on the shoulder and a nod. Almost always, they resign — citing a need to spend more time with their family or pursue some lifelong dream/once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In short: It's handled privately. Only in the absolute worst situations does any sort of ugliness emerge in public.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

It looks like Puzder's nomination may be in jeopardy.

Quote

Four Republican senators have told GOP leadership they are withholding support for President Donald Trump's choice for labor secretary, setting off an intense effort by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and business groups to bring at least two back into the fold so that the nomination does not fail, several sources involved in the effort tell CNN.

The four, these sources say, are GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia.

 

Quote

If at least two of the four reluctant Republicans cannot be swayed, McConnell could face the unwelcome task of advising the White House to pull the nomination instead of facing an embarrassing Senate floor defeat. But the sources involved in the urgent lobbying effort, speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, said the leader viewed this as a test of party unity and his leadership, and was determined to round up the necessary votes.

To that, several business organizations with political clout have joined the effort, including the Chamber of Commerce, which sent lawmakers a letter supporting the Puzder nomination last week and has been working in concert with Senate GOP leadership to sway the senators who have reported their opposition or likely opposition to Puzder.

Collins told CNN she still has not made a decision about whether to support Puzder and is reviewing material about the nominee including an appearance his ex-wife made on Oprah. She insists she won't make up her mind until after Thursday's hearing.

"I have gone to review the Oprah show for an hour on which his former wife appeared and I'm reviewing the other information that has come to light. I'm sure all of this will explored fully," she said.

 

Both of my Senators have put forms to comment about nominees on their websites. They have both been pretty vocal, so I believe neither will vote for Puzder, but I will be calling tomorrow morning, just to make sure. I hope Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski do vote against him and at least one of the other Repubs do the same.

[CTRLZero]

CNN - Mexico may buy corn from other sources - retaliation

This is not unexpected, but "[Trump's] reckless Mexico talk may cost US farmers $2.4B in corn sales."

Some of the comments from US farmers are interesting, like "don't take the Wall out on us"!  This is all part and parcel of electing a blunt force president.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump, like Nixon, is incapable of change". How very true. Two important parts:

Quote

Trump speaks before he thinks and, like some teenager with a phone hidden under the covers, indulges in name-calling via Twitter. In the presidential campaign, he publicly disparaged U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was overseeing lawsuits against Trump University, for being of Mexican heritage. Now, he knocks a federal appeals court for upholding a timeout on his executive order.

None of this should be surprising. Trump’s genius as a manager is apparent only to himself. He is inattentive and dishonest. He insults rather than consults and has spent an inordinate amount of time at his golf courses. Already he has reversed himself on the one-China policy and has sent mixed signals about Russia. He trashes trade agreements as if ending them will reverse globalization, and he responds to complexity with tweets. He would deal with Chicago’s murder rate by sending in the feds. To do what exactly?

We wait in vain for the promised pivot. It will not happen. At the age of 70, Donald Trump is not about to grow up. He ran a dishonest and tawdry presidential campaign. He continues to disparage John McCain’s heroism and public service, characterizing him as a loser. In spirit, it is no different than his criticism of the Gold Star parents of Humayun Khan, who lost his life while serving in Iraq. Trump felt that while the Khans had sacrificed, so had he — in building a business. If there is a Guinness Book of Narcissism, this is in it.

The bolded sentences are my favorite parts of the article.

 

Quote

In the end, Nixon had to quit. I believe Trump will meet a similar fate, but things have changed since Nixon’s time. The Senate, which in the end gave Nixon the fatal nudge, is not the institution it once was. (Where have you gone, Barry Goldwater?) As for the so-called mainstream media, it has nowhere near its old influence nor its old audience. Little works as it once did. Even the electoral college, designed to keep a Trump out of the White House, became the vehicle for his victory.

The remedy remains political courage — a determination, particularly by congressional Republicans, to reject the normalization of Trump and his ways. Trump will not change. The question is whether an opportunistic and supine Congress will.

Sadly, I can't see the Repub majority in Congress having the cojones to do anything about Agent Orange.

[Childless]

1 hour ago, CTRLZero said:

CNN - Mexico may buy corn from other sources - retaliation

This is not unexpected, but "[Trump's] reckless Mexico talk may cost US farmers $2.4B in corn sales."

Some of the comments from US farmers are interesting, like "don't take the Wall out on us"!  This is all part and parcel of electing a blunt force president.

 

Most farmers likely voted for Trump, so I feel no sympathy for their lost business.  Next time, try pulling your head out of the backside of a cow and learn about candidates' platforms before you vote.

54 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

 

Sadly, I can't see the Repub majority in Congress having the cojones to do anything about Agent Orange.

Oh, hell no.  They have zero backbone.  They're a joke.

[AuntK]

9 hours ago, Childless said:

I don't necessarily agree here.  I think he's looking hard for a way to extricate himself from this situation.  He doesn't want to do this for 4 more years.  He'll find a way to do it and still come out looking great to his supporters.  Like he said during his campaign, he could walk into the street and gun someone down and his supporters would still worship him.  It probably won't take much effort to find a way out and still look god like to those who voted for him.  I don't put much stock in their intelligence and neither does he.  Furthermore, the Republicans aren't going to stop him (hell, they'd encourage him and even help him) since Pence is who they really want in there anyway.  Unfortunately, I think Pence might be worse.  Trump is an idiot who doesn't understand the system and is not interested in trying to understand it.  His stupidity and lack of self control has him running into roadblocks right and left.  Pence on the other hand is much smarter and way more cunning.  If he had released the immigration ban, it would have been done weeks later as he would have run it through everyone and their brother to make it challenge proof.  Pence doesn't have an issue with delayed gratification like Trump does.

Oh I think he wants out, he won the election, which is what he wanted, but the JOB itself is waaayyy too much for him, not at all what he expected.  And it's only going to get worse. State dinners, international visits, budget, and he hasn't really even started with Congress. I just don't think he is smart enough to figure out a way to extricate himself from this without looking like a complete failure. Las Vegas isn't helping, running odds on whether or not he will last a year must be crippling to his massive ego.  He probably has never worked this hard in his entire life.  His weekly trips to Florida may even lose him support among his own crazies. (I hear he is going again this coming weekend. The people who live in Palm Beach County have already had enough.)  I just don't see how he can voluntarily leave and save face. He can't do it for health reasons because we know that he is the healthiest president ever elected. Maybe he can just say, "I'm done," but I don't see it happening.

And Pence is a nightmare, but maybe Bannon would leave if Cheeto did, and that would be a plus.  

[AmericanRose]

1 hour ago, Childless said:

18 minutes ago, AuntK said:

I just don't see how he can voluntarily leave and save face. He can't do it for health reasons because we know that he is the healthiest president ever elected. Maybe he can just say, "I'm done," but I don't see it happening.

 

I'm sure there's a way he could spin it to blame Democrats doing something dishonest!

[47of74]

cnn.com/2017/02/13/politics/michael-flynn-white-house-national-security-adviser/index.html

Quote

Embattled White House national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned Monday night, two sources tell CNN.

His departure came just after reports surfaced the Justice Department warned the Trump administration last month that Flynn misled administration officials regarding his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States and was potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians.

The move comes less than a month into the job, making him one of the shortest-serving senior presidential advisers in modern history.

The sudden exit marks the most public display yet of disarray at the highest levels of the new administration, which has faced repeated questions over a slew of controversies and reports of infighting among senior aides during its first three weeks.

 

[AuntK]

I think Michael Flynn is a complete dirtbag. There's no telling what he did during the campaign and no telling what he told the Russians. I hope the FBI goes after him.

[ShepherdontheRock]

49 minutes ago, AuntK said:

I think Michael Flynn is a complete dirtbag. There's no telling what he did during the campaign and no telling what he told the Russians. I hope the FBI goes after him.

Lol, not under Comey they won't. 

But I hope the Democrats keep pressing. I think there's A LOT more to the story...

[laPapessaGiovanna]

11 hours ago, Destiny said:

 
That said, I have a feeling that this is what's happening. 188k people are evacuated for unknown duration. That's the definition of a federal disaster declaration and I'm fucking furious that it hasn't happened. 

Current federal disasters in California:

https://www.fema.gov/disasters?field_state_tid_selective=77&field_disaster_type_term_tid=All&field_disaster_declaration_type_value=All&items_per_page=20

Keep yourself safe @Destiny! 

[fraurosena]

The Tangerine Toddler is taking time off at Mar-a-Lago for the third weekend since he started in office, not even a whole month ago.

https://www.indy100.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-shinzo-abe-missile-launch-japan-florida-holiday-barack-obama-president-7579001

If he keeps this up, he'll be taking 39 weekends off in a year. If each time costs 3 million dollars, that will cost the taxpayer 117 million dollars for one year alone. When will the repubs start complaining?

[Howl]

5 hours ago, ShepherdontheRock said:

Lol, not under Comey they won't. 

So that's why he got to stay....sigh.  

[Childless]

6 hours ago, ShepherdontheRock said:

Lol, not under Comey they won't. 

But I hope the Democrats keep pressing. I think there's A LOT more to the story...

Obama should have canned Comey's ass while he had the chance.

2 hours ago, fraurosena said:

The Tangerine Toddler is taking time off at Mar-a-Lago for the third weekend since he started in office, not even a whole month ago.

https://www.indy100.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-shinzo-abe-missile-launch-japan-florida-holiday-barack-obama-president-7579001

If he keeps this up, he'll be taking 39 weekends off in a year. If each time costs 3 million dollars, that will cost the taxpayer 117 million dollars for one year alone. When will the repubs start complaining?

Never.  You just don't get it do you?  It's okay for a Republican to waste tax payer money.  It's only bad when Democrats do it.  Jesus, get with the program! 

[fraurosena]

7 minutes ago, Childless said:

Never.  You just don't get it do you?  It's okay for a Republican to waste tax payer money.  It's only bad when Democrats do it.  Jesus, get with the program! 

 I need a sarcasm font... 

[Dark Matters]

Trudeau rocks!  Go Canada!

http://www.themarysue.com/trump-handshake-no-thank-you/

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Donald Trump today to discuss Canadian-American trade, strengthening the countries’ ties, and empowering women in business. But the really important (at least in measuring importance by number of minds lost on Twitter) stand-out moment from the entire meeting was this glorious picture:

(Ican't get the picture to embed but check it out at the link, along with some tweets and videos of the handshake.

[fraurosena]

8 minutes ago, Dark Matters said:

Trudeau rocks!  Go Canada!

http://www.themarysue.com/trump-handshake-no-thank-you/

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Donald Trump today to discuss Canadian-American trade, strengthening the countries’ ties, and empowering women in business. But the really important (at least in measuring importance by number of minds lost on Twitter) stand-out moment from the entire meeting was this glorious picture:

(Ican't get the picture to embed but check it out at the link, along with some tweets and videos of the handshake.

Yeah, he owned Trump: 

 

 

[singsingsing]

It's all that boxing experience.

Bring it, Donald.

[AuntK]

I read that in his book, The Art of the Deal, (which I am proud to say I have NOT read and do not intend to), he says that he does not wash his hands after using the bathroom. Why? Because it gives him a feeling of power over people he may be dealing with when he shakes hands with them, he knows that they are, in essence, "touching his junk" and this puts him in a more powerful position.

Just a vile and nasty piece of garbage.  I'm surprised anyone shakes hands with him, hopefully the WH staff makes Purell available.