Donald Trump and the Deathly Fallout (Part 15)

[Audrey2]

4 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Sorry.

Did you all see Darth Tweetder isn't gonna throw out the first pitch of the regular season on Monday;

cnn.com/2017/03/28/politics/donald-trump-washington-nationals-opening-day/

Scheduling conflict?  Ya, right.  Dry that one out you could fertilize every baseball field in North America.

More likely he doesn't wanna make a fucking fool (well, more of a fucking fool) of himself when he shows his inability to throw the ball.

This is how the ceremonial first pitch would go down.

 

Trump would throw a multiple bouncer pitch that dies well before it gets to the catcher. He'd first complain that he couldn't use a golf club to hit the ball. While folks are still laughing hysterically at his feeble attempt and massive fail, the tweets would start.

Bigliest and best pitch ever.

 

Fastest pitch ever thrown by a President.

 

Pitching greats: Cy Young, Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, Donald Trump.

 

Yankees just offered me a contract. Probably as easy as being President.

[Childless]

10 hours ago, onekidanddone said:

I am  glad he wont' be taking an orange shit all over opening day.  Opening day is sacred.

I think they should get Obama to do it.  Really rub it in Lord Dampnut's face.

[fraurosena]

As I said in a post a couple of days ago, I think the tangerine toddler is (going) senile. I mean... how else would you explain this:

Donald Trump forgot to sign anything at a signing ceremony

Quote

During an Oval Office appearance on Friday, Trump had been scheduled to sign a pair of orders focused on reducing the trade deficit in front of a gaggle of journalists.

The President was joined by the Vice President Mike Pence, commerce secretary Wilbur Ross and National Trade Council director Peter Navarro.

Announcing the new directives, Trump promised: “Under my administration the theft of American prosperity will end.” He assured the room: “We have a team that’s second to none: and when everyone’s in gear after these two orders I think it’s going to be something very special.”

He finished by saying: "You’re going to see some very, very strong results, very, very quickly."

However, instead of then sitting at his desk and signing the promised bills, Trump headed straight for the door, giving the mystified press, or possibly Pence, a thumbs-up.

The article has some hilarious tweets about the situation.

 

(Although I will acknowledge that there is wide speculation that he did it on purpose to avoid answering awkward questions from the press, I choose to stand by my 'he's senile' theory. )

[VixenToast]

49 minutes ago, Childless said:

I think they should get Obama to do it.  Really rub it in Lord Dampnut's face.

Oh man, I bet Obama is loving his life and enjoying his retirement now. Everyday when something incredible happens from this admin, I imagine my dearest most belovingedest Barry with a giant shit eating grin. He says, "Not my circus, not my monkeys."

Then the coffee kicks in and I remember the seriousness of it all.

 

heyyyyy, this might make you guys laugh! My kiddo told one of my co-workers he looked like Donald Trump. My co-worker was honored as he voted for Trump. Then my 6 yo proceeds to scream, "YOU WILLNEVER TAKE THEM FROM US DONALD TRUMP! I CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO QUIT!"

Inearly fainted with embarrassment but I was resuscitated by my pride in my boy. Hahahaha. My co-worker, who knows I'm a lib and knows I respect him because he is good peoples, wasn't offended but chuckled a little bit. I swear I nearly died.

[Howl]

16 hours ago, AnywhereButHere said:

We can either be thrown violently into a raging inferno by Caligula or be slowly roasted over a low flame by Brother Pence. Ugh.

Cringeworthy image, but so very, very true.  Pence scares me more than Trump, who is an incompetent loose cannon.  Pence would focus on social conservative issues and push that agenda hard. 

My major concern is that I'm not seeing an amazing dynamic Democrat emerging from the pack as a viable candidate in 2020.  If the Republicans have half a brain (debatable at this point), they'll get behind Evan McMillan.  I really wish Evan McMillan were a Democrat or at least a left-leaning Republican! 

Seth Meyers on Late Night showed a clip of original Trump supporters who were being group interviewed now that Trump has been in office for two months.  They still solidly supported Trump (hard core) and gave him a solid "A" grade so far.  Then the interviewer asked, "Do you trust Donald Trump?".   Blank stares and total silence. 

[Flossie]

Regarding throwing out the first ball on baseballs opening day:

1 hour ago, Childless said:

I think they should get Obama to do it.  Really rub it in Lord Dampnut's face.

I second that, if President Obama (a true President) wishes to do so.  And no snarking on his mom jeans this time.  He looked great in them.  God only knows what Trump would have worn if he'd agreed to throw out the first pitch.

[onekidanddone]

1 hour ago, Childless said:

I think they should get Obama to do it.  Really rub it in Lord Dampnut's face.

I'm thinking it will be Pence. Which means he better bring his wife to help him ward off all the the wicked defrauding women in the stands/

[Cartmann99]

7 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

I'm thinking it will be Pence. Which means he better bring his wife to help him ward off all the the wicked defrauding women in the stands/

Don't forget about the easy accessibility of demon rum beer at the games! If Mrs. Pence is not there to activate the shock collar, he might get drunk as a skunk, and end up having sex with some anonymous woman on the field. 

 

[onekidanddone]

1 minute ago, Cartmann99 said:

Don't forget about the easy accessibility of demon rum beer at the games! If Mrs. Pence is not there to activate the shock collar, he might get drunk as a skunk, and end up having sex with some anonymous woman on the field. 

 

Natty boh.  Natty Boh Biggly

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Cringeworthy image, but so very, very true.  Pence scares me more than Trump, who is an incompetent loose cannon.  Pence would focus on social conservative issues and push that agenda hard.

I agree. Plus, Ryan and McConnell would bend over backwards to push the US back to the 19th Century the minute Pence took the oath of office. It's true that Pence probably won't start a nuclear war over some perceived slight, unlike Lord Dampnut, but he would have the full backing of the Freedom Caucus and other right wing nutjobs.

 

1 hour ago, onekidanddone said:

I'm thinking it will be Pence. Which means he better bring his wife to help him ward off all the the wicked defrauding women in the stands/

He'd probably insist all the women wear burqas, or at least ankle-length frumpers and long-sleeved shirts to avoid eye traps.

 

 

I wrote something the other day about how Agent Orange doesn't seem to take joy in anything. Well, the WaPo published this: "Donald Trump’s joyless presidency"

Quote

Is President Trump having any fun as the leader of the free world? I ask because sometimes it seems he lets media scrutiny suck all enjoyment out of a job that represents the ultimate fulfillment of his principal goal in life: winning.

...

Trump's victory speech a short time later didn't exactly exude joy, either. As Esquire's Michael Sebastian wrote at the time, it “was not a soaring address. It was subdued and informal, like a long toast at a local Rotary Club from a guy who didn't think he was supposed to give a speech — at least not a victory speech.”

...

Then in February, during his first news conference as president — an opportunity to extol the achievements of his first month — a surly Trump ranted against the media.

A week later, in the friendly confines of the Conservative Political Action Conference (“We love you!” an audience member shouted, as the president took the stage), Trump remained under a dark cloud. He devoted 12 minutes at the beginning of his address to airing media grievances.

...

Discussing his health on TV with Mehmet Oz in the fall, Trump acknowledged that running for president is stressful and said that “one of the reasons is the media is so dishonest.”

Oz seemed concerned about the toll of media-induced stress on Trump.

“You get angry about that?” he asked the then-candidate. “We know anger — hostility — has significant health consequences. How do you cope with that? How do you get past that?”

Trump, loath to show any sign of weakness, then tried to play down the media's hold on him, saying that negative coverage doesn't stress him out as much as it would “if the press mattered.”

“It's amazing,” he said. “It doesn't matter as much, like it used to matter.”

The media clearly matters to Trump, however. And Trump's penchant for holding grudges seems to be sucking whatever joy should come with winning the ultimate prize.

 

[fraurosena]

This makes me ragey. 

The Parasitic Presidunce rolls back rules used to prevent civilian casualties from US air strikes in Somalia

Quote

Donald Trump has  authorised easing restrictions on counter-terrorism air strikes in Somalia that were put in place to prevent civilian casualties.  

Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said in a statement that the order gives more authority to the US military head in Africa command to perform “precision airstrikes” on al-Shabaab, a designated terrorist group. [...]

Mr Trump has designated certain regions an “area of active hostilities” where the Presidential Policy Guidance rules do not apply.

Mr Trump has designated certain regions an “area of active hostilities” where the Presidential Policy Guidance rules do not apply. [...]

The Guidance rules were put in place by former President Barack Obama in 2013 to govern “counterterrorism strikes away from conventional war zones, like those in Afghanistan and Iraq,” the New York Times reports. 

It required interagency vetting, that the target had to pose a direct threat to the US, and that assuredness that civilians would not be killed in any strike. 

Africa Command, the US military presence on the continent, can now conduct air strikes on anyone they feel are al-Shabaab members, even if the individuals targeted do not pose a direct threat to Americans and without the requirement to make sure no civilians are in the immediate area. [...]

Because, you know, human life is worth... exactly nothing. Especially when they aren't white.

 

[fraurosena]

Trumpocracy: Tracking the Creeping Authoritarianism of the 45th President

MoJo put together a timeline:

Quote

From his executive orders targeting immigrants to his personal attacks on federal judges and his demonization of the media as the "enemy of the American people," the 45th president's behavior has alarmed political observers of all stripes. Below is a timeline (in reverse chronological order) tracking Trump's displays of authoritarian tendencies, beginning from the day he was sworn in.

Scary read.

[VelociRapture]

58 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

This makes me ragey. 

The Parasitic Presidunce rolls back rules used to prevent civilian casualties from US air strikes in Somalia

Because, you know, human life is worth... exactly nothing. Especially when they aren't white.

 

... he's going to kill countless innocent people and create an entire generation of survivors who (rightfully) hate America...

I'm not a religious person, but God help us all...

[fraurosena]

Let's hope this is an April Fool's tweet...

 

What a fool.

WSJ has an article about it.

Quote

President Donald Trump on Saturday pressed his unsubstantiated claims that his presidential campaign was improperly spied on, referencing a media report about the names of Trump campaign officials being “unmasked” in intelligence reports.[...]

As he tweeted about unmasking, Mr. Trump also continued his attacks on the other media organizations over their reporting into ties between Trump associates and Russians.

He tweeted: “It is the same Fake News Media that said there is ’no path to victory for Trump’ that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam!” [...]

Mr. Trump’s tweets on Saturday, including others earlier in the day urging NBC News to focus on the “Obama SURVEILLANCE SCANDAL” showed the president’s unwillingness to move past his unsubstantiated claim, made weeks ago in early morning tweets, that his offices had been illegally wiretapped by his predecessor during the campaign. Members of Congress and intelligence officials have said they have seen no evidence to substantiate that claim. [...]

Mr. Trump’s flurry of tweets on Saturday—six before 1 p.m.—came on a rare weekend morning the president spent in Washington at the White House, rather than at the Trump golf club in Virginia, or at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Last weekend, Mr. Trump traveled to the Virginia club on both days.

I do wonder though, might the parasitic presidunce be ill? He stayed in Washington for the whole morning during the weekend? 

[fraurosena]

Time to laugh now. Hi, stranger!

 

[47of74]

And now Lord Dampnuts is telling NBC to stop being so mean to him...

thehill.com/homenews/administration/326830-trump-tells-nbc-to-stop-covering-russia-story

Quote

President Trump on Saturday called for NBC News to devote more attention to his unproven claims that President Obama spied on him and stop covering the investigations into Russia’s interference in the election.

It was not immediately apparent what NBC coverage Trump was taking issue with. Chuck Todd on Friday interviewed top Washington lawyer Abbe Lowell and former Obama press secretary Josh Earnest on “MTP Daily” about the latest Russia developments. 

 

[fraurosena]

This is actually more about Faux News making a faux pas than about the tangerine toddler, but...

Faux news tried to criticize Barack Obama, accidently praised him instead

Quote

Economics is a tricky subject, lots of people struggle to understand it properly.

If you're the host of a network TV show - you should probably make sure you understand the figures before you start talking them through.

On Fox and Friends on Friday (try saying that 6 times quickly), co-host Eric Bolling shared a 'report card' that appeared to show Trump's economic policy prowess.

On the left, Trump shows high numbers in 'consumer confidence,' a low unemployment rate, and a slight increase on the average hourly wage. 

Good for Trump and an egg on Former President Obama's face right?

Except, it didn't actually slate Obama's economic performance, it showed Trump had likely inherited a strong economy.

The article has numerous humorous tweets reacting to the debacle. 

[JMarie]

2 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Time to laugh now. Hi, stranger!

 

That Putin tramp stamp....

[GreyhoundFan]

"And Now, the Dreaded Trump Curse"

Quote

These days, the last thing you want is to be known as a Friend of Trump. He’s doing great — he’s president, for heaven’s sake. His kids are getting jobs, his hotels are getting promoted 24/7. He goes golfing more than your average Palm Beach retiree. Meanwhile, the people he hangs around with are watching their reputations crumble into smithereens.

This has an impact on congressional politics. If you’re a swing vote in the House or the Senate, the idea of getting a hug in the Oval Office might seem more like a threat than an opportunity. Let’s consider some of the F.O.T.s who’ve already been undone:

...

Devin Nunes

Nunes is now famous as the guy who was sneaking around the White House lawn in the middle of the night. He says it was still daylight, which will have no bearing whatsoever on the legend. There’s a lot of stuff on his résumé — eight-term congressman, father of three, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. But wherever he goes for the rest of his life, people are going to say, “Oh yeah, he was the one sneaking around the White House lawn in the middle of the night.” It’ll be the lead in his obituary.

...

Coal Miners

Trump recently signed an executive order trashing the Obama initiatives to combat global warming. He was surrounded by happy-looking men from coal country, helping continue the grand new White House tradition of male-only photo sessions.

“You’re going back to work,” the president told them gleefully. In reality, the guys in the room already had jobs, some as coal company executives. And Trump’s order won’t fix their region’s unemployment problems. However, the administration has indeed changed the world for some residents of Appalachia, greatly improving their chances of living near a stream filled with mining debris.

...

Sean Spicer

Oh my God, poor Sean Spicer. You wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Russia

Russians worked hard to get Donald Trump elected president. And what did they get out of it? Multiple high-level investigations. Enormous rancor in Congress. Plus a drought of free food — no sane politician is going to want to be seen having dinner with a Russian diplomat.

Really, these days in Washington you’d be much better off being a Mexican.

Michael Flynn

Of all the American influence-peddlers who’ve been on the payroll of Russian oligarchs, only one is currently seeking immunity before he testifies at a congressional hearing. Remember when Flynn kept yelling “Lock her up!” during the Republican convention? Hehehehehe.

 

 

 

From NPR: "A Presidency Stalled And Sputtering"

 

A good op-ed: "President Trump’s Leaky Ship of State"

Quote

Near the top of President Trump’s enemies list, along with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Nordstrom, are the leakers who fuel his “running war” with the media. “These leakers, they are disgusting,” he said last week. “These are horrible people.” These “low-life,” “criminal” blabbermouths, he vowed on Twitter, “will be caught!”

That shouldn’t be difficult, not least because some of the loosest lips belong, in Washington-speak, to “people close to the president,” meaning a few doors down from the Oval Office. Mr. Trump’s mercurial management habits and shifting allegiances invite rivalries, backbiting and snitching by competing members of his team, particularly when the White House is under pressure, as it was during last week’s meltdown over the Republicans’ health care bill.

Even now, days after that debacle, “people close to” Mr. Trump (maybe even Mr. Trump himself?) are cited on multiple media outlets, ranging from Breitbart to CNN to The Times, placing the blame for the failure to replace Obamacare on, variously, Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff; Gary Cohn, the president’s chief economic adviser; Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House; House conservatives; House moderates; House Democrats; and Jared Kushner, the senior adviser/son-in-law whose ski trip to Aspen in the heat of the battle reportedly left Mr. Trump “fuming.”

A leaky White House is not the only consequence of Mr. Trump’s chaotic management style, and maybe not even the most important. Mr. Trump’s cabinet officers are having a terrible time getting their departments up and running — and building their own leadership teams — in part because they are having to deal with a small army of 500 Republican advisers, lobbyists and itinerant campaign workers appointed by the White House to oversee the transition from one administration to the other.

These loyalists, organized in “beachhead teams,” have evolved into a kind of shadow government, meddling in operations and carrying reports of disloyalty, real or imagined, back to their overseer in the White House, Rick Dearborn, a former Jeff Sessions aide who runs the transition and plays a big role in shaping policy, such as it is.

...

 

[fraurosena]

Ha! Another setback for the tangerine toddler.

Judge to Trump: No free speech protection for lawsuit over rally violence

Quote

A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump's free speech defense against a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a campaign rally.

Trump's lawyers sought to dismiss the lawsuit by three protesters who say they were roughed up by his supporters at a March 1, 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky. They argued that Trump didn't intend for his supporters to use force.

Two women and a man say they were shoved and punched by audience members at Trump's command. Much of it was captured on video and widely broadcast during the campaign, showing Trump pointing at the protesters and repeating "get them out."

Judge David J. Hale in Louisville ruled Friday that the suit against Trump, his campaign and three of his supporters can proceed. Hale found ample facts supporting allegations that the protesters' injuries were a "direct and proximate result" of Trump's actions, and noted that the Supreme Court has ruled out constitutional protections for speech that incites violence.

"It is plausible that Trump's direction to 'get 'em out of here' advocated the use of force," the judge wrote. "It was an order, an instruction, a command." [...]

Lawyers for Trump and his campaign also argued that they cannot be held liable because they had no duty to the plaintiffs, who assumed the risk of injury when they decided to protest at the rally. The judge countered that under the law, every person has a duty to every other person to use care to prevent foreseeable injury.

"In sum, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have adequately alleged that their harm was foreseeable and that the Trump Defendants had a duty to prevent it," the judge ruled, referring the case to a federal magistrate, Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl, to handle preliminary litigation, discovery and settlement efforts.

I hope this Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl is of a like mind. 

[onekidanddone]

7 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Ha! Another setback for the tangerine toddler.

Judge to Trump: No free speech protection for lawsuit over rally violence

I hope this Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl is of a like mind. 

I don't get this defense "Don't listen to what he says" BS.  KellyAnne Contwit has tried this before. Just how stupid does he think we are? Well never mind, orange zombies will be orange zombies.

[47of74]

7 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Ha! Another setback for the tangerine toddler.

Judge to Trump: No free speech protection for lawsuit over rally violence

I hope this Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl is of a like mind. 

I was just coming here to post about this myself.  Once again I got my popcorn and am awaiting the angry Monday morning tweet storms;

[onekidanddone]

3 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

I was just coming here to post about this myself.  Once again I got my popcorn and am awaiting the angry Monday morning tweet storms;

I'd be surprised if he waited that long. "So called Judge enforcing the law.  People take me at my word. SAD"

Oh and that is a fuck of a lot of popcorn

 

 

[iweartanktops]

I'll be back later, but... 

 

 

[fraurosena]

They are all soooo clueless!

Trump aide accused of Hatch Act violation after urging Amash primary challenge

Quote

A senior adviser to President Donald Trump on Saturday urged a primary challenge against a House Freedom Caucus member, prompting charges that he may have violated federal law against using his official position to sway an election campaign.

Dan Scavino Jr., director of social media and senior White House adviser, tweeted that Michigan Rep. Justin Amash is a "big liability" for the state and encouraged a GOP primary opponent to oust him in 2018.

".@realDonaldTrump is bringing auto plants & jobs back to Michigan. @justinamash is a big liability. #TrumpTrain, defeat him in primary," Scavino wrote.

But that tweet, sent from Scavino's personal Twitter account, immediately landed him in controversy as ethics lawyers called out Scavino for possibly violating the Hatch Act, a Depression-era law that regulates campaigning by government officials.

"Look at the official photo on this page. Read the Hatch Act and fire this man NOW. Someone call OSC," Richard Painter, the former ethics attorney in the George W. Bush White House, wrote on Twitter, referring to the Office of Special Counsel, the independent agency charged with monitoring and enforcing the law.

White House press officials and Scavino did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

You'd think he'd know how to handle himself on twitter, being director of social media and all... but then again nobody in this administration has a clue what they're doing, so...