Trump 18: Info to Russia, With Love

[Destiny]

Have they announced when because I will clear my schedule, grab some popcorn and stay glued to the TV. This will be more interesting than Netflix. 
On another note, I was stopped for a survey this week and the guy asked what website I visited most to get news and I told him Free Jinger. It is true, but he looked confused. 

Not yet but according to HuffPost it will be after the Memorial Day holiday.
LOL! I'm not gonna lie, that cracked me up and now I'm getting stared at like I'm a crazy person. I'm guessing you were probably a statistical outlier in that. :-D

[Howl]

On 5/18/2017 at 6:21 PM, Rachel333 said:

Probably the best thing in the last month.  So funny.  SO TRUE! I laughed 'til I cried. 

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

Have they announced when because I will clear my schedule, grab some popcorn and stay glued to the TV. This will be more interesting than Netflix. 

On another note, I was stopped for a survey this week and the guy asked what website I visited most to get news and I told him Free Jinger. It is true, but he looked confused. 

The exact date hasn't been released, but Burr and Warner said it would be after Memorial Day. I bet the surveyor was confused!

 

I liked this analysis: "President Trump is practically begging to be accused of obstruction of justice"

Spoiler

President Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey on May 9. And then he basically spent the next two days doing whatever he could to make it look like he had just committed obstruction of justice.

First came that infamous NBC News interview on May 11. After two days of the White House claiming the Justice Department had initiated Comey's firing and that it was because of the Hillary Clinton investigation, Trump said to hell with it; he blurted out that he was determined to fire Comey all along and that the Russia investigation was on his mind when he decided to do it.

Now the New York Times is reporting that, in a meeting with top Russian officials on the day in-between — you know, the same meeting in which he gave highly classified information to those same Russians — Trump expressed relief at having taken Comey off his tail.

“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump said, according to a document summarizing the meeting that a U.S. official read to the Times. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

Firing Comey in the first place was a highly suspect move. That's because Comey, as FBI director, was leading the Russia investigation and had recently announced the probe was targeting alleged Russian ties to Trump's campaign. So the White House set about saying this was Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein's decision and issued a memo from him focused solely on the Clinton investigation. Vice President Pence even said repeatedly that Russia was “not what this is about.”

Trump was apparently never on the same page — at all.

If we're parsing Trump's statements carefully, he still hasn't technically said something akin to ‘I fired Comey because of the Russia investigation.’ He's said just about everything but that, mind you, but he hasn't quite said that.

In the NBC interview, he said that Russia was clearly on his mind when he considered Comey's future:

“And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’ ”

And in the meeting with the Russians, he said, “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

There's no firm line from A to B in there. A well-paid lawyer would argue that Trump was saying in the NBC interview that he was thinking about Russia, but that it wasn't necessarily the reason he acted. And maybe Trump did enjoy having Comey off the case, but perhaps that was merely a helpful byproduct of a more legitimate reason to fire him.

But Trump's own statements aren't the only news to raise questions about a possible obstruction of justice; he's also pushed that cause forward by firing Comey in the first place. The firing has led to leaks indicating Trump asked Comey for a loyalty pledge and also that he requested that Comey drop the investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

The White House has denied these stories. But if they're true, Trump fired Comey knowing that those conversations existed and that Comey may have documentation of them. That may one day look like a very bad call.

All of these point in the same direction: to Trump first trying to influence Comey's investigations and then to getting Comey off his back by firing him. And all of these revelations flow from the same fateful decision to fire Comey in the first place. We may not have known about any of them if not for that.

It's not completely clear that a president could be charged with obstruction of justice, but as our own Matt Zapotosky has reported, some legal analysts are starting to point in that direction.

And Trump is practically giving them a road map.

 

[Rachel333]

It just keeps coming... Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump, sources say

And Trump's plane hasn't even landed yet.  I would love to see what it's like on that plane right now.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Will Melania Trump wear a headscarf in Saudi Arabia? Donald Trump circa 2015 seems to think she should."

Spoiler

In January 2015, President Barack Obama visited Saudi Arabia. It was a high-profile trip: Obama was there to attend the funeral of the late Saudi King Abdullah at a time when the Washington-Riyadh relationship was strained for a number of factors, including the U.S. attempt to secure a nuclear deal with Iran. Much of the immediate attention, however, wasn't on the president, but on first lady Michelle Obama and her choice of attire.

During a number of public events, she appeared without a headscarf — an unusual move in the conservative Islamic country where women are expected to cover their heads and many wear niqabs, a cloth that can cover almost all of the face. The decision sparked criticism on Saudi social media, where it was discussed under the hashtag #ميشيل_أوباما_سفور (roughly, #Michelle_Obama_unveiled).

Before long, her lack of headscarf was triggering discussion back in the United States, as well. Many supported the first lady, arguing that gender equality shouldn't take a back seat to religious sensitivities. However, one prominent Twitter user disagreed: “Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted,” Donald Trump wrote. “We have enuf enemies.”

...

Two years later, the shoe is on the other foot. This weekend President Trump will arrive in Riyadh for his first trip as leader of the United States. Accompanying him will not only be his wife, Melania, but daughter Ivanka. It is unclear if the president will insist that they wear headscarves in Saudi Arabia, though it seems unlikely.

Obama's decision to not wear a headscarf was less unusual than it might have seemed at the time. While Saudi women are expected to cover their heads, exceptions are made for foreigners, and in some less conservative circles, Saudi women wear their hijabs loosely in a way that hints more at fashion than religion.

Some foreign guests to Saudi Arabia do choose to wear headscarves. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and the wife of Britain's Prince Charles, usually wears one on their trips there. And in 2007, first lady Laura Bush was photographed briefly wearing a headscarf she had received as a gift.

Most high-profile Western visitors, however, tend to forgo the scarves. For example, as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton visited the kingdom sans scarf in 2012. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May also did not wear headscarves, instead opting to wear loosefitting clothes that covered their arms and legs instead.

Not all conservative Islamic nations are willing to make such concessions: Head coverings are generally required for female dignitaries when they visit Iran. This can put the visitors in difficult situations back home. For example, Sweden's government was recently criticized because members of a delegation wore headscarves during a visit to Tehran, despite the nation's declared feminist ethos.

In hindsight, the furor surrounding Obama's headscarf can be attributed to a broader distrust of her husband's policies regarding Saudi Arabia, which was in turn amplified by the growing power of social media in the Saudi kingdom. President Obama was notoriously skeptical of Saudi Arabia's ambitions in the Middle East and had suggested Riyadh may need to learn to share the Middle East with its rival, Tehran. “It's complicated” he told the Atlantic in 2016 when asked if the Saudi kingdom was a friend to America.

Although in the past Trump has been critical of Saudi Arabia — even accusing it of killing homosexuals and having links to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — he has softened his tone since becoming president, but he has continued his harsh criticism of Iran.

That he chose Saudi Arabia for the first destination during his first foreign trip as president is significant, and the kingdom is keen to welcome him. Russian state media reports that Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said that Melania, a former model, is welcome to wear “any style in clothing” she wants in the country.

Even so, the Trumps may be wise to keep in mind the optics of their trip. Much of the Saudi public is more religiously conservative than their leaders, and recent polls suggest young Saudis in particular view the new U.S. president as being anti-Muslim. And just days after visiting Riyadh, Melania Trump is expected to accompany her husband to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and the Vatican to meet the Pope. In both of these locations, religious tradition means women are expected to dress modestly.

Yeah, I'm sure neither Ivanka nor Melania will be wearing scarves.

[Cartmann99]

16 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

And Trump's plane hasn't even landed yet.  I would love to see what it's like on that plane right now.

And now we go to video from Air Force One:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

@47of74 --YES! Except I would imagine that AF1 is probably louder and more chaotic. Oh, and far less funny.

 

Long, but great analysis of the last two insane weeks: "Recapping a stunningly bad two weeks for the Trump White House"

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump campaigned against Muslims, but will preach tolerance in Saudi speech"

Spoiler

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump, whose dark, guttural demonization of Muslims was a trademark of his nationalist campaign, arrives here Saturday hoping the Arab world will listen to a new message.

Embarking on his first overseas trip as president, Trump plans to do a rhetorical pirouette with a speech Sunday in the birthplace of Islam preaching religious tolerance and inviting Muslims to join the United States in the fight against global terrorism.

Never mind that as a candidate Trump proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States, or that he warned of a “Trojan horse” filled with refugees slaughtering innocent Americans, or that he proclaimed, “Islam hates us.”

The Saudis are preparing to welcome President Trump like a conquering king when he steps off Air Force One for his first stop of a high-stakes, marathon tour through the Middle East and Europe.

The capstone of Trump’s 48 hours in Riyadh will be a speech he delivers to the leaders of about 50 Muslim countries at a summit here Sunday afternoon. Trump’s advisers have previewed the address as a clarion call for the Islamic world to partner against evil.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster described it as “an inspiring, yet direct speech on the need to confront radical ideology and the president’s hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam to dominate across the world.”

“The speech is intended to unite the broader Muslim world against common enemies of all civilization and to demonstrate America’s commitment to our Muslim partners,” McMaster said.

Trump’s apparent about-face on Islam is only the latest example of him reversing his campaign position or rhetorical tone since being elected president.

“He has changed his position on lots of matters. . .so there’s no particular reason he can’t say whatever he wants to say,” said Eliot Abrams, a former national security official in the George W. Bush administration. “This is more delicate because it’s a religion you’re talking about.”

Trump’s speech is being written by Stephen Miller, the White House senior policy adviser who rose to prominence in the early days of Trump’s presidency as the author and public face of the travel ban prohibiting people from seven (later restricted to six) majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States.

Miller, who traveled with Trump on the campaign trail and penned many of his speeches, has advocated a nationalist ideology that seeks to limit immigration to people who share what he considers to be American values.

Miller’s writings as a student in high school and college emphasized the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. He led a “Terrorism Awareness Project” at Duke University, warned of “Islamofascism” and argued that there was a “holy war being waged against us.” His earlier writings were even more blunt, arguing that talk of how “peaceful and benign” Islam is “cannot change the fact that millions of radical Muslims would celebrate your death for the simple reason that you are Christian, Jewish or American.”

Trump’s political ascent was fueled by similar anti-Muslim sentiments. For years, Trump repeatedly the false suggestion that then-president Barack Obama was not Christian and might be Muslim. Once he became candidate, Trump drew loud applause at his rallies when he railed against Muslim migrants.

“This could be the greatest Trojan horse. This could make the Trojan horse look like peanuts if these people turned out to be a lot of ISIS,” Trump said of refugees from war-torn Syria in an October 2015 interview.

Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” in December 2015, saying that “it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension.”

Trump repeatedly told an apocryphal tale about U.S. Gen. John J. Pershing’s forces fighting Muslim insurgents in the Philippines in the early 1990s. In the story, they dipped bullets in pigs’ blood, loaded their rifles and firing them at the insurgents.

And in March 2016, Trump told CNN, “I think Islam hates us. . . There’s a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There’s an unbelievable hatred of us.”

Trump’s harsh campaign rhetoric appears to have set the bar extremely low in the minds of many in the Middle East.

“No one is going into this thinking that Trump is good on Islam. We’re all going into it with the opposite idea,” said Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who specializes in U.S.-Islamic relations. “Those low expectations might work in Trump’s favor because as long as he takes care to avoid saying something terribly offensive, it might be seen as neutral or even positive.”

Trump previewed his new, less strident tone on Islam when he signed a religious liberty executive order earlier this month. Speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House, the president called the United States “a nation of tolerance” that “honors the freedom of worship.”

Trump said he would carry that theme to Saudi Arabia, home to two of Islam’s holiest sites, where he hopes to “construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies.”

Trump intends his address Sunday as a contrast to Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo, when expectations were high that he would usher in a new era in U.S.-Middle East relations after nearly a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama said “America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition,” but share common principles.

But Obama’s outreach drew mixed reviews, and tensions built over some of his administration’s actions that followed regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Arab Spring and the conflict in Syria.

While Obama often promoted human rights and democracy when he traveled abroad, Trump has signaled he will not and has ingratiated himself with some authoritarian leaders whose citizens are denied basic rights.

“Our task is not to dictate to others how to live, but to build a coalition of friends and partners who share the goal of fighting terrorism and bringing safety, opportunity and stability to the war-ravaged Middle East,” Trump said in his Rose Garden remarks.

Trump’s audience here Sunday will be the leaders of many Muslim nations that are not democratic states. Among them is Saudi Arabia, which is a rigidly controlled society that adheres to a form of Islam, Wahhabism, that some view as extremist, noted Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“It will be very interesting to see if human rights and democracy will be completely ignored in this speech,” Abrams said.

In some respects, Trump’s posture represents at least a partial return to the position of former president George W. Bush, who emphasized that violent extremism does not represent Islam as a faith, which he saw as essential to promoting peace. Bush placed the first copy of the Holy Koran in the White House library, and encouraged Americans to travel to the Muslim world, welcome Muslim students into their homes for cultural exchange and study Arabic.

Trump has made no such entreaties. In fact, he has criticized Saudi Arabia for wanting “women as slaves and to kill gays,” as he put it in a 2016 Facebook post attacking rival Hillary Clinton for accepting donations from the Saudis at her family’s charitable foundation.

But Trump’s hosts in Riyadh see those remarks as being from a lifetime ago, at least if their public comments are any indication. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, said in a statement, “Leaders of Arab and Islamic nations and the United States recognize the importance of strong and enduring partnerships to confront the threat of violent extremism.”

With hundreds of American and Saudi flags lining the streets here, the minister added, “There are many who try to find gaps between the policy of the United States and that of Saudi Arabia, but they never will succeed. The position of President Trump, and that of Congress, is completely aligned with that of Saudi Arabia.”

No big surprise.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump turmoil is spreading far beyond Washington to state and local races"

Spoiler

As a cascade of controversies consumes the White House, anxiety is rising among Republicans well beyond the Beltway that President Trump’s troubles could take a severe toll on the party heading into next year’s midterm elections and beyond.

With a near-daily string of new scandals and unfavorable headlines — including this week’s news of a special counsel to examine possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia — a growing number of Republicans across the country are watching dispiritedly as Democrats become further energized to turn out their voters in 2018, potentially tipping not only congressional contests but state and local races down the ballot.

“There were a lot of things that were promised to be done, and we’re just getting a lot of noise out of Washington,” said Marc Rotterman, a longtime Republican consultant in North Carolina who was a Trump supporter ahead of last year’s election. “It seems it’s Russia 24-7. When you’re reacting and defending, you’re not moving on your agenda. You’re not fixing day-to-day problems for average Americans.”

Rotterman said that “there still could be a course correction” but that if Trump and Republicans don’t make good on their promises, they risk losing support — particularly from the blue-collar voters who helped propel Trump to victory last fall. “They’re counting on him,” Rotterman said.

Trump arrived in Washington in an uneasy alliance with establishment Republicans, many of whom were willing to overlook his eccentricities if they still were able to make good on shared legislative priorities, including repeal of the Affordable Care Act and tax cuts.

While Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders and delivered on one key conservative agenda item — the confirmation of a successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia — there is mounting fear that other marquee campaign promises will not be realized, making it harder for Republicans to win elections.

Since Trump’s controversial firing of FBI Director James B. Comey last week, the White House has been in full crisis mode.

“We cannot sustain this level of chaos from the White House and expect it will be anything less than a tragic outcome on Election Day,” said Jennifer Horn, a former chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

Horn, who was accused of anti-Trump bias during her tenure as chairwoman, said she has noticed “a significant increase in the level of anxiety about the president and his behavior” from party leaders around the country over the past two weeks.

Some Trump boosters offer a more measured take on what has transpired, suggesting the drama in Washington will not be foremost on the minds of voters.

“The next election will have a lot more to do with jobs numbers than Russia,” said Barry Bennett, a Trump political adviser during last year’s election campaign. If the economy “keeps perking along,” he said, Republicans could do just fine.

...

While many Republicans are frustrated by what is going on in Washington, polls have shown that Trump remains popular with most members of the party and continues to be viewed positively by his base.

Trump also could try to energize his voters next year by blaming Washington’s problems on the hostile establishment he says he is fighting.

However, it remains an open question how many of the blue-collar and other nontraditional GOP voters who backed Trump will turn out for other Republicans when he is not on the ballot. At the same time, Democratic voters tend not to turn out as strongly in nonpresidential years.

The Trump factor already is being tested in several special congressional elections this year to replace members plucked from the House to join Trump’s Cabinet. All have shaped up to be closer than expected, and Trump’s troubles are a particular factor in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District — an affluent, ­Republican-leaning jurisdiction in suburban Atlanta.

“It’s a close race that shouldn’t be close,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who is working for GOP candidate Karen Handel, said of the June 20 election.

Ayres said that Trump’s troubles are clearly a factor in Handel’s race against Democrat Jon Ossoff, as well as in other upcoming contests.

“It certainly doesn’t make it any easier for Republican candidates in highly educated districts,” Ayres said. “The atmosphere in Washington and attitudes toward the president create a far more energized Democratic base than you’d otherwise have.”

Asked if the past two weeks have exacerbated that dynamic, Ayres said, “I believe this falls in the realm of the obvious.”

Trump appeared at a closed fundraiser in Atlanta last month for Handel, but the candidate since then has seemed to distance herself from the president. During a fundraiser this week with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), Trump’s name was not mentioned by either Handel or Ryan.

It remains an open question how many candidates will seek to appear with Trump heading into next year’s elections.

When the Republican National Committee met in California last week, Trump appeared via a taped message in which he suggested he would like to be heavily involved ahead of next year’s vote.

“I’ll be going around to different states,” Trump said. “I’ll be working hard for people running for Congress and the people running for the Senate. We can pick up a lot of seats, especially if it keeps going the way it’s going now.”

The last line in particular raised eyebrows. Even before the latest controversies, there were signs of serious Republican challenges in some 2018 races.

In Florida, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), the dean of the state’s delegation and the first Cuban American elected to Congress, recently announced her upcoming retirement after 35 years in office. Her district — which Hillary Clinton won over Trump by 20 points — is now considered a prime opportunity for a Democratic pickup. Several prominent local Republicans already have announced that they will take a pass on the race.

John McKager “Mac” Stipanovich, a longtime GOP campaign operative in Florida, said he fears numerous other Republican losses in his state and around the country if the party cannot deliver on promises to repeal Obamacare and cut taxes.

“If after all of the talk, after all of the chest-thumping, we can’t get anything done, we may get clubbed like baby seals in 2018,” said Stipanovich, who was an early Trump critic.

...

Most analysts consider control of the House to be in play next year. Following House passage of a health-care bill this month that would leave millions without coverage, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report downgraded the 2018 prospects for Republicans in 20 races across the country.

The publication noted that of the 23 Republicans sitting in districts that Clinton won last year, 14 voted for the GOP bill, which has been widely panned in public polls.

At this point, relatively few Senate races look competitive next year, but several governor’s seats could be in play. Normally, governor’s races are more insulated from issues playing out in national politics, but that might not be as much the case now, said Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor at Cook Political Report.

That is in part because Republican candidates are likely to get peppered with questions about what they think of Trump controversies, she said.

Thirty-six states have governor’s races next year. Two states — Virginia and New Jersey — are holding contests this year.

While some candidates have sought to mimic Trump on policy and style, the GOP front-runners in both states voting this year — former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie in Virginia and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in New Jersey — are not talking much about Trump on the campaign trail.

In Washington, the White House and Republican leaders in Congress are putting on a brave face about what they can still accomplish in coming months.

Ryan, acknowledging that Trump has had a “bad two weeks,” said during a radio interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” on Friday that “it’s way too early” to be talking about the midterms. But he conceded, “If we don’t keep our promises, then we’ll have a problem.”

At a conference sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Vice President Pence suggested the White House remains focused on its agenda, regardless of distractions.

“Whatever Washington, D.C., may be focused on at any given time, rest assured, President Donald Trump will never stop fighting for the issues that matter most to the American people: good jobs, safe streets and a boundless American future,” Pence told about 350 business leaders gathered for a summit on foreign direct investment in the United States.

Scott Reed, a lobbyist for the Chamber, said he continues to believe there is a “historic opportunity” for Congress to pass tax reform and make good on a Trump promise to invest $1 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure — both of which are Chamber priorities.

“If they don’t govern and get some concrete results, it’s going to be a long couple of years,” Reed said, referring to the party’s electoral prospects. “This is the beginning of a lot of dominoes that will fall one way or another.”

I hope those dominoes flatten a bunch of DOHers on their way down.

[JMarie]

Go Anderson!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/anderson-cooper-spars-phil-lord-trump-took-a-dump-his-desk-you-would-defend-1005720

Quote

The CNN host squared off with his conservative counterpart on Friday evening over Trump's latest comments on former FBI Director James Comey.

CNN host Anderson Cooper had some choice words for fellow commentator Jeffrey Lord on Friday evening.

Lord, CNN's resident conservative pundit, joined Cooper on his nightly program to talk about Trump's recent "nut job" comments referring to recently terminated FBI director James Comey. "You can't defend what the president of the United States just said," Cooper told Lord.

Lord, however, did defend Trump's comments prompting Cooper to respond, "If Trump took a dump on his desk, you would defend it."

Anderson later apologized, but I don't think he needed to.

[ShepherdontheRock]

7 hours ago, PreciousPantsofDoom said:

Have we talked about Erdogan bodyguards/goons beating up lawful protestors on American soil yet?  

The footage of it was sickening.  I am outraged on behalf of the US, and I'm not even American. 

From the sound of it, the thugs have diplomatic immunity. Only under the Orange Reich would this violent insult not have been the top story for weeks. (And I blame Fuck face for inviting Erdogan in the first place aND for ma king it cLear that human rights aND rule of law are just annoying impediments to doing what ever the fuck you want.  There is a reason that decent democratic legitimate governments try not to get to cozy with the likes of Erdogan. 

I agree with what McCain said, that the Turkish ambassador should be thrown out of the country. International relations are very tricky, but there should be consequences for such a blatant act.  Fuck. (Did I mention that I'm outraged?)

Yes. I hope once the current administration leaves we sanction the shit out of them. 

From what I've heard, D.C. Police were pulling the thugs off the perfectly legal peaceful protesters, and are still investigating. Erdogan had asked them to get rid of the protestors and the DCPD were like "lol, no, they're legally allowed to be there, you'll just have to deal." Shitheads. 

I hope there's lawsuits. I hope they prosecute whoever they can. 

 

I feel sorry for the Israelis. Apparently there's total fury over Trump casually compromising them. Lives are in danger and he didn't give a shit. So, they have a right to scream and curse at American diplomats. I've heard that the CIA is considering not telling him everything because it's just too dangerous. 

 

For some comic relief, here's a Slate article. It's really mean but I don't care. 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/low_concept/2017/05/my_first_big_boy_trip_by_donald_j_trump.html

 

[laPapessaGiovanna]

8 hours ago, fraurosena said:

I agree that his tax returns should be subpoenaed. However, do you really think he's filled them in truthfully? I have more faith in the 'follow the money' investigations that are going on behind the scenes to unearth the full extent of the presidunce's indebteness to the Russians.

You're right. I just think there's enough in there to sink his already plunging approval levels. He bragged about his fan base not being swayed had he shot someone in fifth avenue. He doesn't care to twit his dumbness because his base will always approve, he's one of them dumb, ignorant, mean and greedy as they are. But there's something that his base may not condone him: should they discover that he is an incompetent business loser nowhere near as wealthy as he brags about. If he is or was full of debts and then rescued by foreign money, his fan base, those who hold the prosperity gospel and white America's exceptionalism so dear to their hearts, may fail him once and for all.

Losing his base may be the only way to get rid of him before he does too much damage. While the majority of GOP voters approve of him the republicans are going to deny the causality link between heat and boiling water.

[fraurosena]

3 hours ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

he is an incompetent business loser nowhere near as wealthy as he brags about. If he is or was full of debts and then rescued by foreign money, his fan base, those who hold the prosperity gospel and white America's exceptionalism so dear to their hearts, may fail him once and for all.

Oh yes! That's an angle I hadn't thought about yet. Like you, I think he is quite incompetent as a businessman (and at everything really). And that is precisely what his brand is of course: look at me, I am the deal-maker, the money-maker! Believe me...

I agree with you. When his base finds out the emperor has no clothes, well, they will drop him like a hot potato, make mash of him and eat him up for dinner. 

 

[fraurosena]

Good grief. What an insecure and infantile man-baby!

Tips for Leaders Meeting Trump: Keep It Short and Give Him a Win

Quote

For foreign leaders trying to figure out the best way to approach an American president unlike any they have known, it is a time of experimentation. Embassies in Washington trade tips and ambassadors send cables to presidents and ministers back home suggesting how to handle a mercurial, strong-willed leader with no real experience on the world stage, a preference for personal diplomacy and a taste for glitz. 

After four months of interactions between Mr. Trump and his counterparts, foreign officials and their Washington consultants say certain rules have emerged: Keep it short — no 30-minute monologue for a 30-second attention span. Do not assume he knows the history of the country or its major points of contention. Compliment him on his Electoral College victory. Contrast him favorably with President Barack Obama. Do not get hung up on whatever was said during the campaign. Stay in regular touch. Do not go in with a shopping list but bring some sort of deal he can call a victory.

“If you were prepping people for Donald Trump, the two or three points would be: one, bear in mind this is still a guy who focuses on wins,” Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to the United States, said. “He likes to have wins for America and wins for himself from bilateral meetings.”

“Secondly,” he continued, “he is a deal maker, a pragmatist. Third, this is a guy with a limited attention span. He absolutely won’t want to listen to visitors droning on for a half-hour — or longer if they need an interpreter.”

Wow. Just... wow. Does nobody realize how idiotic this is? Telling everyone to stroke his ego?
(oh, keep that last cursive sentence in mind, would you?)

Quote

For Mr. Trump, personal interaction and chemistry matter.

“He immediately wants to make people feel comfortable,” said Dina Kawar, the ambassador from Jordan, whose King Abdullah has met with Mr. Trump in person twice since the inauguration. “The president listens a lot.”

Uhm. Yeah...uhhh. So, he listens a lot, but not for very long... 

Quote

It helps to establish a family connection. Mr. Netanyahu has emphasized his relationship with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, going back to when the young man was a child. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada took the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump to “Come From Away,” a Broadway show about Canadians who helped Americans stranded after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Ms. Merkel invited Ms. Trump to Germany to join a panel on women’s entrepreneurship.

So, nepotism is BAD, except when it comes to the presidunce. Then it's just SAD...
I cannot believe how much leaders of other countries are sucking up to him in this way. (yes, yes, I know, politics... but still)

Quote

The Saudis scored their own coup by persuading Mr. Trump to make Saudi Arabia his first foreign destination as president, beating Mexico and Canada, which have traded that honor since the 1970s. Mr. Trump chose Riyadh in part because Saudi Arabia is the home of Islam’s two holiest sites and in part because he hopes to strengthen the Sunni Arab alignment against Shia-led Iran.

Oh, come on! We all know that's just the excuse. It's all about that bigly (and possibly illegal) arms deal... that, and the cozy connection between the Saudi's and the Russians. 

[formergothardite]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

Wow. Just... wow. Does nobody realize how idiotic this is? Telling everyone to stroke his ego?
(oh, keep that last cursive sentence in mind, would you?)

I hope world leaders don't do this. He signed up to be president, so make him be president even if that isn't "having a win" and sitting through 30 minute talks. I'm guessing most of America doesn't care if the world goes about making safe places for Donny the Dumb. The best thing in the world is if people stopped babying him and started treated him like a world leader. That will be the fastest way to show who he really is. 

5 hours ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

But there's something that his base may not condone him: should they discover that he is an incompetent business loser nowhere near as wealthy as he brags about. If he is or was full of debts and then rescued by foreign money, his fan base, those who hold the prosperity gospel and white America's exceptionalism so dear to their hearts, may fail him once and for all.

I remember a Seth Myers speech where he said he thought the reason Trump is working so hard to hide his taxes is because he is flat broke. I think he is not nearly as wealthy as he claims and is up to his eyeballs in debt. I think seeing that he a broke, bad businesses man who is heavily in debt to other countries would lose him some of his fan base, but there are others who won't leave him no matter what. 

[laPapessaGiovanna]

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

I hope world leaders don't do this. He signed up to be president, so make him be president even if that isn't "having a win" and sitting through 30 minute talks. I'm guessing most of America doesn't care if the world goes about making safe places for Donny the Dumb. The best thing in the world is if people stopped babying him and started treated him like a world leader. That will be the fastest way to show who he really is. 

I disagree on this, imho his idiocy and unfitness will be all the more apparent when he will stike some very bad deal on bahalf of America just because someone used the right words to boost his ego and paid the right money to line his pockets. And it will happen, if it didn't happen yet, the cunning ones of this world have taken his measures to craft his new invisible clothes.

I liked very much this comment by Ms XYZ under the nyt piece

Spoiler

It should bother everyone, regardless of political party, that Trump was lying about why he fired Comey to Americans and telling the truth to Russians in the oval office, no less.

So so true.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

Just because I love it and the singer said these times of Trump and Brexit inspired him to write it, not exactly spirit lifting tho

Spoiler

 

 

[RoseWilder]

4 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Good grief. What an insecure and infantile man-baby!

Tips for Leaders Meeting Trump: Keep It Short and Give Him a Win

Keep it short and give him a win. That sounds an awful lot like the advice that I just read in parenting book on how to deal raise toddlers. 

It's absolutely pathetic that we currently has a president who is less mature (not to mention less articulate) than my three-year-old niece. And let's not even talk about how much bigger her vocabulary is than his . . . 

[sawasdee]

The truly terrifying thing is that they HAVE to cater to the toddler mentality to have a hope of stabilising the whole international scene. Try to talk to him as an adult ( president, no less) will only result in impulsive and ill thought out or not thought out at all decisions, as he just reacts.

He's not just dumbing down America, he's dumbing down the world, in their own self defence.

The entire world, with the exception of Russia, is tippy- toeing around him, horrified at what he could unleash - possibly in a fit of pique.

 

[fraurosena]

2 hours ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

Just because I love it and the singer said these times of Trump and Brexit inspired him to write it, not exactly spirit lifting tho

Wow!

Nuff said.

[fraurosena]

Jesus Christ on the cross!

No, that's not meant as profanity. On the contrary.  It's whom this rightwing nutjob is comparing the presidunce to. Yep, you read that right. Therefore, I present to you as our WUT of the day...

Wayne Allyn Root: Like Jesus Christ, The ‘Forces Of Evil’ Are Trying To Crucify Trump

Quote

Right-wing commentator, conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump–obsessed sycophant Wayne Allyn Root kicked off his radio broadcast yesterday by reading his latest commentary in which he calls on conservatives to rally behind the president against those who seek to “lynch” and “crucify” him.

Root says that Trump, like William Wallace and Jesus Christ, is a champion of the people and is now “facing one of the most intense, over-the-top attacks ever seen in world history,” orchestrated by the “deep state,” the media, and “disgusting, disgraced people” like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

“They have to stop him at all costs,” Root said. “Not just stop him, destroy him. Lynch him. Crucify him. They need to send a clear message, so no one ever tries to educate, enlighten, or empower the people ever again. That’s why the gates of hell have been opened on President Trump. That’s why Trump is facing a tsunami, earthquake, tornado, hailstorm all in one.”

“They need to kill Trump,” he said, “whether it be character assassination or the real thing, aka murder.”

“Never in all my years in politics have I seen ever anything like the way the gates of hell have been unleashed on Donald Trump,” Root said. “This isn’t just an old-fashioned attack, it isn’t random. This is a coordinated conspiracy to destroy Trump. This is a high-tech lynching. This is a crucifixion!”

“And that’s why we must all support President Trump,” Root warned. “If we don’t back Trump now, if you don’t back Trump now, it’s all lost forever. It’s time to fight like a cornered wolverine. It’s time to fight like it’s the end of America, because it is. We can’t go back in time and save Sir William Wallace. We can’t go back and save Jesus Christ from being nailed to that cross. But we can change the future course of history today. There is still time to stand with Donald Trump against the forces of evil.”

The irony of that underlined part is beyond words...

 

[47of74]

16 hours ago, formergothardite said:

Have they announced when because I will clear my schedule, grab some popcorn and stay glued to the TV. This will be more interesting than Netflix. 

On another note, I was stopped for a survey this week and the guy asked what website I visited most to get news and I told him Free Jinger. It is true, but he looked confused. 

Yeah I've got my popcorn all ready to go now. 

[fraurosena]

1 minute ago, 47of74 said:

Yeah I've got my popcorn all ready to go now. 

I read somewhere on my twitterfeed that it's scheduled for the 29th. I can't find the tweet in question anymore though... sigh.

[sawasdee]

@fraurosenaShit on a stick! Did they ever read what they wrote about Obama?

Have they read any history - I think Lincoln had a few more problems than tRump!!

Hell even Nixon had more attacks to deal with - and GW wasn't exactly left unopposed.....and what about LBJ - "L, L, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today!" - and that's despite him pushing through the most far reaching Civil Rights legislation of the 20th century , legislation those protesters on the whole supported.

ETA And I forgot what they did to Clinton.....

What a sooper, sooper speshul snowflake.....Crucifixion? Ha!

(Yes, I am angry...)

ETA Oh no! I'm now Praying for a GOOD baby - please, no! I'm over 60! No! No!

[fraurosena]

3 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

@fraurosenaShit on a stick! Did they ever read what they wrote about Obama?

Have they read any history - I think Lincoln had a few more problems than tRump!!

Hell even Nixon had more attacks to deal with - and GW wasn't exactly left unopposed.....and what about LBJ - "L, L, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today!" - and that's despite him pushing through the most far reaching Civil Rights legislation of the 20th century , legislation those protesters on the whole supported.

What a sooper, sooper speshul snowflake.....Crucifixion? Ha!

(Yes, I am angry...)

 

This is how the Branch Trumpvidians are whipped up into a frenzy. Scary stuff.

Here's an article that I had planned as the daily WUT before I stumbled upon that conspiracy shitstirrer above. Maybe it'll alleviate your anger somewhat, because it highlights the tangerine toddler's stupidity.

Here's a Crazy Story About Donald Trump Falling for an Internet Hoax

Quote

President Donald Trump has been a climate change denier for years, alleging that global warming is a Chinese invention and declaring that cold winter days prove that it's a hoax. Perhaps not surprisingly, his staff seems to share these views.

According to Politico, Deputy National Security Advisor K.T. McFarland recently tried to get Trump riled up about climate change with a bit of fake news. McFarland reportedly slipped Trump two Time magazine cover stories. One was supposedly from the 1970s and warned about a coming ice age. The other, from 2007, discussed how to survive global warming. But there was one glaring problem: The 1970s cover was a hoax.

In 2007, Time published a cover story titled, "The Global Warming Survival Guide." Sometime after that, internet hoaxers doctored the cover to instead say "How to Survive the Coming Ice Age" and alleged that it was a 1977 cover. The hoax spread quickly, and climate deniers used it to argue that in the 1970s, scientists were actually worried about global cooling—and since it didn't happen then, the public shouldn't believe warnings about global warming now.

The hoax seems to have had its intended effect on Trump, who, according to Politico, "quickly got lathered up about the media's hypocrisy." A White House official defended McFarland in an interview with Politico, calling the Time hoax "fake but accurate." The White House didn't respond to a request for comment from Mother Jones. [...]

Scientists have since reached an overwhelming consensus: The planet is getting warmer, and humans are to blame. But this hasn't stopped climate deniers from citing the old stories as evidence that contemporary news reports about climate change shouldn't be believed. This climate denier, for example: