Trump 24: Fiddling, er, Tweeting While Rome Burns

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump’s lewd ‘Access Hollywood’ tape is playing on repeat for 12 hours on the Mall"

Spoiler

A women’s advocacy group was playing the lewd “Access Hollywood” video of President Trump on a large screen Friday on the Mall. On repeat. Again and Again. For 12 hours straight.

The demonstration came the day before the first anniversary of when The Washington Post released the explosive footage showing Trump in 2005 bragging in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women. The previously unaired footage was released Oct. 7, 2016, when Trump was the Republican presidential nominee.

At one point in the video, Trump says, “Grab them by the p---y” and “when you’re a star, they let you do it.”

UltraViolet, which says its goal is to fight sexism, organized the demonstration. The group rented a truck and a screen measuring about 10-by-16 feet to air the footage — which includes sound and subtitles — in front of the Washington Monument. While viewing the screen from the monument grounds, the White House can be seen in the background.

“We wanted to play the tape on loop to remind the people who the president said he is — a proud sexual predator,” said Emma Boorboor, a campaign director for UltraViolet.

The video began playing on loop about 9 a.m. Friday and was set to stop about 9 p.m.

The National Park Service issued permits for the group to bring the equipment to the Mall and play the video, said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the agency. In its permit, UltraViolet described the video display as a First Amendment demonstration “against Trump being a sexual predator.”

After the video’s release, Trump said in a statement he regretted his “foolish” words.

Friday’s demonstration wasn’t appreciated by everyone on the Mall. Parents scurried past the screen so their children wouldn’t hear the profanity-laced video. One man questioned how such a setup could be allowed on federal land.

Others stopped to watch the video. Leon and Alisha Porter, who were visiting the nation’s capital from Ohio, stopped briefly and said they thought it was “great” that the advocacy group was showing it so prominently.

“It’s a good way to shed light on sexual harassment and sexual exploitation, especially in the shadows of George Washington’s monument,” Alisha Porter said.

UltraViolet also hosted a small protest Friday in front of the White House to bring attention to sexual violence against woman. Rallygoers held a banner that said “Grab Back. Stop Rape Culture. Stop Trump.” One participant held a sign that said “Oust the Predator-in-Chief.”

Sexual assault victims who spoke at the rally said Trump has pushed an agenda that’s hostile toward women, citing his administration rolling back Obama-era guidance on how colleges and universities should respond to sexual violence.

The Trump administration issued a rule Friday that would sharply limit the Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage mandate.

“Donald Trump is actively pursuing an anti-woman agenda,” said Raquel Jackson-Stone, a community organizer in the District. “We’re out here to say women are here, we’re fighting back.”

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump is on track to win reelection"

Spoiler

More than half of Americans don’t think Donald Trump is fit to serve as president, yet he has a clear path to winning reelection. If Trump isn’t removed from office and doesn’t lead the country into some form of global catastrophe, he could secure a second term simply by maintaining his current level of support with his political base.

We have entered a new era in American politics. The 2016 election exposed how economic, social and cultural issues have splintered the country and increasingly divided voters by age, race, education and geography. This isn’t going to change.

What have changed are the political fault lines that have driven the debate since the early 1980s. Until now, the ideological divides between the parties were largely differences around social issues, defense spending and trade, as well as tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Today, the central issue has become populism as voters have moved away from the two political parties and increasingly self-identified as independents.

In 2016, Trump capitalized on this changing political environment. He consolidated the growing number of angry voters who felt let down by the people and institutions that control power in the country. Trump’s support from these voters is personal, not ideological. That explains their willingness to stick with him despite his failures of leadership.

Since Trump’s inaugural address, his focus has been on maintaining his support among this loyal base rather than expanding it. As counterintuitive as it may seem, this could be a winning political strategy.

First, Trump knows that gaining the support of a majority of voters in a presidential election is not a requirement; it’s simply an aspiration. In fact, two out of the last three presidents were elected despite losing the popular vote.

Second, the continued decline in support for both political parties works to Trump’s advantage. The lack of voters’ faith in both parties increases the probability that there will be a major third-party candidate on the 2020 ballot. It will also lead to other minor-party candidates joining the presidential race. The multi-candidate field will further divide the anti-Trump vote, making it possible for him to get reelected simply by holding on to his current level of support.

Third, despite dismal poll numbers, Trump enters the contest with a job approval rating that is certainly at least marginally better than what the current national polls would suggest. Throughout the 2016 election, most analysts tracked the national polling, which failed to capture Trump’s strength in key battleground states. Current surveys continue to understate his support. Many national polls survey all eligible voters, rather than registered or likely voters, which can underestimate Trump, and some voters may be reluctant to admit that they are pro-Trump at all. Add to that the fact that Trump effectively demonstrated during the 2016 campaign that he is capable of expanding his support by effectively demonizing his opponents.

Fourth, Trump’s support has largely remained durable with a core group of supporters. These are the voters Trump was referring to when he said that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and he wouldn’t lose votes. There is another group of Trump followers whose support isn’t unequivocal, but they have stayed with him because they still believe he will blow up the system and bring about real change.

In order to maintain and nurture his base, Trump will continue to embrace conflict, which will probably solidify his historically low approval ratings. Trump cannot win a two-person race this way. But he can prevail in a field with strong independent candidates on the ballot.

So for Democrats and others who want to beat Trump, unifying behind one candidate will be essential. In addition, Trump must carry Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020 to win. Efforts should begin now to chip away at his support in these states.

It would be as big a mistake to assume that Trump cannot win reelection in 2020 as it was for those of us who never thought that he could become president in the first place.

Just the thought makes me hyperventilate.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, HeathenBlondie said:

(tried on the test thread, couldn't make the tweet show up here other than just the link)

I don't know if this is another weird Kindle Fire thing, but if I want to embed a tweet on FJ, I use the URL that you get from clicking on "copy link to tweet".

[JMarie]

Larry King interviewing POTUS and FLOTUS in 2005.  Trump is relaxed and almost nice, though still a jerk ("I'm not gonna change diapers, I shouldn't have to work at a marriage").  And somehow, Melania's English seems clearer twelve years ago than it is now.

 

[HeathenBlondie]

1 hour ago, Cartmann99 said:

I don't know if this is another weird Kindle Fire thing, but if I want to embed a tweet on FJ, I use the URL that you get from clicking on "copy link to tweet".

Thank you! I'll have to try that next time

[Destiny]

I couldn’t watch the Hispanic heritage thing. How the fuck can they cheer him when he does what he does?

@greyhoundfan I quit this country if he gets re-elected. Some either English or Spanish speaking country has to want me, right? RIGHT?

[Rachel333]

Honestly, I do think he's going to get re-elected. I really, really, really want to be wrong, though. 

I do think Mueller is doing a very thorough job and I'm hoping that what they find will lead to real consequences for Trump and his team.

[OtterRuletheWorld]

I couldn’t watch the Hispanic heritage thing. How the fuck can they cheer him when he does what he does?@greyhoundfan I quit this country if he gets re-elected. Some either English or Spanish speaking country has to want me, right? RIGHT?

Don't limit to those languages. Once immersed, you can pick up any language. [emoji6] I have done it a few times...if you have two down, you can get a third. [emoji38]

[candygirl200413]

Holy shit nope, no, absolutely not. Fuck this POS. Can't. That was disgusting. Oh my goodness like why.

[GrumpyGran]

18 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

Do most of your snowbirds arrive sometime between mid-October and early November? 

It's a mixed bag. Obviously summer is huge with tourists here, but fall and spring have some tourists too. We're having a bike week now. But I am already seeing some snow birds. In my neighborhood we have people who come and go and it just depends on their circumstances. By and large population here is 3 to 1, summer to winter here. With the up tick in older people(like hubs and I) moving here for at least 6 months out of the year, the medical business is getting bigger and so more families with kids are moving in. Can't keep up with schools in my county, they opened up 4 new ones this year.

[GrumpyGran]

19 hours ago, formergothardite said:

For a normal human president, yes. But this is Trump and like I said in that thread, we can see he reacted with past attacks on America and it is clear that he gives no shits if some groups of Americans are attacked.

Don't forget, he is psychologically unable to care about other people. It's clear now that he is a narcissist so he only cares about himself. Any response he gives is in line with how he can use the situation to his advantage and make himself look good. You'd think he'd be better at it by now, but then I don't think anyone has ever held him responsible before. It pretty easy to be a rich narcissist.

[Cartmann99]

Trump is whining again:

Trump should get Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway to convince the Mercer family to start their own television network. I'm sure Milo Yiannopoulos would jump at the chance to host a late-night show where he gets to promote white supremacy and praise Trump every night. 

 

[GrumpyGran]

16 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

Trump is whining again:

Trump should get Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway to convince the Mercer family to start their own television network. I'm sure Milo Yiannopoulos would jump at the chance to host a late-night show where he gets to promote white supremacy and praise Trump every night. 

 

Ok, that tweet doesn't make any sense. The host(s) are dealing with the Democrats for their blah, blah...what? He makes it sound like Democrats are unhappy with late night hosts. No. And why has he capitalized equal time? Good lord "more and more people...". The invisible crowd is growing. And why did he end that with a question mark? It isn't a question.

"Late Night host are..."? He meant 'hosts' didn't he? And isn't he a Republican? What a hot mess! Finally, who's keeping him from getting more time on TV? Isn't he the one who has made commercials for himself? Honestly, I am sick and tired of him whining, lying, shit-stirring and setting up false narratives about how put-upon he is.

Oh, I have missed that!

[fraurosena]

@Cartmann99 and @GrumpyGran, the incoherency of those tweets can be used to argue the case 27 psychologists make in the book "The dangerous case of Donald Trump".

This is a link to a Lawrence O'Donnel video interview with the author.

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

18 hours ago, Destiny said:

I couldn’t watch the Hispanic heritage thing. How the fuck can they cheer him when he does what he does?

@greyhoundfan I quit this country if he gets re-elected. Some either English or Spanish speaking country has to want me, right? RIGHT?

Right there with ya. How about FJland? No twitter would be allowed. Oh, and no orange menace and his sycophants.

[onekidanddone]

3 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

"Late Night host are..."? He meant 'hosts' didn't he? And isn't he a Republican? What a hot mess! Finally, who's keeping him from getting more time on TV? Isn't he the one who has made commercials for himself? Honestly, I am sick and tired of him whining, lying, shit-stirring and setting up false narratives about how put-upon he is.

1. He has equal time.  It is called Fox Spews, Steve Bannon and Info Wars. 
2. Talking about himself in the third person makes him look crazy (duh)
3. No laws are being broken, if somebody wants to start a late night talk show and gush about TT nothing is stopping them.
4. Republicans and I you nitwit.. not Republicans and me.

[Ali]

I would love to see a pie chart about how much time the media gave the  Orange Buffoon, Cruz, Kasich, Rubio, etc. 

[WiseGirl]

22 hours ago, Destiny said:

I couldn’t watch the Hispanic heritage thing. How the fuck can they cheer him when he does what he does?

@greyhoundfan I quit this country if he gets re-elected. Some either English or Spanish speaking country has to want me, right? RIGHT?

I don't consider myself gifted in languages,  but hell to the no if he gets re-elected. Immersion will have to help me. Or there's Australia, New Zealand, Belize...(in desperation, WiseGirl runs to check learning a forgein language programs and TESOL certification.....)

[AnywhereButHere]

What's he bitching about? He had an interview with Daddy Huckabee. Talk about favorable press... Someone just needs everybody's love, doesn't he. I may vomit.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-defends-throwing-paper-towels-to-puerto-ricans/ar-AAt4hbw?li=BBnb7Kz

Quote

"They had these beautiful, soft towels, very good towels. And I came in and there was a crowd of a lot of people, and they were screaming and they were loving everything," Trump said. "I was having fun, they were having fun."

"They said, 'throw 'em to me! Throw 'em to me Mr. President!' Trump said, before pantomiming shooting a basketball in the same way he tossed the paper towels.

"So the next day they said, 'oh it was so disrespectful to the people.' It was just a made-up thing. And also when I walked in, the cheering was incredible."

"You were a rock star," Huckabee replied.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump attacks GOP Sen. Corker: ‘Didn’t have the guts to run’ for reelection"

Spoiler

President Trump attacked Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) in a Sunday morning Twitter tirade, alleging that the Tennessee Republican “begged” him for an endorsement, did not receive it and “didn't have the guts” to run for reelection.

Trump's public lashing of a fellow Republican comes after Corker made headlines last week when he starkly suggested that the national security team provides the president with needed adult supervision. In an extraordinary statement, Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly “are those people that help separate our country from chaos.”

Trump, who has little tolerance for public criticism and prides himself on counterpunching those who cross him, fired off a trio of tweets Sunday morning attacking Corker, who announced last month that he plans to retire and not seek reelection in 2018.

Trump tweeted, “Senator Bob Corker 'begged' me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said 'NO' and he dropped out (said he could not win without... ..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said 'NO THANKS.' He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal! Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run!”

...

Corker responded Sunday to Trump's attacks by tweeting, "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."

...

Corker was a prominent supporter of Trump's 2016 campaign, and Trump considered him a potential running mate and secretary of state. Corker was one of only a few senators to develop a personal relationship with Trump and his family, but tensions between the two men flared over the summer.

In August, Corker criticized Trump's handling of the deadly white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, saying, “The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful.”

Then, as now, Corker became a subject of Trump's ire. In response to the senator's “stability” and “competence” comments, Trump tweeted, “Tennessee not happy!”

...

Corker is not the only Republican senator to come under attack from the presidential bully pulpit. In recent months, Trump has gone after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) with cutting and sometimes personal insults.

Republican lawmakers have voiced exasperation that Trump is spending his time attacking senators he will need as allies if he hopes to sign any signature legislation, such as the tax-cut plan his administration has been trumpeting.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Sunday that he enjoys working with Corker and that the senator feels free to speak his mind now that he is not seeking reelection.

“I think it’s going to be fun to work with him, especially now that he’s announced that he’s not running for reelection, because I think it sort of unleashes him to do whatever and say whatever he wants to say," Mulvaney said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

I laughed myself silly at this quote:  "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning." Sadly, it's true.

[Rachel333]

Trump is just so sensitive to every slight, it's unbelievable.

[CTRLZero]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."

Love it, in a "sad for America" sort of way!  I think Mick Mulvaney (quoted in same article) is correct:  “I think it’s going to be fun to work with him [Corker], especially now that he’s announced that he’s not running for reelection, because I think it sort of unleashes him to do whatever and say whatever he wants to say,"

I think we are going to see more chaos, unfortunately, as some Republicans start to speak their mind, while others contribute to Trump's immature backlash. 

[GrumpyGran]

8 hours ago, AnywhereButHere said:

What's he bitching about? He had an interview with Daddy Huckabee. Talk about favorable press... Someone just needs everybody's love, doesn't he. I may vomit.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-defends-throwing-paper-towels-to-puerto-ricans/ar-AAt4hbw?li=BBnb7Kz

 

OMG, I thought that quote was a joke someone had made up until I read the article. That is literally a lie. Not what happened. He's a pathological liar. I have seen the video, as have millions of others. Most people were appalled. Only three or four people in the crowd were holding up their hands. Most looked stunned or confused. His own handlers looked disturbed and concerned.

It's so unbelievable to me that this clown just makes shit up and there are people around him who nod and say "sure."

"You're a rock star." No, he's suppose to be the President of the United States. What a bunch of BS.

[Cartmann99]

9 hours ago, AnywhereButHere said:

What's he bitching about? He had an interview with Daddy Huckabee. Talk about favorable press... Someone just needs everybody's love, doesn't he. I may vomit.

I can see Trump deciding that he wants to be a regular guest on Huckabee's new show. 

[WiseGirl]

5 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"Trump attacks GOP Sen. Corker: ‘Didn’t have the guts to run’ for reelection"

  Reveal hidden contents

President Trump attacked Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) in a Sunday morning Twitter tirade, alleging that the Tennessee Republican “begged” him for an endorsement, did not receive it and “didn't have the guts” to run for reelection.

Trump's public lashing of a fellow Republican comes after Corker made headlines last week when he starkly suggested that the national security team provides the president with needed adult supervision. In an extraordinary statement, Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly “are those people that help separate our country from chaos.”

Trump, who has little tolerance for public criticism and prides himself on counterpunching those who cross him, fired off a trio of tweets Sunday morning attacking Corker, who announced last month that he plans to retire and not seek reelection in 2018.

Trump tweeted, “Senator Bob Corker 'begged' me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said 'NO' and he dropped out (said he could not win without... ..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said 'NO THANKS.' He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal! Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run!”

...

Corker responded Sunday to Trump's attacks by tweeting, "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."

...

Corker was a prominent supporter of Trump's 2016 campaign, and Trump considered him a potential running mate and secretary of state. Corker was one of only a few senators to develop a personal relationship with Trump and his family, but tensions between the two men flared over the summer.

In August, Corker criticized Trump's handling of the deadly white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, saying, “The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful.”

Then, as now, Corker became a subject of Trump's ire. In response to the senator's “stability” and “competence” comments, Trump tweeted, “Tennessee not happy!”

...

Corker is not the only Republican senator to come under attack from the presidential bully pulpit. In recent months, Trump has gone after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) with cutting and sometimes personal insults.

Republican lawmakers have voiced exasperation that Trump is spending his time attacking senators he will need as allies if he hopes to sign any signature legislation, such as the tax-cut plan his administration has been trumpeting.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Sunday that he enjoys working with Corker and that the senator feels free to speak his mind now that he is not seeking reelection.

“I think it’s going to be fun to work with him, especially now that he’s announced that he’s not running for reelection, because I think it sort of unleashes him to do whatever and say whatever he wants to say," Mulvaney said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

I laughed myself silly at this quote:  "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning." Sadly, it's true.

I too love that quote me but you are right, it is all too true. Wonder who missed their shift?