Trump 24: Fiddling, er, Tweeting While Rome Burns

[Destiny]

An island is surrounded by water.

Big water. It’s huge ocean!

[JMarie]

7 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

The guy behind Dumpy in the white shirt is shooting a look over to the guy in the front left of this shot as if to say "STOP. THIS. NOW!" I guess he couldn't drum up one of those cannon things they use at sporting events to shoot out TRUMP t-shirts.

And thanks, @Rachel333, I was going to remind @WiseGirl of the always-appropriate "tremendous", his favorite.

I was thinking he wished he had one of those t-shirt shooters, but sized for paper towel rolls.  Then I realized how insensitive it would be for someone to be shooting (anything) so soon after what happened in Las Vegas.  Then I realized I was trying to think like Trump, and I had to stop.  Trump would never consider his actions insensitive, so I'm going with the unavailability of paper towel-sized shooters.

[Cartmann99]

I recommend muting the sound on this video. It's Lee Greenwood singing Proud to be an American. 

 

[Gobsmacked]

I stared at the screen, jaw on floor listening to his Island and big water remarks. Dementia or stupidity? 

[formergothardite]

2 hours ago, Gobsmacked said:

Dementia or stupidity?

I'm thinking both. Ever since I saw him get confused getting off the plane I've been leaning towards dementia. But I think he has always been stupid and arrogant. 

[GreyhoundFan]

This opinion piece from Dana Milbank is excellent: "A Narcissist’s Guide to Helping Others Understand It Is All About You"

Spoiler

Excerpted from “The Me-Driven Life: A Narcissist’s Guide to Helping Others Understand It Is All About You,” by John Barron.

Reprinted without permission.

Chapter 12, “Coping with Natural and Man-Made Disasters,” pp 269-277

Natural disasters and their man-made counterparts (mass shootings, terrorist attacks) pose an obvious challenge for those living the Me-Driven Life. These events are frustrating, and inconvenient, because they tend to cause those people to think about their own problems: their injuries, the loss of loved ones, their hunger, thirst, discomfort, life-threatening cholera, what have you.

This is a common character flaw, and it is harmful because it distracts them from their more pressing obligation to think about you.

It is likely that this loss of perspective is temporary, but even a temporary loss of focus on you is dangerous. It must be arrested and reversed as quickly as possible. You can help these people by getting them to stop thinking about their own concerns and to redirect such destructive thoughts. Here are a few practical steps to return others’ focus to where it appropriately belongs.

First, show them what extraordinary things you are doing for them. Use adjectives such as “great,” “amazing” and “incredible” frequently when referring to the work you have done. Some examples: “I think it’s now acknowledged what a great job we’ve done.” “We get an A-plus.” “We have done an incredible job.” Don’t be afraid to tell them the work you and those who work for you have done “is really nothing short of a miracle.”

Be sure to highlight those who affirm you and your centrality to the situation. This positive reinforcement encourages others to drop thoughts of themselves in favor of thoughts about you. If somebody praises you, say, “He started right at the beginning appreciating what we did,” or, “He was saying it like it was, and he was giving us the highest grades.”

If somebody has praised you, you might even try to get that person to repeat the praise in front of an audience. Note that the person has said “such nice things” about you and suggest, “Jenniffer, do you think you can say a little bit of what you said about us today?” If Jenniffer does as requested, encourage others to do the same by saying, “I saw those comments, and everybody saw those comments, and we really appreciate it.”

Visual aids can help. If people need food, for example, don’t just hand out bags of rice and paper towels. Make a show of it! Toss supplies through the air as if shooting baskets. If people gather at the scene of disaster, make them all appear to be your fans simply by saying “What a crowd!” or “What a turnout!”

The sad fact is, when a disaster causes somebody to dwell on his or her pain or loss, they are not capable of fulfilling their obligation to you. They must be jolted back to reality. Tell them what they are going through is not a “real catastrophe.” Tell them the death count is low, or say their disaster doesn’t measure up to other disasters. Telling them to “have a good time” and letting them know “you don’t need” emergency supplies will help them realize their catastrophe is not as central to them as you are. To the extent they believe they are suffering, you need to convince them that this is only because they are not helping YOU. Say, “They have to give us more help,” or, “They want everything to be done for them.”

Don’t hesitate to remind others of your importance to them. Say that everything you’re spending to help them has “thrown our budget a little out of whack.” Remind them that they “owe a lot of money” and “we’re going to have to wipe that out.”

Never forget that what should matter to them most is you: your role, your experience, your needs. If they have suffered loss, tell them that “it’s a very, very sad day for me, personally.” After consoling people, say that “it was really something that I enjoyed very much.” Try to mention some association you have with the place: a business transaction you made, something you own, a victory you won. Offer them what they want most — an invitation to visit you.

If you employ these techniques, you will find that you can successfully divert others’ attention from whatever “catastrophe” distracts them — and back where it belongs. When you depart the scene of tragedy, you will be able to say: “I think it means a lot to the people . . . that I was there.” And you will mean it.

It certainly is the TT in a nutshell.

[onekidanddone]

6 hours ago, Gobsmacked said:

I stared at the screen, jaw on floor listening to his Island and big water remarks. Dementia or stupidity? 

All of the above.

[GreyhoundFan]

Time for more calls to my reps in congress: "The Trump administration has already been rolling back gun regulations"

Spoiler

Donald Trump campaigned as a fierce defender of the Second Amendment and the favored candidate of the National Rifle Association, vowing to undo any actions by President Barack Obama on gun control.

But when Trump nixed one of Obama’s most significant efforts to expand background checks on prospective gun buyers, he did so without fanfare. The Feb. 28 bill signing, which blocked the Social Security Administration from reporting mentally impaired recipients to a national background-check database, earned just a brief mention at the end of a White House advisory that contained no reference to firearms. Reporters ushered into the Oval Office that day heard Trump extol two other bills encouraging women to pursue careers in science.

Before Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, activists on both sides of the gun debate were focused on high-stakes legislation that would make it easier to buy gun silencers and to carry concealed weapons across state lines. That legislation has now stalled.

But, with less public attention, the Trump administration has eased some gun regulations in recent months. Among them: The Army Corps of Engineers has filed notice in a court case that it is reconsidering a ban on carrying firearms on its land; the Justice Department narrowed its definition of fugitives barred from purchasing weapons; and the Interior Department lifted a federal ban on hunting with lead ammunition in national parks. 

A White House official denied any deliberate effort to play down the change to the background-checks policy and declined to comment on that change or others related to guns.

“It was very quiet because if anyone looks under the hood of these laws, they can recognize that this has caused a significant threat to public safety,” said David Chipman, senior policy adviser for the gun-control group Americans for Responsible Solutions and a former official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “If these laws were good laws supported by the public that protected people’s rights while ensuring public safety, they’d proudly talk about what they are.”

The catalyst for the Social Security rule was a law signed by President George W. Bush intended to upgrade background checks on gun buyers after 32 people were shot and killed at Virginia Tech in 2007. The shooter was able to buy firearms because his mental health record was never submitted to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a 19-year-old database that gun-control advocates say lacks reams of pertinent information.

The law prodded states and government agencies to step up reporting to NICS that would disqualify gun buyers because of their criminal records, immigration status or mental health problems. The Social Security Administration’s plan to identify an estimated 80,000 mentally impaired recipients incapable of managing their own finances was finalized a few days before Christmas in 2016. “Grandma Got Run Over by Obama,” the NRA’s political arm blasted in a riff on the novelty Christmas song. Gun rights groups have long fought efforts to improve the database, calling it federal overreach in the face of the Second Amendment.

 One month into the Trump administration, the Republican-led Congress turned to a rarely used law that allows it to quickly unravel the prior president's last-minute regulations. The House and Senate revoked the Social Security rule, along with several environmental regulations imposed in the waning days of the Democratic administration. The move was opposed by gun-control advocates and cheered by an unusual coalition that included the NRA, the American Civil Liberties Union and some advocates for the mentally ill.

Some gun-control activists said they were not aware of the Trump bill-signing.

“He did it in the dark of night, as we say, with no announcement,” said Robin Lloyd of Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group founded by Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman shot in the head while meeting with constituents in 2011.

Even less noticed was the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to reconsider a Nixon-era gun policy prohibiting firearms, except for those used for hunting in some places, on lands and waters under Corps jurisdiction. The Corps is the nation’s largest administrator of outdoor recreation, administering 422 lake and river projects in 43 states and more than 4,500 miles of trails. 

“In general, people who are carrying guns are safe and law-abiding and don’t become problematic just because they are on Army Corps of Engineers land,” said David Kopel, adjunct professor at Denver University’s Sturm College of Law and an analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute. “There’s been some progress under Trump in undoing or moderating anti-gun policies from anti-gun administrations.”

At the Interior Department, Secretary Ryan Zinke overturned a ban on lead ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands, at a ceremony attended by Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s political arm. The Obama administration had imposed the ban, aimed at protecting birds and fish from lead poisoning, one day before Trump’s inauguration. Zinke cast the regulation as a constraint on access to public lands and outdoor recreation. 

“It worries me to think about hunting and fishing becoming activities for the landowning elite,” Zinke, a former Montana congressman and an avid hunter and angler, said on March 2, his first day on the job. 

Two weeks earlier, the Justice Department had issued a new definition of “fugitive” that allows more people with outstanding arrest warrants to legally buy guns. Under the revised rule, the FBI can block gun sales only to fugitives who have fled the states where their arrest warrant was issued. The change got little media coverage, though some law enforcement leaders raised concerns.

“Removing the people with warrants, you have to wonder if that’s putting guns in the hands of the people who maybe shouldn’t have them,” said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

The exact definition of a “fugitive” has long been a matter of debate. The FBI had a broad view of the term. But even before Trump took office, Justice Department officials sided with ATF, which argued that under federal law, gun purchases can be denied only for fugitives with arrest warrants who have fled across state lines. After Trump’s inauguration, justice officials narrowed that category further to those who have fled across state lines to avoid prosecution for a crime or to avoid giving testimony in a criminal proceeding.

Trump was the first sitting president to address the NRA since Ronald Reagan. The NRA spent more than $30 million boosting his campaign and attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton, more than any other outside group, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. NRA officials declined to comment on the administration’s recent actions on gun policy.

“You came through big for me, and I am going to come through for you,” Trump said at the NRA convention in April. “The eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end.” 

Obama fell far short of his goals on gun control, leaving a limited number of executive actions for his successor to overturn.

 Congress rebuffed his push in 2013 to expand background checks to most gun sales and ban certain military-style assault rifles after 20 children and six adults were slain at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. During his last year in office, Obama unveiled a broad package of more-incremental proposals to reduce gun violence, including money for mental health treatment, plans to sponsor research into “smart gun technology” and background checks for gun buyers using a trust or corporation to purchase some of the most dangerous weapons. 

Chipman, of Americans for Responsible Solutions, called the package “meaningfully symbolic.” One of Obama’s most substantive proposals would have required gun sellers online and at gun shows to obtain federal licenses and conduct background checks. ATF did not receive additional funding, however, to expand its enforcement responsibilities. ATF officials said Tuesday they could not immediately comment.

 In an early sign of the Trump administration’s posture on firearms, the second-highest-ranking official at ATF wrote a “white paper” — dated Jan. 20, the day of the inauguration — on loosening gun regulations. Ronald B. Turk, ATF associate deputy director and chief operating officer, called for lifting restrictions on sales of gun silencers, easing federal scrutiny of gun dealers who sell weapons later traced to crimes and reexamining the ban on importing assault weapons.

Three months later, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee grilled Turk.

“Do you represent the NRA?” demanded Rep. Gerald E. Connelly (D-Va.). “Or do you represent the American people at ATF? . . . I represent victims from Virginia Tech in my district. We buried six young people. And I couldn’t explain to them why an ATF agent or representative would think that legalizing silencers might be a good idea.”

Turk testified that he was gathering ideas for the new administration and that ATF should review its restrictions on armor-piercing ammunition.

“With the change in administration it was our impression that we . . . could expect a conversation about the regulations within the firearms industry,” he said.

Although the white paper boasted the ATF seal and listed Turk’s name and title, officials said it did not represent the views of the agency.

I know my Rep, who is mentioned in the article, is for gun control, as are my senators, but they need to hear my voice. I wonder if the orange menace would be so happy to cut out all the regulations if some crazed person harmed him or his family.

[GrumpyGran]

16 hours ago, Destiny said:

Big water. It’s huge ocean!

Don't forget "People are saying..." If I met him I would use that one. "People are saying that you're a self-centered ignorant asshole."

Hubs and I were talking yesterday about how he likes to appear with the first responders. Now, I think these people are wonderful and deserve all the praise they get. But Dumpy seems very uncomfortable around people who are in the midst of a crisis. He can't use his EVERYTHING IS GREAT, I AM GREAT language. But with first responders he's able to use all of his favorite words. Tremendous. Fantastic. Look what we've done! I've praised you, now praise me.

I'm still mystified as to how he gets all these people to lie about him. I know most of his staff don't really have important skills or abilities so the jobs they have may be the only ones they can get. I can't imagine thinking I only have one option, to obsessively praise a man who is clearly below par. Just don't get it.

[Rachel333]

He said that today is "the calm before the storm." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-alludes-to-calm-before-the-storm-in-confusing-comments/

It's like he thinks this is all a big tv show and he needs to tease something for ratings.

[GrumpyGran]

1 hour ago, Rachel333 said:

He said that today is "the calm before the storm." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-alludes-to-calm-before-the-storm-in-confusing-comments/

It's like he thinks this is all a big tv show and he needs to tease something for ratings.

In front of military people he makes a comment about a storm coming. This lunatic thinks people in the military just can't wait for a big tremendous war. he's disrespectful and dangerous.

[47of74]

12 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

In front of military people he makes a comment about a storm coming. This lunatic thinks people in the military just can't wait for a big tremendous war. he's disrespectful and dangerous.

Fucker is going to get so many people killed.  I don't sleep well at night knowing that fuck stick has access to the nuclear codes. 

[Zola]

He cannot be ousted from the White House soon enough for me. I don't even need to see a perp walk in handcuffs at this point (although I would truly enjoy that immensely) - just knowing the TT and his children have been removed from the positions they now hold will satisfy me and soothe the anxiety his presidency compels.

I don't understand why people lie for Trump, either, or why they seem to be afraid to just stand up to him. Approach him as a group if you have to, or hell, I'll do it. Whatever. Just find someone brave enough to sit him down and tell him to grow up and get the fuck over himself already because this bullshit of constantly catering to his fragile ego is NOT what he elected to do, is NOT what America deserves from a president. 

I feel like our country is going down in flames. I would never have believed it if someone had told me two years ago that it was going to become like this. I dread each new debacle, and like the proverbial train wreck, I cannot look away. I'm almost afraid to hold out hope for Mueller's investigation giving us the deliverance we crave.

[applejack]

29 minutes ago, Zola said:

I feel like our country is going down in flames. I would never have believed it if someone had told me two years ago that it was going to become like this. I dread each new debacle, and like the proverbial train wreck, I cannot look away. I'm almost afraid to hold out hope for Mueller's investigation giving us the deliverance we crave.

This, so much this. 

Everyday, I wake up going "Mr Mueller, with all due respect: HURRY." But then I start thinking and going "What the fuck difference is it even going to make?" The moonbats who hang off his every word will feel like something has been taken from them and they'll riot. They don't care that he's doing things that are illegal or bad or anything like that, all they care is that "HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS" which is just a wordier way to say "He's racist like me." 

Plus, Pence scares me too, with all the anti-LGBTQIA/anti-MOGAI sentiment and legislation. So... we don't win here, not really. 

[Destiny]

so, this happened today:

Quote

(CNN)In a blow to Obamacare's controversial contraceptive mandate, employers may now have more leeway to withhold birth control coverage on religious grounds, according to new rules issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services on Friday.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/06/health/trump-birth-control-mandate/index.html

Unrelated: why is the Orange Menace being cheered by a Hispanic group right now? Do they know what the fuck the Orange Menace thinks of them?

I made it about 90 seconds into that speech and had to turn it off. No, just no.

[GrumpyGran]

Where was he being cheered? And why is he going to NC tomorrow? It doesn't seem like prime rally territory for him. Maybe that's just a rumor, maybe it will be back to Bedminster, although he may be a bit down on it now since there won't be a trophy to give a way in front of a 'cheering' crowd this weekend. I'm pissed that we couldn't get rid of Mnuchin this week. And dismayed that Tillerson cut his balls off Wednesday morning, fried them up and ate them.

Soon time to dust off Mar-A-Logo. Bet he's salivating.

[47of74]

1 hour ago, Destiny said:

so, this happened today:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/06/health/trump-birth-control-mandate/index.html

Yeah I saw that too.  I bet creepy old fuck stick reich to life Republicans will still be able to get their boner pills, that fuck face will go out of his way to make it easy for them to do that.  Shows yet again what fuck face thinks of women.

[Rachel333]

I was thinking about the Trump conversation on the Vegas thread. It's actually pretty reasonable to think that any president would be upset to have people in his country attacked. Even if you don't like a president, you would generally assume that they would have a normal human response to tragedy.

The problem is, Trump really is so awful that he makes even tragedies about himself. As I mentioned in the other thread, the very day of 9/11 he bragged that he now had the tallest building in the city. This article lists some of the things he has said about 9/11, and there are a few things I didn't know, like the fact that he claimed to have had hundreds of friends who died in the attack despite never naming any, or this:

Quote

Shortly after the attack, Mr Trump claimed $150,000 from the government to cover “rent loss” and “repairs”. The money had originally been set aside for small businesses in the area.

What a scumbag.

[Destiny]

33 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

I was thinking about the Trump conversation on the Vegas thread. It's actually pretty reasonable to think that any president would be upset to have people in his country attacked. Even if you don't like a president, you would generally assume that they would have a normal human response to tragedy.

Does anyone remember Orlando, where a pretty decent amount of the victims were POC? His first reaction was I told you so, so why would I assume that he would have any caring about muslim victims? I seem to recall that there were a couple of antimuslim hate crimes that he was dead silent about.

That person is just a trumper that doesn't want to admit it. She even parrots the fake news narrative.

[formergothardite]

1 hour ago, Rachel333 said:

It's actually pretty reasonable to think that any president would be upset to have people in his country attacked. Even if you don't like a president, you would generally assume that they would have a normal human response to tragedy.

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. If this was the first event like this he had to deal with, it would be normal to think that he would handle all events like this, but he now has a history and his history doesn't reveal a man whose blood would boil when Americans are attacked or hurt. 

[Cartmann99]

4 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

Soon time to dust off Mar-A-Logo. Bet he's salivating

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

[Rachel333]

29 minutes 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. If this was the first event like this he had to deal with, it would be normal to think that he would handle all events like this, but he now has a history and his history doesn't reveal a man whose blood would boil when Americans are attacked or hurt. 

Right, exactly what I went on to say. (Without the rest of what I wrote, that quote makes it sound like I was defending Trump, and I want to be very clear that I wasn't! )

I mean, my first reaction is to think, "Well yes, of course he'd be upset, anyone would be" but then I remember his shockingly inappropriate responses to past tragedies. I think him saying that there are "very fine people" who march with Nazis might be the worst.

I know people who don't particularly like Trump but also don't pay much attention to politics and assume that Trump is still basically a normal person, and it can be frustrating to try to explain just how terrible he really is.

[Cartmann99]

3 hours ago, Destiny said:

That person is just a trumper that doesn't want to admit it. She even parrots the fake news narrative.

I'm just skimming that thread at this point to make sure that I don't miss any important news. I stop when I see the name of someone who usually makes good points in their comments.

[OtterRuletheWorld]

2 hours ago, Destiny said:

That person is just a trumper that doesn't want to admit it. She even parrots the fake news narrative.

You at least intrigued me enough to read over here and now post.

Full Disclosure: I do not vote in American elections. I want to be upfront about this. Maybe someday.

I do live in America and have for a lot of my life. I am also married to an American and have a really good understanding of American politics. I do lean left when it comes to American Politics.  One major reason I dislike discussing politics with Americans is because as someone who is could have easily become a citizen years ago, opting to not, and therefor not voting in the most recent election, I have upset some people.  I do absolutely love America, think of it as my home and consider myself to be very privileged to be in the position I am to choose one way or another without any consequence to myself because of my choice.  It is likely I will change that in the near future, but I have some reservations for various reasons.

Also, as stated, I am working on being positive with my life right now.  Our family had a tough summer, we are okay and all healthy and well, but without getting into detail, it has been stressful.

I am very much not a "Trumper".  I do love Vegas. I miss living on the East Coast very much, but Vegas being so close brings me much happiness. That and I get to work with some pretty great sea life where I live.

[HeathenBlondie]

I wasn't sure on which thread to put this on, but did anyone see Trump's speech today? The one where he repeated "Puerto Rico" over and over in a mocking Hispanic accent. Then saying it in his regular grating voice. It was for honoring Hispanic Heritage Month and was completely bizarre and offensive.

https://twitter.com/DanLinden/status/916347182332211201

As if he doesn't already sound like a gigantic asshole!

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