Trump 25: Stephen King’s Next Horror Story

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump’s New York attack response fits his pattern after a crisis: Cast blame and get political"

Spoiler

In the wake of a deadly attack in New York City, President Trump is pointing the finger, playing fast and loose with the facts, repeating theories from right-wing media and saying things that gin up his base. And he's doing it all on Twitter.

In a series of tweets Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Trump confirmed a pattern about how he handles moments of crisis: Find the angle that fits in his political narratives. Let's break down how he did that with this particular attack.

1. He watches cable news and comments on it

On Wednesday morning, Trump quoted guests who appear on “Fox and Friends,” rather than sharing what he learned, say, in top-level security briefings with people who have access to the latest intelligence.

... < tweets from twitler >

On a near-weekly basis, Trump repeats ideas and seizes on comments that cable news — especially Fox — are discussing. Just  Monday, Trump was apparently watching “Fox and Friends” and live tweeting what he saw there minutes before a political crisis broke for him: that his former campaign chairman had been indicted for financial crimes.

... < tweets from twitler >

2. He jumps out ahead of the publicly stated facts to come to a conclusion

... < more tweets >

Trump has arrived at two conclusions about this attack that aren't yet supported by publicly known facts: That the attacker has ties to the Islamic State, and that he came to the U.S. via a visa program. It's likely the president knows more information than we do.

But investigators in New York tell The Washington Post that they're still looking into how this man got to the United States and why he drove a truck into people. Was this an Islamic State-inspired attack, or was he acting as part of a broader plot?

This isn't the first time Trump has gotten ahead of the facts. Hours after a bomb detonated on a London train in September, Trump called it a terrorist attack. London police told CNN that was “pure speculation” — and that such speculation was “unhelpful.”

... < yet more tweets >

3. He comes to a conclusion that is politically beneficial to him.

... < and more >

There's a possibility this man came to the U.S. on a visa program? One Trump says championed by Democrats?  That fits neatly into Trump's agenda. He wants to make it much more difficult for immigrants to come to the United States. He also supports a bill in Congress that drastically revamps the current U.S. immigration system, shifting it from a lottery-based system to a merit-based one.

As The Post's Philip Bump has pointed out, there's a notable disparity in how Trump responds to attacks by Muslims and allegedly on Muslims or his political opponents. For the former, he's quick to jump to conclusions. Politically, that's helpful for Trump: He's fighting to instate a travel ban that targets mostly majority-Muslim countries. (Though Uzbekistan, where police believe the attacker is from, has never been on the list.) On the latter — attacks targeting Muslims or his political opponents — he has waited days to respond.

4. He seeks to cast blame elsewhere.

... < and more >

Trump staked his candidacy and presidency on keeping America safe. A deadly terrorist attack under his watch isn't helpful to that narrative. It's much easier to blame a visa program Congress passed two decades ago for letting this guy in.

Trump casts blame when under pressure. After a white supremacist supporter drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters in Charlottesville, Trump blamed “both sides” for the violence. After Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare, Trump blamed Republicans. After four U.S. soldiers died in Niger under questionable circumstances in October, Trump appeared to put the attack on “my generals.”

... < video clip >

On Wednesday morning, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded to Trump zeroing in on him after the attack: “President Trump, instead of politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy, should be focusing on the real solution — anti-terrorism funding — which he proposed cutting in his most recent budget.”

5. He plucks theories directly from right-wing media and states them as fact.

As The Post's Derek Hawkins and Samantha Schmidt report, some right-wing media jumped on a local ABC story that the attacker came to the United States from a visa program and connected some dubious dots to misstate who was responsible for it. Schumer did help conceive of the visa program, but it got rolled into a larger immigration package that Republicans supported and a Republican president signed. And as Trump critic Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) points out, Schumer supported getting rid of the visa program several years ago.

This is far from the first time Trump has leaned on the far right for his facts or to prove a point. After Charlottesville, Trump retweeted an alt-right conspiracy theorist asking where the media “outrage” was on gun violence in Chicago.

And probably his most infamous unproven claim is that President Obama wiretapped his campaign. The claim appeared to have its roots in an article on conservative blog Breitbart, which is owned by Trump's former chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon.

... < more tweets >

6. He says stuff that gins up his base.

... < more tweets >

It's likely not a coincidence Trump has seized on a visa program with “diversity” in the name as the culprit of this attack. “Diversity” is a word that sets off alarm bells for some on the right, who view it as a politically correct code word for allowing other people to take jobs, change their culture, etc. It seems to have worked. As Hawkins an Schmidt also report:

By early Wednesday morning, “Diversity Visa” was trending on Twitter, appearing in more than 53,000 tweets. Some users shared graphic illustrations of a pair of hands with blood dripping from them. “You have blood on your hands Chuck,” one tweet read.

From casting Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals, to refusing to unequivocally denounce white supremacists to peddling a birther conspiracy theory about Obama, Trump has long stoked this side of some of his supporters.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Oh, for pity sake: "Trump says he may send New York attack suspect to Guantanamo Bay, is ‘terminating’ diversity visa lottery"

Spoiler

President Trump said Wednesday that he is considering sending the Uzbek immigrant accused of killing eight people in Tuesday's terrorist attack in New York to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that he has begun dismantling the diversity visa lottery program through which the terror suspect came to the United States.

“I am today starting the process of terminating the diversity lottery program,” Trump told reporters at the White House during a meeting with his Cabinet. “I am going to ask Congress to immediately initiate work to get rid of this program.”

The president added, “Diversity lottery. Sounds nice. It’s not nice. It’s not good. It’s not good. It hasn’t been good. We’ve been against it.”

Referring to the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, as an “animal,” Trump said he was responsible for the entry of 23 immigrants, many of them family members. The president represented this “chain migration” as a threat to national security.

“This man that came in, or whatever you want to call him, brought in with him other people and he was the primary point of contact for — and this is preliminarily — 23 people that came in or potentially came in with him,” Trump said. “That’s not acceptable.”

Speaking generally, Trump said U.S. immigration laws are “a joke” and “a laughingstock.”

“We have to get much tougher,” the president said. “We have to get much smarter. And we have to get much less politically correct.”

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Hmm, so the TT and Faux had their information wrong. Color me surprised. NOT.

[GrumpyGran]

22 hours ago, fraurosena said:

'dither' happens to be an existing word.

Oh, I know it's as real word. But it's like he stopped in the middle of reading a bodice-ripper romance to tweet.

[fraurosena]

While everyone is busily following the Mueller investigation, the presidunce is continuing his sabotage of Obamacare.

Here Are All The Ways Trump Is Already Sabotaging Obamacare and Raising Premiums

Quote

Open enrollment for 2018 kicked off Wednesday morning. It’s the only time of year (save a few exceptions) that individuals and families can buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges, and it lasts six weeks. Back when Barack Obama was president, the government made a big annual push in the lead-up to open enrollment: The president took his sales pitch to late-night TV and even starred in absurdist viral videos to make sure people knew it was time to sign up for the next year’s insurance plan.

But the Trump administration is taking a different approach. On Tuesday, Trump released a campaign-style video attacking the law. “Obamacare is failing,” the narrator intones. “Insurance premiums skyrocketing. Working families suffer. All while Democrats in Washington, DC, block a better plan to repeal and replace Obamacare once and for all.” The president has, of course, tweeted about it.

It’s not surprising to see Trump spending the days before open enrollment trying to sow confusion. The president has spent much of 2017 trying to dismantle the law, partially by urging Congress to pass a repeal, but also by taking advantage of executive fiat to make subtle changes that could depress enrollment. Thanks to Trump’s decision to cut off cost-sharing reduction payments, which refund insurance companies for offering lower deductibles and copays to low-income families, premiums shot up anywhere from 7 to 38 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

We put together the most significant changes the Trump administration has made to undermine Obama’s health care law. Watch the video [linked in the article].

And just to illustrate how much the American healthcare system sucks, here are some painful numbers:

 

[fraurosena]

It just boggles my mind that anyone voted for this... 

(Fair warning: prepare to projectile vomit after viewing this video)

 

[AmazonGrace]

There is not a single quote from Trump in this story that isn't a lie. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/us/politics/trump-russia-charges.html

In Call With Times Reporter, Trump Projects Air of Calm Over Charges

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and PETER BAKERNOV. 1, 2017

Spoiler

 

President Trump projected an air of calm on Wednesday after charges against his former campaign chief and a foreign policy aide roiled Washington, insisting to The New York Times that he was not “angry at anybody” and that investigations into his campaign’s links to Russia had not come near him personally.

“I’m not under investigation, as you know,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone call to The Times late Wednesday afternoon. Pointing to the indictment of his former campaign chief, Paul Manafort, the president said, “And even if you look at that, there’s not even a mention of Trump in there.”

“It has nothing to do with us,” Mr. Trump said.

He also pushed back against a report published Monday night by The Washington Post, which the president said described him as “angry at everybody.”

“I’m actually not angry at anybody,” Mr. Trump told The Times.

Mr. Manafort and his longtime deputy, Rick Gates, were both indicted on a string of charges including money laundering, tax evasion and failing to properly disclose lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. The charges are unrelated to Mr. Trump’s campaign.

 

But another former aide, George Papadopoulos, who was on the president’s hastily assembled foreign policy team, pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.

Mr. Trump added that he was buoyed by fresh polling he said he had seen from swing states, supplied to him by the Republican National Committee chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel, earlier on Wednesday.

 

 

“I just got fantastic poll numbers,” the president said, listing what he saw as his biggest accomplishments, including a focus on deregulation and low unemployment rates.

“I’m in the office early and leave late; it’s very smooth,” Mr. Trump said. “Honestly,” the president added, “I’m really enjoying it.”

Additionally, the president said he was looking forward to his lengthy trip to Asia, for which he departs on Friday.

 

Okay maybe it's true that he leaves on Friday. 

[onekidanddone]

8 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

It just boggles my mind that anyone voted for this... 

(Fair warning: prepare to projectile vomit after viewing this video)

 

I'm already not feeling well today, so I can't watch.  I'm going to get my big warm fuzzy blankie out of the closet and go pull it over my head

[fraurosena]

1 minute ago, AmazonGrace said:

There is not a single quote from Trump in this story that isn't a lie. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/us/politics/trump-russia-charges.html

In Call With Times Reporter, Trump Projects Air of Calm Over Charges

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and PETER BAKERNOV. 1, 2017

  Reveal hidden contents

 

President Trump projected an air of calm on Wednesday after charges against his former campaign chief and a foreign policy aide roiled Washington, insisting to The New York Times that he was not “angry at anybody” and that investigations into his campaign’s links to Russia had not come near him personally.

“I’m not under investigation, as you know,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone call to The Times late Wednesday afternoon. Pointing to the indictment of his former campaign chief, Paul Manafort, the president said, “And even if you look at that, there’s not even a mention of Trump in there.”

“It has nothing to do with us,” Mr. Trump said.

He also pushed back against a report published Monday night by The Washington Post, which the president said described him as “angry at everybody.”

“I’m actually not angry at anybody,” Mr. Trump told The Times.

Mr. Manafort and his longtime deputy, Rick Gates, were both indicted on a string of charges including money laundering, tax evasion and failing to properly disclose lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. The charges are unrelated to Mr. Trump’s campaign.

 

But another former aide, George Papadopoulos, who was on the president’s hastily assembled foreign policy team, pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.

Mr. Trump added that he was buoyed by fresh polling he said he had seen from swing states, supplied to him by the Republican National Committee chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel, earlier on Wednesday.

 

 

“I just got fantastic poll numbers,” the president said, listing what he saw as his biggest accomplishments, including a focus on deregulation and low unemployment rates.

“I’m in the office early and leave late; it’s very smooth,” Mr. Trump said. “Honestly,” the president added, “I’m really enjoying it.”

Additionally, the president said he was looking forward to his lengthy trip to Asia, for which he departs on Friday.

 

Okay maybe it's true that he leaves on Friday. 

I posted Seth Abramson's tweet thread on this in the Russian connection thread. In it he lays bare exactly how Manafort's indictment is connected to the presidunce, no matter what he says.

It's true the presidunce is leaving on Friday. Supposedly for 12 days. But would it surprise anyone if he does a runner while in Asia, to avoid Mueller? 

[JMarie]

So it seems that the car attack guy came to the US through the diversity lottery, which Trump not only wants to eliminate, but blames Chuck Schumer for.

http://jamiedupree.blog.ajc.com/2017/11/01/2013-gang-of-eight-immigration-bill-ended-diversity-visa-program-opposed-by-trump/

Quote

In the aftermath of a terrorist attack in New York on Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump this morning blamed the terror suspect’s presence in the United States on the existence of the “Diversity Visa” lottery program, pointing the finger directly at Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer – but in 2013, Schumer joined fellow Senators in voting to do away with that immigration option, as part of the ill-fated “Gang of Eight” immigration reform bill.

But that got me thinking about the diversity lottery, which was supposed to, well, encourage diversity by allowing immigrants from countries other than the usual suspects.  You know what country isn't well-represented in the US?  Slovenia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/many-questions-and-few-answers-about-how-melania-trump-immigrated-to-the-us/2016/08/04/0c13cc1a-5a3f-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html?utm_term=.7a2e7f754b87

Quote

Q: How did Melania Trump get a green card?

A: We don’t know. The Trump campaign would not answer this question.

A green card allows a foreigner to permanently reside in the United States. It is the golden ticket of the U.S. immigration system and highly sought after by millions of immigrants.

There are several avenues Melania Trump could have pursued to get a green card. She could have won a lottery for people who immigrate from countries that don’t have high immigration rates to the United States.

She could have sought a green card as a person of extraordinary ability, though experts cast doubt that she had been sufficiently successful in her modeling career to qualify in this category.

She could have been sponsored for a green card by an employer who made a case that there were no Americans available to fill a particular job. That process is not easy; it requires the employer to show that they have attempted to fill the job, by advertising it publicly. Michael Wildes, an immigration lawyer who has done work for the Miss Universe pageant and the Trump Organization, said his firm will typically not help models pursue this kind of green card, as it is too difficult to show that a modeling job could not be filled by an American. He said, however, that models can sometimes qualify for a green card on these grounds by seeking employment in a different field for which they are also qualified, like graphic design. Wildes said he did not have permission from the Trump Organization to comment on any specific case, including Melania Trump’s.

Immigrants can also obtain a green card through marriage. Melania and Donald Trump were married in a very public ceremony in 2005, four years after she has said she obtained her green card.

Q: Shouldn’t there be some documents available that would shed light here?

A: Certainly. But experts said Melania Trump’s immigration records would typically not be available for public release without her permission. The Washington Post asked Hicks to release copies of these records; she did not respond to this question.

Melania didn't marry an American for a green card, nor did she have a skill that couldn't be performed by an American.  So we can only assume that she came to the US because of the diversity lottery, the same one that Trump wants to stop.  He'd be denying other wealthy, powerful, white men the possibility of a European model wife!  How dare he!!!!!

[GreyhoundFan]

"Trump is faithfully following the autocrat’s playbook"

Spoiler

Democracies sometimes collapse suddenly. More typically, they waste away.

One major cause of institutional decline involves politicians putting their own immediate interests ahead of their obligations to democratic norms. We wake up one day and discover that a long series of individual choices has rotted out the constraints on authoritarian rule.

President Trump plainly feels no sense of stewardship when it comes to our political system or to any accepted standards of truth. From the moment he descended that escalator at Trump Tower in 2015, he made clear that he would say and do anything to advance his purposes and to eviscerate anyone who opposed him.

It should thus not surprise us that in anticipation of Robert S. Mueller III’s actions this week, Trump rolled out an assault on the legitimacy of the special counsel’s investigation and brazenly insisted that not he but Hillary Clinton (the holder of no public office) should be the subject of prosecutorial interest.

Trump’s Distract-O-Rama ought to be met with derision and condemnation. Note that by securing a guilty plea from former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos for lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russians to secure “dirt” on Clinton in 2016, Mueller confirmed the central premise of his probe. Yes, there was collusion between Russia and the Trump apparatus aimed at defeating Clinton.

We don’t yet know for certain how high up engagement with the Russian project went. But media disclosures about contacts made by top Trump officials suggest the story won’t stop with Papadopoulos.

As is his way, Trump lied right out of the box after Mueller’s announcements by claiming that the charges brought against his former campaign manager Paul Manafort entailed behavior that long predated last year’s presidential contest. In fact, the money laundering at the heart of the indictment was, according to prosecutors, ongoing in 2016.

Trump’s rampage against Clinton focuses on the 2010 purchase of Uranium One, a Canadian company with U.S. assets, by the Russian nuclear authority. The deal was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States when Clinton was secretary of state.

But the conspiracy side of this story was debunked long ago. As The Post’s Fact Checker Glenn Kessler reported this week, Clinton, “by all accounts, did not participate in any discussions regarding the Uranium One sale” and the sale “does not actually result in the removal of uranium from the United States.”

Then on Wednesday morning, Trump moved to exploit the murderous New York City truck attack by casting blame on Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer because the Democrat had backed the diversity visa lottery. Trump tweeted in response to the then-unconfirmed but later verified reports that the driver of the truck, Sayfullo Saipov, entered the United States from Uzbekistan under the program. Schumer, by the way, supported a bipartisan 2013 immigration reform bill that would have abolished the lottery.

It’s essential to recognize that Trump is faithfully following the autocrat’s playbook. He’s trying to undermine a lawful inquiry that endangers his hold on power. He has suggested that his opponent in the last election deserves to be jailed. He’s inventing stories about dark coverups by his enemies to sow confusion about the proven facts of his own team’s skulduggery. And now he is blaming his foes for violence and disorder.

Even more alarming is the extent to which Republicans in Congress and Trump’s media allies are falling into line behind their leader’s efforts to obstruct and divert. As The Post’s Philip Rucker and Robert Costa noted, “Republican lawmakers have mostly split into two camps: those who are wary of weighing in on Mueller’s investigation and those who see it as a prime political target.”

Notice what’s missing here: an unambiguous defense of Mueller’s work. Few Republicans have stood up unequivocally on his behalf. And the pro-Trump media, from Fox News to the Wall Street Journal editorial page to radio talk show hosts, have willingly served as bullhorns for the president’s anti-Clinton, anti-Mueller strategy.

What’s going on cannot be written off as normal partisanship. The push to discredit and derail Mueller risks becoming an existential threat to our democratic values and republican practices. The interference by a foreign adversary in our electoral process is not a routine event. Resistance to uncovering what happened should not be seen as part of the everyday give-and-take of politics.

Republican patriots have to know that what’s at stake matters far more than the quick passage of a tax bill. Don’t they?

In response to the last paragraph: NOPE, they don't. And, even if they did, they wouldn't care.

[GreyhoundFan]

"The other huge scandal Mueller brought to light this week"

Spoiler

Robert Mueller brought to light a huge scandal this week, and it has nothing to do with Russia.

He has introduced the world to Sam Clovis.

Clovis, we now know, was the Trump campaign official who oversaw George Papadopoulos and encouraged his efforts to meet with Russian officials. But what’s more interesting than what Clovis is is what Clovis isn’t.

For those who had not heard of Clovis before (which is pretty much everybody), he has been nominated to be the chief scientist at the Agriculture Department , a position that by law must go to “distinguished scientists,” even though he is, well, not a scientist. He is a talk-radio host, economics professor (though not actually an economist, either) and, most importantly, a Trump campaign adviser.

President Trump promised to “hire the best people.” And, as scientists go, Clovis is an excellent talk-show host. Among his scientific breakthroughs: being “extremely skeptical” of climate change, calling homosexuality “a choice,” suggesting gay rights would lead to legalized pedophilia, pushing the Obama birther allegation, and calling Eric Holder a “racist bigot” and Tom Perez a “racist Latino.”

Trump may want “extreme vetting” of immigrants, but he’s rather more lenient with his appointees. On Wednesday, he named Robin Bernstein to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Bernstein speaks only “basic Spanish” (it’s so hard to find Americans who speak Spanish), but she does have this — membership at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club.

A group called American Oversight had the foresight to make records requests for résumés of those hired by the Trump administration, and the group searched for those who worked on the Trump campaign. Among the “best” Trump hires American Oversight found:

●Sid Bowdidge, assistant to the secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Before working for the Trump campaign, Bowdidge, from 2013 to 2015, was manager of the Meineke Car Care branch in Seabrook, N.H. He previously was service and branch manager for tire shops. I don’t know what qualified Bowdidge for his position, but I do know this: He is not going to pay a lot for that muffler. (He had to hit the road, losing his job after it was discovered he had called Muslims “maggots.”)

●Victoria Barton, congressional relations for Regions II, V and V1, Department of Housing and Urban Development. Prior to working for the Trump campaign, Barton was an office manager and, between 2013 and 2015, a “bartender/bar manager.” The expertise in housing policy possessed by Barton is no doubt invaluable to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, a retired brain surgeon.

●Christopher Hagan, a confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department. Before working on the Trump campaign, he was, between 2009 and 2015, a “cabana attendant” at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. According to his résumé, he “identified and addressed customer’s needs in a timely and orderly manner.”

This is important, because you never know when somebody at the USDA is going to need a towel.

●Nick Brusky, also a confidential assistant at the USDA. The Trump campaign worker previously drove a truck. He was a trustee in Butler Township, Ohio, at the same time, and, as Politico noted, his résumé lists coursework but no degree.

●David Matthews, yet another confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department, developed scented candles while also serving as a “legal receptionist” before joining the Trump campaign.

Some of the other “best” people Trump has hired are well known. Lynne Patton, HUD regional administrator, previously arranged Trump golf tournaments and arranged Eric Trump’s wedding, among other things. Callista Gingrich, just confirmed as ambassador to the Vatican, prepared for this by writing children’s books, singing in a church choir — and being married to Trump ally Newt Gingrich.

Others now in high office are less known: an office page, the author of an anti-Clinton book, a Christian-school librarian, a couple of real estate brokers and a landscaper. Many don’t appear to meet the educational qualifications for their positions. But they did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

One can imagine the chairman of an interagency task force going around the table asking each department what should be in the infrastructure bill:

“Transportation Department?”

“Don’t know, sir. I was an Uber driver before I joined the campaign.”

“Army Corps of Engineers?”

“Pass. I ran a coin-operated laundromat.”

“Surely somebody here knows something about infrastructure?”

(Silence.)

“I was a toll-taker on New Jersey Turnpike before the campaign. Now I’m in charge of climate science at the EPA.”

Anybody else?

“I was a plumber. But they made me chief medical officer at NIH because I watched a lot of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ ”

“What, they had no doctors for NIH?”

“We had one chiropractor on the campaign, sir, but they needed him to run NASA.”

“A chiropractor running NASA? What next, a musician at Strategic Command?”

“Actually, sir, the Stratcom commander was a hairdresser.”

It is amazing that the Repugs won't do anything about this. There is always a bit of political patronage, but normally the candidates are reasonably qualified. This group of shysters wouldn't be qualified to work the drive-thru at Burger King. I'm speaking from experience here, since I used to work the drive-thru at BK.

[onekidanddone]

27 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"The other huge scandal Mueller brought to light this week"

  Reveal hidden contents

Robert Mueller brought to light a huge scandal this week, and it has nothing to do with Russia.

He has introduced the world to Sam Clovis.

Clovis, we now know, was the Trump campaign official who oversaw George Papadopoulos and encouraged his efforts to meet with Russian officials. But what’s more interesting than what Clovis is is what Clovis isn’t.

For those who had not heard of Clovis before (which is pretty much everybody), he has been nominated to be the chief scientist at the Agriculture Department , a position that by law must go to “distinguished scientists,” even though he is, well, not a scientist. He is a talk-radio host, economics professor (though not actually an economist, either) and, most importantly, a Trump campaign adviser.

President Trump promised to “hire the best people.” And, as scientists go, Clovis is an excellent talk-show host. Among his scientific breakthroughs: being “extremely skeptical” of climate change, calling homosexuality “a choice,” suggesting gay rights would lead to legalized pedophilia, pushing the Obama birther allegation, and calling Eric Holder a “racist bigot” and Tom Perez a “racist Latino.”

Trump may want “extreme vetting” of immigrants, but he’s rather more lenient with his appointees. On Wednesday, he named Robin Bernstein to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Bernstein speaks only “basic Spanish” (it’s so hard to find Americans who speak Spanish), but she does have this — membership at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club.

A group called American Oversight had the foresight to make records requests for résumés of those hired by the Trump administration, and the group searched for those who worked on the Trump campaign. Among the “best” Trump hires American Oversight found:

●Sid Bowdidge, assistant to the secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Before working for the Trump campaign, Bowdidge, from 2013 to 2015, was manager of the Meineke Car Care branch in Seabrook, N.H. He previously was service and branch manager for tire shops. I don’t know what qualified Bowdidge for his position, but I do know this: He is not going to pay a lot for that muffler. (He had to hit the road, losing his job after it was discovered he had called Muslims “maggots.”)

●Victoria Barton, congressional relations for Regions II, V and V1, Department of Housing and Urban Development. Prior to working for the Trump campaign, Barton was an office manager and, between 2013 and 2015, a “bartender/bar manager.” The expertise in housing policy possessed by Barton is no doubt invaluable to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, a retired brain surgeon.

●Christopher Hagan, a confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department. Before working on the Trump campaign, he was, between 2009 and 2015, a “cabana attendant” at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. According to his résumé, he “identified and addressed customer’s needs in a timely and orderly manner.”

This is important, because you never know when somebody at the USDA is going to need a towel.

●Nick Brusky, also a confidential assistant at the USDA. The Trump campaign worker previously drove a truck. He was a trustee in Butler Township, Ohio, at the same time, and, as Politico noted, his résumé lists coursework but no degree.

●David Matthews, yet another confidential assistant at the Agriculture Department, developed scented candles while also serving as a “legal receptionist” before joining the Trump campaign.

Some of the other “best” people Trump has hired are well known. Lynne Patton, HUD regional administrator, previously arranged Trump golf tournaments and arranged Eric Trump’s wedding, among other things. Callista Gingrich, just confirmed as ambassador to the Vatican, prepared for this by writing children’s books, singing in a church choir — and being married to Trump ally Newt Gingrich.

Others now in high office are less known: an office page, the author of an anti-Clinton book, a Christian-school librarian, a couple of real estate brokers and a landscaper. Many don’t appear to meet the educational qualifications for their positions. But they did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

One can imagine the chairman of an interagency task force going around the table asking each department what should be in the infrastructure bill:

“Transportation Department?”

“Don’t know, sir. I was an Uber driver before I joined the campaign.”

“Army Corps of Engineers?”

“Pass. I ran a coin-operated laundromat.”

“Surely somebody here knows something about infrastructure?”

(Silence.)

“I was a toll-taker on New Jersey Turnpike before the campaign. Now I’m in charge of climate science at the EPA.”

Anybody else?

“I was a plumber. But they made me chief medical officer at NIH because I watched a lot of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ ”

“What, they had no doctors for NIH?”

“We had one chiropractor on the campaign, sir, but they needed him to run NASA.”

“A chiropractor running NASA? What next, a musician at Strategic Command?”

“Actually, sir, the Stratcom commander was a hairdresser.”

It is amazing that the Repugs won't do anything about this. There is always a bit of political patronage, but normally the candidates are reasonably qualified. This group of shysters wouldn't be qualified to work the drive-thru at Burger King. I'm speaking from experience here, since I used to work the drive-thru at BK.

I have some ban-aids in my bathroom, now I'm Surgeon General

[PreciousPantsofDoom]

Got a whole class of unruly underprivileged 5 year olds lined up in a straight line, facing front,marching quietly down to the gym to take their spot at the assembly this morning.  A minor logistical miracle that surely qualifies me to some sort of military position.  Perhaps Secretary of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

[fraurosena]

Even as a private citizen, he's way more presidential than the presidunce.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Okay, fellow FJers, shall we take bets on how long until the TT will be unable to control himself in Asia? "Protocol for Trump in Asia means no insults, no surprises"

Spoiler

WASHINGTON — When in Asia, make sure handshakes aren’t too long — or short. Don’t bobble names or titles. Stifle the critical tweets. Don’t question the food.

These points of etiquette and protocol are part of the region’s core culture known as “face” — keeping yours, helping others save theirs. In many ways, they are the opposite of President Donald Trump’s impulsive, in-your-face style.

Trump is set to depart Friday on a 10-day visit to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. He has a hefty economic and national security policy agenda, and, like any president, there are high stakes for his standing on the global stage.

But before anyone gets to policy, there is protocol: the application of rules, etiquette and cultural norms for meetings between dignitaries. How are rooms set up? Are titles correct on the place cards? Who’s sitting next to whom?

“One of the things with protocol is obviously to do no harm,” Sean P. Lawler, Trump’s nominee to be to be U.S. chief of protocol, said Wednesday before the Senate committee considering his confirmation. As the director of visits and diplomacy for the National Security Council, he will accompany Trump on the trip.

“One of my goals right off the bat,” Lawler added, is to “set the stage for diplomacy for the president.”

Protocol is aimed at preventing surprises and embarrassment through careful planning and choreography.

“We are the bridge,” said Capricia Marshall, President Barack Obama’s chief of protocol from 2009 to 2013.

Protocol experts say American informality frequently gets lost in translation in the traditional cultures Trump will be visiting.

On Wednesday, Trump showed signs of understanding the sensitivity. Even as he complained during a Cabinet meeting about “bad” trade deals and deficits, including with China, Trump was restrained.

“I don’t want to embarrass anybody four days before I land in China,” Trump said, before adding: “But it’s horrible.”

Among the challenges Trump faces as he heads to Asia are the complexities of the “Asian face,” a concept that’s foreign to many Americans but lies at the foundation of societies across the region.

Generally, it means making sure behavior, posture, gestures, remarks and more do not spark strong negative emotions in others, or oneself.

So, for example, Trump’s 19 seconds of shaking, patting and yanking the hand of Japan’s leader at the White House in February crossed all kinds of cultural lines. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe responded with an on-camera eye roll as Trump looked away. Trump is playing golf with Abe during the trip, according to White House officials.

Names and titles are important in Asia.

In July, the Trump White House issued a news release that called Chinese President Xi Jinping the leader of “the Republic of China.” Xi is the president of the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan calls itself the Republic of China. China said it received an apology from the U.S.

Then there’s Trump’s fondness for using Twitter to respond to comments he doesn’t like — “bing, bing, bing,” as he told Fox Business Network this month. In Asia, doing that in real time could offend the region’s cultural aversion to confrontation.

“I think you will find that they are very sensitive to slights,” said Georgetown University professor Dennis Wilder, who formerly served on the National Security Council. He cautions Trump against “any kind of tweeting” that would criticize the leader of a country he’s visiting. “I think this can go well, but he just needs to understand that ‘face’ in East Asian cultures is terribly important and he needs to make sure that he gives ‘face’ to the other leaders.”

Particularly in China, a breach of protocol can affect the content of the meeting, according to Peter Selfridge, the most recent holder of the chief of protocol post, from 2013 to Trump’s inauguration in January.

“The Chinese appreciate precision when it comes to formal diplomatic engagements,” said Selfridge. “Americans certainly welcome this as well, but are perhaps more accepting of improvisation and can even use it to their advantage.”

Trump wouldn’t be the first U.S. leader to commit a protocol faux pas in Asia.

In 2014, local bloggers huffed that Obama looked like an “idler” or a “rapper” when he turned down a chauffeured ride to the Asia Pacific Economic Conference in Beijing and arrived in his own, more-secure presidential limo, and was chewing gum, as he was known to do to fight nicotine cravings.

Trump might consider advice from his predecessors if he finds he is served something other than his favorite steak with ketchup.

Richard Nixon, the first president to open the diplomatic door to China, advised Ronald Reagan on a 1984 trip there: Don’t ask about the food, just swallow it.

“Still, I had difficulty identifying several items on my plate that first night,” Reagan wrote in his memoirs, “so I stirred them around in hopes of camouflaging my reluctance to eat them.”

 

[Botkinetti]

I don't think trump understands the need for protocol or even the word. In his own head he tells himself that he is the best at everything and cannot be wrong about anything. The idea that cultures different than his own even exist is unfathomable to him.

[onekidanddone]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Okay, fellow FJers, shall we take bets on how long until the TT will be unable to control himself in Asia? "Protocol for Trump in Asia means no insults, no surprises"

  Hide contents

WASHINGTON — When in Asia, make sure handshakes aren’t too long — or short. Don’t bobble names or titles. Stifle the critical tweets. Don’t question the food.

These points of etiquette and protocol are part of the region’s core culture known as “face” — keeping yours, helping others save theirs. In many ways, they are the opposite of President Donald Trump’s impulsive, in-your-face style.

Trump is set to depart Friday on a 10-day visit to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. He has a hefty economic and national security policy agenda, and, like any president, there are high stakes for his standing on the global stage.

But before anyone gets to policy, there is protocol: the application of rules, etiquette and cultural norms for meetings between dignitaries. How are rooms set up? Are titles correct on the place cards? Who’s sitting next to whom?

“One of the things with protocol is obviously to do no harm,” Sean P. Lawler, Trump’s nominee to be to be U.S. chief of protocol, said Wednesday before the Senate committee considering his confirmation. As the director of visits and diplomacy for the National Security Council, he will accompany Trump on the trip.

“One of my goals right off the bat,” Lawler added, is to “set the stage for diplomacy for the president.”

Protocol is aimed at preventing surprises and embarrassment through careful planning and choreography.

“We are the bridge,” said Capricia Marshall, President Barack Obama’s chief of protocol from 2009 to 2013.

Protocol experts say American informality frequently gets lost in translation in the traditional cultures Trump will be visiting.

On Wednesday, Trump showed signs of understanding the sensitivity. Even as he complained during a Cabinet meeting about “bad” trade deals and deficits, including with China, Trump was restrained.

“I don’t want to embarrass anybody four days before I land in China,” Trump said, before adding: “But it’s horrible.”

Among the challenges Trump faces as he heads to Asia are the complexities of the “Asian face,” a concept that’s foreign to many Americans but lies at the foundation of societies across the region.

Generally, it means making sure behavior, posture, gestures, remarks and more do not spark strong negative emotions in others, or oneself.

So, for example, Trump’s 19 seconds of shaking, patting and yanking the hand of Japan’s leader at the White House in February crossed all kinds of cultural lines. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe responded with an on-camera eye roll as Trump looked away. Trump is playing golf with Abe during the trip, according to White House officials.

Names and titles are important in Asia.

In July, the Trump White House issued a news release that called Chinese President Xi Jinping the leader of “the Republic of China.” Xi is the president of the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan calls itself the Republic of China. China said it received an apology from the U.S.

Then there’s Trump’s fondness for using Twitter to respond to comments he doesn’t like — “bing, bing, bing,” as he told Fox Business Network this month. In Asia, doing that in real time could offend the region’s cultural aversion to confrontation.

“I think you will find that they are very sensitive to slights,” said Georgetown University professor Dennis Wilder, who formerly served on the National Security Council. He cautions Trump against “any kind of tweeting” that would criticize the leader of a country he’s visiting. “I think this can go well, but he just needs to understand that ‘face’ in East Asian cultures is terribly important and he needs to make sure that he gives ‘face’ to the other leaders.”

Particularly in China, a breach of protocol can affect the content of the meeting, according to Peter Selfridge, the most recent holder of the chief of protocol post, from 2013 to Trump’s inauguration in January.

“The Chinese appreciate precision when it comes to formal diplomatic engagements,” said Selfridge. “Americans certainly welcome this as well, but are perhaps more accepting of improvisation and can even use it to their advantage.”

Trump wouldn’t be the first U.S. leader to commit a protocol faux pas in Asia.

In 2014, local bloggers huffed that Obama looked like an “idler” or a “rapper” when he turned down a chauffeured ride to the Asia Pacific Economic Conference in Beijing and arrived in his own, more-secure presidential limo, and was chewing gum, as he was known to do to fight nicotine cravings.

Trump might consider advice from his predecessors if he finds he is served something other than his favorite steak with ketchup.

Richard Nixon, the first president to open the diplomatic door to China, advised Ronald Reagan on a 1984 trip there: Don’t ask about the food, just swallow it.

“Still, I had difficulty identifying several items on my plate that first night,” Reagan wrote in his memoirs, “so I stirred them around in hopes of camouflaging my reluctance to eat them.”

 

He will just have Ivanka sit in for him for most of the summit while he holds up in some golden tower palace.  He won't have to worry about food because Air Force One will be filled with Trump Stakes cooked well done, ketchup, big macs, and two scoops of ice cream.  And don't forget the chocolate cake.

[Howl]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Okay, fellow FJers, shall we take bets on how long until the TT will be unable to control himself in Asia? "Protocol for Trump in Asia means no insults, no surprises"

Heh, I wonder how the people he is going to meet and their respective staffs and aides are holding up. Surely we're not the only people placing bets or face palming. 

[GreyhoundFan]

Now he's pre-blaming people: "Trump: 'I will be blaming Mnuchin and Cohn' for any trouble with tax reform"

Spoiler

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and economic adviser Gary Cohn will stay in Washington as the president travels to Asia — and they can shoulder the blame if tax reform fails.

“Key administration officials, including Secretary Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, will be staying back from the trip to Asia to remain vigilant and making sure the tax cuts pass,” the president told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “So if I have any problems, I will be blaming Mnuchin and Cohn. Believe me, they’ll be hearing from me.”

People in the room laughed at the remark. But Trump also said that Mnuchin and Cohn will “do very well.” He said his administration is already “doing very well.”

House Republicans are expected to unveil their bill on Thursday. They delayed their initial unveiling, which was expected Wednesday morning, to finalize key details. In Trump’s telling: “They have taken a few extra hours.”

“The House, I must tell you, they’ve been working really hard, and they’ve been coming up with a great plan,” Trump said. “And the Senate’s coming up with a great plan. And they’re gonna be put together, and something’s going to come out of that that will be, I think, really, really something very special.”

 

[AmazonGrace]

I almost felt sorry for Mnuchin and Cohn but then I remembered they knew what they signed up for. 

[onekidanddone]

Looks to me he thinks tax gifting yuge tax cut for millionaires reforms are about to fail. SAD. 

[47of74]

Adolf Twitler's account disappeared for a few minutes tonight;

Quote

The Twittersphere lit up Thursday night when President Donald Trump's Twitter account was briefly deactivated -- by a Twitter employee on their last day at the social media company.

"Through our investigation we have learned that this was done by a Twitter customer support employee who did this on the employee’s last day. We are conducting a full internal review," Twitter said in a statement late Thursday night.

For eleven minutes around 7 p.m. ET Thursday, visitors to the president's @RealDonaldTrump Twitter page were greeted with, "Sorry, that page doesn't exist!" That account has 41.7 million Twitter followers.

Too bad fornicate face's account didn't stay deactivated. 

[AnywhereButHere]

Too bad there wasn’t  another Twitter employee who “forgot” how to reactivate him. How has he not managed to violate their terms of service? It’s unfathomable. 

[Destiny]

That Twitter employee is the hero nine of us deserve, but that we all need.