Trump Thread

[Husar]

At first I thought this was a joke, but then I finally noticed infowars banner.

Husar, what did I say about giving warnings? I don't want videos from delusional nutjobs on my recommendations list. It is very finely tailored for my specific tastes, which includes moe videos of anime girls, and grown men doing let's plays. Don't screw up my only joy in my sad pathetic life.

I thought that "you can thank me later..." was a generally accepted warning in the English language. My apologies to the anime girls who depend on your watching the ads before their videos if that does not apply.

[Sarmatian]

Nerds.

"It will ruin my recommendation list"...

I don't care about recommendation list on Youtube. Some other tubes, though...

[Xiahou]

And just as quickly as he arrived.... Scaramucci is fired.

Best twitter response I've seen:

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I guess he would not do the Fandango, so this Bohemian Rhapsody failed.

[Pannonian]

And just as quickly as he arrived.... Scaramucci is fired.

Best twitter response I've seen:

I liked the Daily Show's tribute.

"RIP Anthony Scaramucci, late July 2017 - slightly later July 2017".

[CrossLOPER]

I thought that "you can thank me later..." was a generally accepted warning in the English language. My apologies to the anime girls who depend on your watching the ads before their videos if that does not apply.

How else is this fine young lady going to finance her lifestyle?

[Strike For The South]

I thought that "you can thank me later..." was a generally accepted warning in the English language. My apologies to the anime girls who depend on your watching the ads before their videos if that does not apply.

Under rated joke IMO.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.4ba699a49d8e

This man is going to walk himself right into a crime.

This is fantastic.

[Husar]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.4ba699a49d8e

This man is going to walk himself right into a crime.

This is fantastic.

Trump, advisers say, is increasingly acting as his own lawyer, strategist and publicist, often disregarding the recommendations of the professionals he has hired.

"I know the best people! ...they're all in my mirror every morning!"

[Kralizec]

The boy scout's speech is small beer compared to the shitstorm that is his presidency so far, but it particulary interests me because I used to be a scouts volunteer. I liked how uncomfortable Rick Perry was looking every now and then.

I woudn't know, but I always imagined that American boy scouts were more serious about their values than the scouts in my country, that that they enjoyed far more respect. Well, the latter has proven to be untrue. The man is a simpleton who can't help himself from acting the way he does, so I'm not moved or surprised by anything he does. Only by the fact that GOP aligned people keep tacitly (and sometimes explictly) condoning this kind of behaviour.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Trump is absolutely correct that the media has been on a witch hunt to harm and embarrass him from BEFORE he was sworn in. They, and the establishment, loathe him.

I think, if the media would just leave it all be, that Trump would himself provide ample reason for his not being re-elected as he shows us what he can do as a leader. This Nixon-esque tar-and-feathering by media process is just a means to stymie him.

Of course, the establishment wants him doing exactly nothing of note -- they do not even trust him to fail on his own. I, on the other hand, do.

[spmetla]

He's done this media frenzy to himself. The WH's first press briefing was combative toward all the major news networks, claimed the inauguration crowd was larger than it was and contested the results of an election he had won. All because he couldn't believe that he didn't win the popular vote. That's without even discussing Sean Spicer's demeanor as the spokesperson.

Before he was sworn in he was undermining the sitting President by tweeting complaints about Obama's diplomacy, executive orders and all the mean time failing to find people to fill in the many roles that the government requires.
Out of the 188 Ambassador's positions the State department has we still have 52 vacancies with no nominations, including for major allies like Germany. That's after he fired 80 ambassadors all at once without thought for replacements.

After he won the election he apparently had no plan on transferring control of his business, if the media hadn't made the stink necessary it's possible that he'd be attempting to run his business and the country at the same time.

Not to mention that throughout his whole transition period he continued denying that Russia was behind anything in the election, undermined intel reports that said otherwise etc..

In summary he's brought the media attention constantly on himself through his ignorant and wrong tweeting before and after the election and inauguration. He's brought the Russia issue to the fore because he continues to downplay any involvement of the Russia thereby highlighting their involvement.

I'll agree that the establishment loathe him as well the the media but what has he done or even attempted to do to correct that? Calling everything that's uncomfortable to talk about or negative about you fake news certainly won't get you support from them. Undermining your spokes-people by tweeting thoughts contrary to the spin that they just did to put him in a better light he counter productive too.

Leaving him to fail on his own is the wrong method, we don't need him blundering and bullying his way for 3 and half more years. If he truly wants to do good then perhaps he needs to listen to his advisers, lawyers, and the leaders of the establishment that conducting the business of President requires. When he screws up, makes false statements, undermines his staff, and denies the blatant involvement of Russia it is the duty of the media to call him out and not let up.

George W. Bush and Obama endured no shortage of criticism. Bush had to deal with his legitimacy actually being contested due to the Florida recount issues and butterfly ballots. Remember that TV Show "That's My Bush!" which straight up mocked him for months in a manner far worse than the SNL skits. Obama had to deal with the ire of the Hillary supporters that think he stole her turn to be president as well as the economic collapse that had happened just before the elections. Not to mention the 'birthers' (including Trump) that outright deny that he was even eligible to be President.

The establishment probably wants him to do something of note but he's making no effort to lead the way on any legislation or agenda. He's completely hands off anything that can't be done with an Executive Order. He couldn't even sign the sanctions on Russia today without whining about it, despite it being a bi-partisan success story.

[Montmorency]

I think, if the media would just leave it all be

That's a bit hard to swallow. Why shouldn't the news pay a lot of attention to what the President does? Does She need a honeymoon period? If anything the coverage is insufficient in scope and always fixated on "breaking" news of the moment.

Another more likely problem in the content the media can create are their basic assumptions of America's place and role in the world are, which I'll start a thread on by-the-by.

Of course, the establishment wants him doing exactly nothing of note -- they do not even trust him to fail on his own. I, on the other hand, do.

What's the distinction? Have the President's or his party's failures not been their own because Trump always feels himself needing to engage with media coverage and narratives, which he consumes directly from the White House TV screens?

To expand from the previous chunk, Trump is hampered by no one other than himself. The media doesn't proactively create controversies - "breaking" news, remember - when every day the Establishment is tossing morsels right in their faces. If they really wanted to stymie him, they could set their attention to his administration's changes to policy in Justice and Environment, but I suspect televised news doesn't have the time for it as a rule.


Customarily presidents set legislative agendas and provide technical support and guidance for Congress to put the legislation together. Trump could get a hit of positive attention for even attempting to produce a napkin-sketch of an outline of a law on healthcare or taxes, but it seems his underlings prefer the opportunity to manage their executive departments sub-rosa while the boss takes the flack.

[CrossLOPER]

https://aeon.co/essays/why-religious...bust-criticism

Let's just all be thankful that the neu right, although in control, is absolutely incompetent.

[Husar]

Trump is absolutely correct that the media has been on a witch hunt to harm and embarrass him from BEFORE he was sworn in. They, and the establishment, loathe him.

Trump is himself part of the establishment, has been for years and has basically used this position quite a lot himself.
So when he complains about it this much, it does indeed sound like he never expected to win or to be forced to deliver on his promises.
The first thing he should do to drain the swamp is step down, everything else is just hypocrisy and crocodile tears.

Not to forget that Bannon is basically a media mogul himself and Trump filled his entire cabinet with people from the establishment and then claimed he prefers them because they're, well....established....

As for the media not talking about him, cry me a river and welcome to capitalism, the best system in the world! They HAVE to cover him to stay in business, they have zero (monetary) incentive not to.

[Gilrandir]

Now it's official. Will the EU balk?
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/02/po...ill/index.html

[Fragony]

Trump is himself part of the establishment, has been for years and has basically used this position quite a lot himself.
So when he complains about it this much, it does indeed sound like he never expected to win or to be forced to deliver on his promises.
The first thing he should do to drain the swamp is step down, everything else is just hypocrisy and crocodile tears.

Not to forget that Bannon is basically a media mogul himself and Trump filled his entire cabinet with people from the establishment and then claimed he prefers them because they're, well....established....

As for the media not talking about him, cry me a river and welcome to capitalism, the best system in the world! They HAVE to cover him to stay in business, they have zero (monetary) incentive not to.

Everybody knows that he's a joke, it's just that he isn't Hillary, that princess with a percieved birthright. I kinda like it how Trump jusn't gives a hoot.

[Sarmatian]

Now it's official. Will the EU balk?
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/02/po...ill/index.html

In what way?

[Gilrandir]

In what way?

Well, I don't know and I would like people here to speculate on it. The EU has voiced its displeasure with the sanctions since they would harm European businesses, first of all those that coopertate with Russia on Nordstream 2. The EU might want exceptions or overhauling sanctions to make them a joint statement from both the EU and the US and while overhauling try to force compomises into them.

[Sarmatian]

Well, since the law specifically mentions selling more American LNG to Europe as one of its purposes, Europeans are naturally wary.

I've read somewhere yesterday (BBC I believe) that EU got assurances that their businesses won't be unfairly targeted. The commission is placated for now, although Junker said they reserve the right to answer accordingly if the situation changes. So, for the time being, Nordstream 2 and other projects are continuing. I'll try to find the article.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Trump is himself part of the establishment, has been for years and has basically used this position quite a lot himself.
So when he complains about it this much, it does indeed sound like he never expected to win or to be forced to deliver on his promises.
The first thing he should do to drain the swamp is step down, everything else is just hypocrisy and crocodile tears.

Not to forget that Bannon is basically a media mogul himself and Trump filled his entire cabinet with people from the establishment and then claimed he prefers them because they're, well....established....

As for the media not talking about him, cry me a river and welcome to capitalism, the best system in the world! They HAVE to cover him to stay in business, they have zero (monetary) incentive not to.

He is NOT, or at least until election was not, part of the political establishment. Our politicos love to take corporate money, but NOT to have corporate types taking their perquisites. Trump was supposed to keep making money, donate to their campaigns, get a few favorable votes paid for, and then let the princ-lings of the Potomac continue as usual.

Trump's establishment administration team is fraying and falling away. Bannon remains, but Priebus is gone. GOP senators are declaring Trump anathema alongside Dems.

And yes, Trump encourages the media circus at the same time he decries it -- so we CAN add hypocrisy to his list of traits.

I have to agree on his promises. The GOP did not expect him to win and even his own transition team did yack-all to play to execute on some of his campaign promises (even the ones the traditional base loved). Oddly enough, the only person executing policy efforts that attempt to fulfill a Trump campaign promise is Sessions with his measures to enforce existing immigration law -- and Trump has been lambasting him anyway.

I am just sick of the endless media drumbeat attempting to make a "Russian connection" that renders articles of impeachment. The smug glee in each announcer's studied tones when hinting that things could be getting worse.

Trump will run his own presidency into the dirt without assistance, thank you very much, so I wish we could get the "shark frenzy" tone to just go away.

[Gilrandir]

He is NOT, or at least until election was not, part of the political establishment.

If he ran like Ross Perot did, then you you be right. But he ran as a Republican thus representing one of the two greatest political establishments of the US.

[rory_20_uk]

He will run it into the ground. But how much damage in the meantime? He's looking into whether he can pardon himself along with all the hangers on, he's trying to erode most other departments of their independence and is now casting his eyes on undermining the freedom of the press. A "good" President (and there's not been one for quite a while) would try to get Congress to work together in a bipartisan way. Obama tried initially but apparently it wasn't his natural style and he initially had the votes to force things through. I suppose Trump is so universally vilified he might help unify them all against him.

Internationally, China is gleefully moving into the vacuum that is left be that a new world bank, a free trade area in Asia. Whilst Trump tries to make everything into a simple zero-sum game. These are long term trends, but they are accelerating. And it's only been 6 months!

[Seamus Fermanagh]

He will run it into the ground. But how much damage in the meantime? He's looking into whether he can pardon himself along with all the hangers on, he's trying to erode most other departments of their independence and is now casting his eyes on undermining the freedom of the press. A "good" President (and there's not been one for quite a while) would try to get Congress to work together in a bipartisan way. Obama tried initially but apparently it wasn't his natural style and he initially had the votes to force things through. I suppose Trump is so universally vilified he might help unify them all against him.

Internationally, China is gleefully moving into the vacuum that is left be that a new world bank, a free trade area in Asia. Whilst Trump tries to make everything into a simple zero-sum game. These are long term trends, but they are accelerating. And it's only been 6 months!

It feels worse that it really has been because of the hype. The lives of most Americans are about the same as they were a year or 18 months back. Our economy still grows slower than we want, but grows. We pay our taxes. We mostly get to do what we want health and money permitting etc. We've had gridlock in Washington many times in the past, and will again. We have had less than stellar Presidents several times (Grant, Harding, Carter, Buchannan...) and we survive those stretches too.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

If he ran like Ross Perot did, then you you be right. But he ran as a Republican thus representing one of the two greatest political establishments of the US.

He got the nomination in good part from open primaries with new voters tapping him. He talked about growing the party. The establishment was aghast at the whole thing. Except the Dems, they were thrilled because they knew they could win against Trump.

[Montmorency]

It feels worse that it really has been because of the hype. The lives of most Americans are about the same as they were a year or 18 months back. Our economy still grows slower than we want, but grows. We pay our taxes. We mostly get to do what we want health and money permitting etc. We've had gridlock in Washington many times in the past, and will again. We have had less than stellar Presidents several times (Grant, Harding, Carter, Buchannan...) and we survive those stretches too.

I think many Democrats are less upset about the President himself than his empowered officials, and the people who voted him into office.

Hey, up to a third of the country has steadfastly stood by the Nixon administration for two generations. Even the Pentagon is beginning to admit the American Empire is in terminal decline and the post-war order along with it. Trump's presidency is part-and-parcel of decline and degeneration, not something to be handily swept away as the dropped crockery of a youthful and careless Nation.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I think many Democrats are less upset about the President himself than his empowered officials, and the people who voted him into office.

Hey, up to a third of the country has steadfastly stood by the Nixon administration for two generations. Even the Pentagon is beginning to admit the American Empire is in terminal decline and the post-war order along with it. Trump's presidency is part-and-parcel of decline and degeneration, not something to be handily swept away as the dropped crockery of a youthful and careless Nation.

Fair points. But if you are correct, Trump is more symptom than problem. And this too shall pass.

[Montmorency]

Fair points. But if you are correct, Trump is more symptom than problem. And this too shall pass.

We too shall pass.

Given that the dedication to the Statue of Liberty is outdated, we should replace it with a new slogan for the country: "Great, but not exceptional".


Anyway, a tidbit about the Reconciliation process used in the final stages of the health insurance reform event (and previously in passing the ACA/Obamacare and the Bush tax cuts): I understood that the process can be deployed once per fiscal year, and that it counts once each on the separate topics of spending, revenue (taxes), and the debt ceiling. What I didn't know was that the AHCA/BCRA technically took up both the spending slot and the revenue slot. In other words, no possible Reconciliation on tax reform this year.

Unless they pass a new budget and reset the Reconciliation meter.

This may explain why the Republicans don't seem to be prepared to tackle tax reform in the near-term, and why some in the White House have still been pushing to necro health insurance reform.

[Gilrandir]

He got the nomination in good part from open primaries with new voters tapping him. He talked about growing the party. The establishment was aghast at the whole thing. Except the Dems, they were thrilled because they knew they could win against Trump.

Whatever his nomination history may have been, it is the (Republican) establishment that accepted him.

As for being outside the establishment as a bonus to change it - it is an extremely naive supposition on the part of his voters. It is like hoping that you may enter the game of poker being a bridge player and impose the rules of bridge on poker players.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Whatever his nomination history may have been, it is the (Republican) establishment that accepted him.

Not at all. "Forced by the system's outcome to put up with him somewhat," would be nearer the mark.

As for being outside the establishment as a bonus to change it - it is an extremely naive supposition on the part of his voters. It is like hoping that you may enter the game of poker being a bridge player and impose the rules of bridge on poker players.

Not a bad analogy (though it would be nearer the emotional mark with the games reversed). And what you are witnessing is a host of poker players shouting down, belittling, and threatening the bridge player.

[Gilrandir]

Not at all. "Forced by the system's outcome to put up with him somewhat," would be nearer the mark.

Whatever reasons (or unreasons) lay behind the nomination the net result is: Trump was nominated by the Republicans. Period. After that any talk about him being out of establishment is ridiculous.

Not a bad analogy (though it would be nearer the emotional mark with the games reversed). And what you are witnessing is a host of poker players shouting down, belittling, and threatening the bridge player.

You may be right on reversing the roles (being no player of either of the games I can't make grounded conlusions on the style of playing them), but I was talking not about the relations between the players, but about the on-lookers hoping for any agreement between them.