Friday Talking Points [438] -- A Week Of Bad Numbers For Trump
President Donald Trump went on a tour of foreign countries this week, and World War III did not erupt. So things could have been worse.
Trump bumbled his way across the Middle East and Europe, providing the media with plenty of amusing stories to write. Much of this centered on physicality, for unknown reasons. Consider some of the Trump news over the course of the week:
Trump bowed to Saudi king after criticizing Barack Obama for doing the same thing. His wife and daughter bared their heads in Saudi Arabia after Trump criticized Michelle Obama for doing the same thing. Trump awkwardly participated in a sword dance. Melania Trump not only refused to hold her husband's hand, she actually swatted it away when it was offered -- on more than one occasion. Trump shoved his way to the front of a photo-op in Europe. And someone finally defeated the "Trumpshake" -- the propensity Trump has to try to yank the arm off whomever he's shaking hands with. The new French president was warned in advance about this, and beat Trump at his own frat-boy game, though. By the end of the handshake, Trump was desperately trying to free his own hand. Turnabout is fair play, n'est-ce pas?
Then there were the inevitable gaffes. Arriving in Israel, Trump stated he had just flown in "from the Middle East." (Isn't Trump supposed to like maps? Maybe someone should show him one.) The White House put out a press statement for the Israel leg of the trip stating the goal was to "promote the possibility of lasting peach." Lasting peach? There were plenty of other gaffes during the first part of Trump's trip, but we have to highlight two very recent ones. Trump, while meeting with European leaders, said: "The Germans are bad, very bad. See the millions of cars they are selling in the U.S.? Terrible. We will stop this." Way to build those personal relationships, Mister President! Trump also tweeted: "Just arrived in Italy for the G7. Trip has been very successful. We made and saved the USA many billions of dollars and millions of jobs." Except for the fact that millions of jobs weren't even on the table, of course. Earlier, Trump had bragged about his deals with the Saudis, claiming they would "create many thousands of jobs in America and Saudi Arabia." The Washington Post gave Trump's claim of "millions" four Pinocchios, pointing out:
As for the number of jobs, thousands appears to have morphed into millions. But an analysis published by The Washington Post reported that the U.S. companies involved would not confirm any specific number of jobs saved or supported, suggesting that Trump's original estimate of "thousands" was more guesswork than reality. Our colleague Steven Mufson reported that the deals would create jobs -- in Saudi Arabia.
But the biggest gaffe of the trip belonged to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, who cheerfully noted after visiting Saudi Arabia: "There was not a single hint of a protester anywhere there during the whole time we were there. Not one guy with a bad placard." Um, there's a reason for that, Wilbur. The reason is that they cut off people's heads in Saudi Arabia when they dare to protest the government.
Trump got caught in another one of those "revealing national security secrets to foreign leaders" moments, as it was revealed this week that when Trump talked to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte about America's response to North Korea, he flat-out admitted: "We have two submarines [in the waters off North Korea] -- the best in the world. We have two nuclear submarines, not that we want to use them at all." America used to have a blanket policy of not ever talking about where nuclear submarines are, but apparently Trump hasn't read that particular memo.
Back at home, Team Trump released their first detailed budget proposal. It shocked even right-wingers in Congress, it was so Draconian. Republican Mark Sanford had some choice words in response, including: "It's not only a myth, it's frankly a lie." He was talking about the assumption that America would see three percent growth for the next decade, which he addressed at length: "I have looked every which way at how you might get there, and you can't get there.... This budget presumes a Goldilocks economy, and I think that's a very difficult thing on which to base a budget, Can you guess the last time we had an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent, growth at 3 percent, and inflation held at 2 percent? It's never happened." He also added: "For us to have a real debate, we have to base it on real numbers. I would also say it's important because I'm a deficit hawk, as you well know, and if you're wrong on these numbers, it means all of a sudden we've created a $2-plus-trillion hole for our kids and grandkids here going forward." And that's from a Republican, mind you.
Lindsey Graham also had some choice words for the idea of cutting the State Department's diplomatic security budget: "If we implemented this budget, we'd have to retreat from the world and put a lot of people at risk. A lot of Benghazis in the making if we actually implemented the State Department cuts."
Conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt called Trump out on one broken promise in his budget -- to build a 350-ship Navy with 12 aircraft carriers:
The president's budget has forgotten these benefits. Breaking Defense's Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. summed up the details: "Despite his campaign pledge of a 350-ship fleet, President Trump's first budget cuts Navy shipbuilding and aircraft procurement below what was enacted in 2017, documents released [Monday] reveal. Despite Trump's criticism of President Obama's defense plans, this budget sticks with Obama's shipbuilding plan for 2018: eight ships. And it actually buys eight fewer aircraft than Obama planned."
Others have been pointing out how the Trump budget relies upon a whopping $2.1 trillion in fantasy money (from all that wonderful three percent growth) -- which it actually counts twice, just for good measure.
But the best commentary on Trump's budget came from an unexpected source. The Washington Post nailed the story:
So it has come to this: A Russian government-funded propaganda outfit schooling the Trump administration on the cruelty of its proposed federal budget.
Mick Mulvaney, President Trump's budget director, unveiled Trump’s ghastly 2018 budget proposal Monday afternoon in the White House briefing room, and one point of pride was that it proposed that the child-care tax credit and the earned-income tax credit -- benefits for working families -- be denied to illegal immigrants. "It's not right when you look at it from the perspective of people who pay the taxes," Mulvaney declared.
But Andrew Feinberg, a reporter with Russia's Sputnik news outfit, pointed out that many of the children who would be cut off under Trump's proposal are U.S. citizens. "Whether they're here illegally or not," Feinberg noted, "those families have American-citizen children."
Mulvaney, who probably didn't know he was being interrogated by Sputnik, argued back, saying that Feinberg wasn't duly considering taxpayers and that "we have all kinds of other programs" for poor kids.
At this, another reporter in the room interjected: "You're cutting that, too."
On Wednesday, the parade of bad numbers continued, when the Congressional Budget Office released its new score of the Republican plan to destroy the health insurance market. The new numbers were just as grim as the first C.B.O. score -- 23 million lose insurance, premiums go up for older people by a whopping 850 percent, a brutal $834 billion cut to Medicaid, and the guarantee for people with pre-existing conditions disappears -- all to hand out a $600 billion tax cut to the wealthiest Americans. Republican Senator Susan Collins released a statement decrying these facts:
The goal of any A.C.A. replacement should be to improve access to quality health care while providing consumers with more choices and restraining costs. Unfortunately, the C.B.O. estimates that 23 million Americans would lose insurance coverage over the next decade, and the impact would disproportionately affect older, low-income Americans. In addition, for a 64-year old with an income of $26,500, the out-of-pocket premium cost could soar from $1,700 to as high as $16,100, an 850 percent increase.
There's one person amused by all of this, though. John Boehner (remember him?) summed up President Trump's time in office thusly: "Everything else he's done has been a complete disaster. He's still learning how to be president." Does Boehner miss Washington? Not exactly: "I wake up every day, drink my morning coffee and say, 'Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.'"
Michael Gerson chimed in as well, with an article aptly titled: "The Conservative Mind Has Become Diseased." Jennifer Rubin, a conservative blogger, added: "[N]o week has matched this one in revealing the moral and intellectual rot at the center of the GOP. Pandemic intellectual dishonesty and celebration of uncivilized conduct now permeate the party and its support in the conservative ecosystem.... This is the state of the GOP -- a refuge for intellectual frauds and bullies, for mean-spirited hypocrites who preach personal responsibility yet excuse the inexcusable."
In scandal news, Michael Flynn "took the Fifth" this week, something that both he and Donald Trump used to consider an indicator of guilty behavior. Here's Trump, from the campaign trail: "The mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?" Might want to ask Flynn that, eh? Flynn, who is asking for immunity for his testimony, earlier said: "When you are given immunity, that means that you have probably committed a crime." By week's end, the Senate was issuing subpoenas for Flynn's business records, because as Senator Mark Warner pointed out: "A business does not have the right to take the Fifth."
More scandal news: Jared Kushner now seems to be a main focus of the F.B.I. investigation, including possible financial irregularities.
Also this week, it was revealed:
President Trump asked two of the nation's top intelligence officials in March to help him push back against an F.B.I. investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government, according to current and former officials.
Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, urging them to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election.
Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the requests, which they both deemed to be inappropriate.
. . .
Current and former officials said either Trump lacks an understanding of the FBI’s role as an independent law enforcement agency or does not care about maintaining such boundaries.
. . .
Trump's effort to use the D.N.I. and the N.S.A. director to refute Comey's statement and to say there is no evidence of collusion echoes former president Richard Nixon's "unsuccessful efforts to use the C.I.A. to shut down the F.B.I.'s investigation of the Watergate break-in on national security grounds," said Jeffrey H. Smith, a former general counsel at the C.I.A. Smith called Trump's actions "an appalling abuse of power."
Speaking of Nixon, there was this tidbit in another article comparing Trump to him:
On Aug. 2, 1974, a week before President Richard Nixon resigned, syndicated columnist Jack Anderson took a skeptical look at the president's generosity. He found that the Richard Nixon Foundation had made "only one charitable grant in its four-year existence: $7,500 to buy a painting of Richard Nixon."
By week's end, Trump had hired a personal lawyer to defend him in the growing tidal wave of scandal washing over his administration.
Trump's Muslim Ban 2.0 lost again in yet another federal court, this time in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the 10-3 decision, the majority found that the travel ban "drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination." The Ninth Circuit is also going to chime in within weeks, as well.
Let's see, what else? Remember those Carrier jobs Trump bragged about saving? Here's a reminder:
Trump told Indiana residents at a rally last year that, if he got elected, there was a "100 percent chance" he would save these jobs at the heating and air-conditioning manufacturer. "It's not like we have an 80 percent chance of keeping them or a 95 percent chance," he said. "100 percent!!"
After the election, Trump claimed credit for rescuing the factory. He tweeted on Thanksgiving that he called the company’s leadership to cut a deal. Trump then flew to Indy in December to announce that, thanks to his brilliant negotiating, the jobs would stay.
The reality: Carrier just announced 632 of those jobs are moving to Mexico anyway. Looks like Trump lied yet again (no surprise, really) to his strongest supporters.
Things have gotten so bad for Trump, he's attempting to brag about his poll numbers again. Not that he has much to brag about, since the Rasmussen job approval rating was only 48 percent -- meaning less than half the country approves of Trump's job, even in the most Trump-leaning poll around. Trump's job approval average at Real Clear Politics is actually currently below 40 percent -- which is our final very bad number this week from the Trump administration.
Before we get to the main award, we have two Honorable Mentions to hand out. The first goes to last week's winner of the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week, for following up in admirable fashion to last week's light display on the Trump Hotel. This week, projection artist Robin Bell projected images onto the Department of Justice and the F.B.I., depicting Attorney General Jeff Sessions dressed as a Klansman, with a direct quote from Sessions from years ago: "I thought the KKK was OK until I learned they smoked pot." Well done, and keep up the good work!
Our second Honorable Mention goes to Bernie Sanders, for continuing his fight against gigantic tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. While grilling the White House budget director, Sanders repeatedly tried to get him to explain why a multi-million-dollar tax cut was appropriate for the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune. The video is worth watching, just to see Mulvaney squirm.
But the MIDOTW award this week goes to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. He won the same award two weeks ago, for writing an opinion piece explaining why he was proud to be removing Confederate monuments in his city, and he followed this up with an amazing speech where he explained his thoughts at greater length in an incredibly inspiring way.
We're going to save the speech itself for the talking points, though, so for now we'd like to once again honor Mayor Landrieu with his second Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award in three weeks. Well done, and well said!
[Congratulate New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu on his official contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]
We considered giving the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week to Vermont's governor, when we saw the headline: "Vermont Governor Vetoes Marijuana Legalization Bill," but then we actually read the article and calmed down a bit.
This would have been historic, since it is the first time a legislature has passed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana. But Governor Phil Scott isn't totally against the idea, he just had minor problems with the bill he was presented with. He's reportedly going to work with the state legislature to revise the bill to address his concerns over penalties for sales to minors and other safety issues.
From the article, one voice we have come to respect:
Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, said the veto "likely just amounts to a short delay" and that he's "very hopeful" the state will become the first in history to end marijuana prohibition by an act of the legislature.
"The fact that a bill even ended up on the governor's desk signals a new phase of the marijuana legalization movement," Angell said.
We feel that taking a little time to get it right isn't the same thing as trying to kill the bill outright, and so Phil Scott gets no negative awards this week. Hopefully, a bill can be signed into law before the end of this year, and legislative legalization history can be made.
But there's been one big political story this week that we have not addressed yet. Every so often we hand out the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week not for disappointing behavior or words, but for disappointing such a sheer number of Democrats in the country by losing an election. Which is why this week we must award the MDDOTW to Rob Quist, who just got beat in the special election for Montana's single House seat.
What makes the loss hard, of course, is the fact that his opponent was caught bodyslamming and punching a reporter the day before the election. This extraordinary event didn't change the outcome of the race, however, as Quist lost by precisely the six percent that the polling predicted.
There were two reactions to the incident worth quoting, one from the left and one from the right. Nancy Pelosi responded: "How do you explain that to children? You ask a question and I'll strangle you? I mean, really." But the most scathing response was from Republican messaging guru Frank Luntz: "If you check the party affiliation of someone who commits assaults before deciding how you feel about it, you're what's wrong with America." Couldn't have said that better ourselves.
Two things are worth remembering about this election, though. The first is that something like 70 percent of the ballots had already been cast, and could not be changed (Montana, like many Western states, has expanded mail-in and early voting to the point where it is the preferred method). Second, any bombshell event usually takes a few days to really sink in with the public, and the news broke only a day before the polls closed.
Quist's loss was not due to any fault of his own, but it certainly disappointed many Democrats who are still salivating over the prospects of picking up a seat in one of the four special elections caused by Trump naming sitting House members to his administration. Next month's race in Georgia is their best chance, though, so there is still hope. But for this week, Rob Quist was the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week.
[Since the race is now over, Rob Quist is now a private citizen not involved in politics, and our standing policy is to not provide contact information for such persons.]
Volume 438 (5/26/17)
Some Republicans often complain that they are wrongly portrayed as a party of racists. But sometimes it's pretty hard not to come to this conclusion. Case in point, a state representative from Mississippi, reacting to New Orleans removing Confederate monuments. Karl Oliver took the time to post the following on Facebook:
The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific. If the, and I use this term extremely loosely, "leadership" of Louisiana wishes to, in a Nazi-ish fashion, burn books or destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED! Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State.
That seems pretty crystal clear to us. If you try to remove our monuments to racist traitors to their country, we will string you up from the nearest tree. Nothing like celebrating the "loving memory" of "OUR HISTORY," eh? Looked at in a certain way, Oliver seems downright nostalgic.
For a campaign of terrorism and murder, that is.
Historical footnote: Karl Oliver represents the same district that 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in, back in 1955.
Oliver was later forced to apologize, but we all know what's really in his heart: pure, unadulterated racism. By week's end, Mississippi had passed an actual law making it illegal not only to remove Confederate monuments, but even to rename Mississippi streets or buildings that celebrate the Confederacy. So Oliver's not the only one, it can safely be assumed. Also in the news this week was the Supreme Court overturning yet another racially gerrymandered district, this time in North Carolina. So it's not like racism is a completely foreign concept within the Republican Party, even today.
Which is one reason why we're turning the talking points this week over to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who makes exactly the opposite case in high style. What follows are excerpts from his recent speech, where he strongly defends the removal of four Confederate monuments from his city. This is an extraordinary speech, and we urge everyone to read the full transcript of it or find a video of it to watch.
New Orleans is truly a city of many nations, a melting pot, a bubbling cauldron of many cultures.
There is no other place quite like it in the world that so eloquently exemplifies the uniquely American motto: e pluribus unum -- out of many we are one.
But there are also other truths about our city that we must confront. New Orleans was America's largest slave market: a port where hundreds of thousands of souls were brought, sold and shipped up the Mississippi River to lives of forced labor of misery of rape, of torture.
America was the place where nearly 4,000 of our fellow citizens were lynched, 540 alone in Louisiana; where the courts enshrined "separate but equal"; where Freedom riders coming to New Orleans were beaten to a bloody pulp.
So when people say to me that the monuments in question are history, well what I just described is real history as well, and it is the searing truth.
And it immediately begs the questions: why there are no slave ship monuments, no prominent markers on public land to remember the lynchings or the slave blocks; nothing to remember this long chapter of our lives; the pain, the sacrifice, the shame... all of it happening on the soil of New Orleans.
So for those self-appointed defenders of history and the monuments, they are eerily silent on what amounts to this historical malfeasance, a lie by omission.
There is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence of it. For America and New Orleans, it has been a long, winding road, marked by great tragedy and great triumph. But we cannot be afraid of our truth.
Landrieu then quotes George W. Bush ("A great nation does not hide its history. It faces its flaws and corrects them.") and proceeds to lay out some historical facts:
The historic record is clear: the Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and P.G.T. Beauregard statues were not erected just to honor these men, but as part of the movement which became known as The Cult of the Lost Cause. This "cult" had one goal -- through monuments and through other means -- to rewrite history to hide the truth, which is that the Confederacy was on the wrong side of humanity.
First erected over 166 years after the founding of our city and 19 years after the end of the Civil War, the monuments that we took down were meant to rebrand the history of our city and the ideals of a defeated Confederacy.
It is self-evident that these men did not fight for the United States of America. They fought against it. They may have been warriors, but in this cause they were not patriots.
These statues are not just stone and metal. They are not just innocent remembrances of a benign history. These monuments purposefully celebrate a fictional, sanitized Confederacy; ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement, and the terror that it actually stood for.
After the Civil War, these statues were a part of that terrorism as much as a burning cross on someone's lawn; they were erected purposefully to send a strong message to all who walked in their shadows about who was still in charge in this city.
Should you have further doubt about the true goals of the Confederacy, in the very weeks before the war broke out, the Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens, made it clear that the Confederate cause was about maintaining slavery and white supremacy.
He said in his now famous "Cornerstone speech" that the Confederacy's "cornerstone rests upon the great truth, that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery -- subordination to the superior race -- is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."
Now, with these shocking words still ringing in your ears, I want to try to gently peel from your hands the grip on a false narrative of our history that I think weakens us and make straight a wrong turn we made many years ago so we can more closely connect with integrity to the founding principles of our nation and forge a clearer and straighter path toward a better city and more perfect union.
Landrieu then shares some personal stories, about growing up in New Orleans and barely noticing the statues -- an experience he contrasts with an African-American family's different take on them. How can such mothers and fathers explain these statues to their children? After calling removal of the statues "the right thing, not the easy thing," he continues:
History cannot be changed. It cannot be moved like a statue. What is done is done. The Civil War is over, and the Confederacy lost and we are better for it. Surely we are far enough removed from this dark time to acknowledge that the cause of the Confederacy was wrong.
And in the second decade of the 21st century, asking African-Americans -- or anyone else -- to drive by property that they own; occupied by reverential statues of men who fought to destroy the country and deny that person's humanity seems perverse and absurd.
Centuries-old wounds are still raw because they never healed right in the first place.
Landrieu finishes with two obligatory quotes. The first:
We forget, we deny how much we really depend on each other, how much we need each other. We justify our silence and inaction by manufacturing noble causes that marinate in historical denial. We still find a way to say "wait, not so fast."
But like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "'wait' has almost always meant 'never'."
We can't wait any longer. We need to change. And we need to change now. No more waiting. This is not just about statues, this is about our attitudes and behavior as well. If we take these statues down and don’t change to become a more open and inclusive society this would have all been in vain.
Landrieu then wraps up with the immortal words of President Lincoln:
The Confederacy was on the wrong side of history and humanity. It sought to tear apart our nation and subjugate our fellow Americans to slavery. This is the history we should never forget and one that we should never again put on a pedestal to be revered.
As a community, we must recognize the significance of removing New Orleans' Confederate monuments. It is our acknowledgment that now is the time to take stock of, and then move past, a painful part of our history. Anything less would render generations of courageous struggle and soul-searching a truly lost cause.
Anything less would fall short of the immortal words of our greatest President Abraham Lincoln, who with an open heart and clarity of purpose calls on us today to unite as one people when he said:
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to do all which may achieve and cherish: a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
-- Chris Weigant
All-time award winners leaderboard, by rank
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: The Huffington Post
@cw,
i think it's a little harsh giving the gold jellyfish to rob quist, who was outspent something like four to one and still put in a very strong showing for a real progressive in a red state.
if there has to be someone to be disappointed with over that election, why not the DNC for refusing to "waste" funds courting voters in a state they thought they'd lose. a fifty state strategy is what won the House in 2006, so why has the democratic party regressed to "targeting" instead of trying to win everywhere? random opportunities can pop up in any district, and a national party needs to be prepared to capitalize wherever they may occur.
JL
Joshua,
That sounds too complicated for a blunt instrument to understand. Heh.
To be clear, blunt instrument = DNC ...
I am really relieved that President Cuck's World Apologize for America Tour is over. One sword dance and Big Orange has forgotten the magic phrase RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and is bowing to Arabs and offending the white people at NATO. It really must be stunning to world leaders to be dealing with someone less articulate than Ozzy Osbourne. The End is near.
President Donald Trump went on a tour of foreign countries this week, and World War III did not erupt. So things could have been worse.
But!! But!!! But!!!!
Ya'all claimed that, if elected, Trump would start WWIII within the first WEEK of his presidency!!!??
What gives!????
Were ya'all.... WRONG!??? :D
Trump bowed to Saudi king after criticizing Barack Obama for doing the same thing.
Of course, the FACTS show that President Trump didn't really bow..
But why let FACTS ruin a perfectly good hysterical rant, eh? :D
The White House put out a press statement for the Israel leg of the trip stating the goal was to "promote the possibility of lasting peach." Lasting peach?
My gods, ya'all are REALLY scraping the bottom of the barrel here..
First, Nancy Pelosi goes all batshit hysterical because President Trump is not visiting countries in alphabetical order..
And NOW ya'all are complaining about a TYPO!!!
That illustrates PERFECTLY the sad and sorry state of "The Resistance"...
It's been reduced to complaining about typos! :D
How hilarious.. :D
As for the number of jobs, thousands appears to have morphed into millions. But an analysis published by The Washington Post reported that the U.S. companies involved would not confirm any specific number of jobs saved or supported, suggesting that Trump's original estimate of "thousands" was more guesswork than reality. Our colleague Steven Mufson reported that the deals would create jobs -- in Saudi Arabia.
WaPoop..... 'nuff said...
Lindsey Graham also had some choice words for the idea of cutting the State Department's diplomatic security budget: "If we implemented this budget, we'd have to retreat from the world and put a lot of people at risk. A lot of Benghazis in the making if we actually implemented the State Department cuts."
But...But.... But.... According to ya'all, Benghazi was "a big nothing-burger"...
So why should we be concerned about a lot of Benghazis???
I mean, at THIS POINT, what difference does it make!???
President Trump asked two of the nation's top intelligence officials in March to help him push back against an F.B.I. investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government, according to current and former officials.
No, President Trump did not..
Do you have *ANY* facts to support this claim??
No, you do not...
Trump's Muslim Ban 2.0 lost again in yet another federal court, this time in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the 10-3 decision, the majority found that the travel ban "drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination." The Ninth Circuit is also going to chime in within weeks, as well.
Big deal... The SCOTUS will overturn the ruling and allow the ban to proceed..
How do I know this??
Simple..
ALL Democrats ruled against the ban.. So it was strictly partisan.. Further, the argument that the Democrats laid out was so totally crappy, it's amazing that anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together and not ruled by Party loyalty accepts it.
To whit, the Dumbocrat argument is this:
The law is perfectly Constitutional but, because it comes from President Trump, we won't allow it to pass.
THAT'S IT.. THAT is the argument the morons in the 4th are making..
The SCOTUS will put them in their place (the garbage) simply on the basis of that totally crappy argument alone... :D
"I thought the KKK was OK until I learned they smoked pot."
Actually, I think Sessions said that he thought the KKK was OK until he learned that they were all Democrats.. :D
But the MIDOTW award this week goes to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. He won the same award two weeks ago, for writing an opinion piece explaining why he was proud to be removing Confederate monuments in his city, and he followed this up with an amazing speech where he explained his thoughts at greater length in an incredibly inspiring way.
Must be getting desperate to find Impressive Democrats that you would have to give the award to the same person for, essentially the same thing. :D
Some Republicans often complain that they are wrongly portrayed as a party of racists.
As opposed to the Democrat Party that, history PROVES, was *THE* Party Of Racists..
We have two nuclear submarines, not that we want to use them at all." America used to have a blanket policy of not ever talking about where nuclear submarines are, but apparently Trump hasn't read that particular memo.
Simply not factually accurate..
It's US policy not to discuss the location of the BOOMERS.. The Ohio Class ICB missile subs that are part of the Triad of our nuclear deterrent...
*ALL* US submarines are nuclear-powered and there is no restrictions (beyond tactical ops) on discussing the locations of our Fast Attack boats or our CM boats...
Once again.. Nothing but the facts...
*ALL* US submarines are nuclear-powered and there is no restrictions (beyond tactical ops) on discussing the locations of our Fast Attack boats or our CM boats...
For the record, there is likely two Fast Attack boats off the coast of NK...
Kim has diesel subs and our Fast Attack boats would make short work of Kim's subs..
You ever see FINAL COUNTDOWN?? Remember the scene where 2 F-14 Tomcats took out 2 Japanese Zeros??
Yea, would be just like that.. :D
President Trump did well to remind Kim just how badly the US Navy can frak him up.... :D
Letting Mulvaney write the federal budget turns out to be like letting Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High plan the prom (theme is JAMAICA!). Shouldn't be surprised that it's a bit, um, unrealistic.
But it's an instructive glimpse into the hallucinatory world he inhabits, where poor people hoard benefits and waste hard-earned compound interest on friviolities like medicaid and 'meals on wheels'. It's a world in which our military is just eeking by on a third of our budget, and in which rich folks are just waiting for their tax burden to be reduced a bit more before spewing money into the economy like the girl in the Exorcist spewing pea soup.
It's a world in which old folks and already-sick kids need to pony up a bit more cash, because oak paneled boardrooms don't grow on trees, y'know.
It's a world in which thousands, nay, millions of scientists and environmental experts have managed to cook up the biggest conspiracy of all time, one designed specifically to needlessly scare people away from using perfectly clean coal.
It's a world in which poverty is a 'state of mind', a mirage populated by imaginary homeless, hungry, desperate people. And giving those people homes, or food, or hope, just encourages them in their delusion that they're poor.
Balthy,
As opposed to YOUR world where NOT-45 beat Trump... :D
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/05/hillary-clinton-life-after-election.html
Those who live in fantasy glass houses should not cast stones on other people's alleged fantasy glass houses... :D
I'm just sayin'
CW: The White House put out a press statement for the Israel leg of the trip stating the goal was to "promote the possibility of lasting peach." Lasting peach?
You know, CW, lasting peach... less time in the spray tanning booth. :)
[9] That's actually an interesting article, M.
My favorite part:
The nation is grasping for a way to understand how we got here, and blaming Clinton wholly and neatly takes the heat off everyone else who contributed: from the critics who derided her supporters as empty-headed shills to those supporters who were cowed into secret Facebook groups; from the journalists who treated Trump as a ratings-pumping sideshow and Clinton as the suspiciously presumptive president to all of us who permitted cheerful stories about America’s progress on gender and race to blot out the real and lingering inequities in this country.
yep.
[9] That's actually an interesting article, M.
Thank you..
My favorite part:
Mine too...
ANYTHING that keeps the Democrat Party complacent and willing to keep doing the same old thing, the same thing they did in the election, the same thing they did in Kansas, the same thing they did in Montana, the same thing they are doing in Georgia....
Anything that keeps the Democrats doing the same thing over and over INCLUDING losing over and over...
Well, how can that NOT be a good thing for this country?? :D
Donald J. Trump? @realDonaldTrump
I'm not orange! #IMPEACH
12:00 PM - 20 Jan 2017
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend y'all. Catch you on the other side. :)
Victoria,
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend y'all. Catch you on the other side. :)
Don't do it, Vicky!!!!!!
You have so much to live for!!!! :D
I mean, seriously Balthy..
The Democrats have been losing so much, I would have thought they would get tired of losing...
:D
Just about sums it up. 45 and his fanboys just hate America:
https://flipboard.com/@Salon/-the-king-of-contempt/f-f1bce84744%2Fsalon.com
Yea... Cuz SALON is such an accurate gauge of real patriotic Americans..
{/sarcasm}
:D
You're so easy to wind up Michale. Real Americans can see through obvious attempts to troll them ;)
[8] Balthasar: Good writing!
Re: the Portland murderer -- good example of knives vs. guns. If this man had been armed with a gun there'd be a trainload of dead people instead of the two heroes who tried to save others at the cost of their own lives.
You're so easy to wind up Michale.
You mean, I am easy to troll?? :D heh
Re: the Portland murderer -- good example of knives vs. guns. If this man had been armed with a gun there'd be a trainload of dead people instead of the two heroes who tried to save others at the cost of their own lives.
And if Portland didn't have such stoopid anti-carry laws, then there'd be a good guy with a gun and the ONLY dead guy would be the scumbag..
See?! I can make shit up too! :D
Real Americans can see through obvious attempts to troll them ;)
Real Democrats who hate America can see through obvious attempts to troll them ;)
There.. Fixed it for you.. :D
NO ONE wants to talk about how Democrats lose all the time???
Shocking!! :D
"If you are in a position of public trust, and you talk to, meet, or collude with a foreign power" while trying to subvert normal state channels, "you are, in the eyes of the FBI and CIA, a traitor," said Glenn Carle, a former top counterterrorism official at the CIA for more than two decades. "That is what I spent my life getting foreigners to do with me, for the US government."
Ooh - the traitor word is appearing ... this is looking worse and worse for 45 and his evil brood.
Ooh - the traitor word is appearing ... this is looking worse and worse for 45 and his evil brood.
Oh puulleeezzeee.. The traitor word appeared the instant Donald Trump devestated NOT-45 in the election...
Along with the impeachment word and every other word that Democrats can think of...
Yaaaawwwwwnnnnnnn
Nothing but hysterical PTDS....
Nothing to see here...
"If you are in a position of public trust, and you talk to, meet, or collude with a foreign power" while trying to subvert normal state channels, "you are, in the eyes of the FBI and CIA, a traitor,"
So, when Odumbo created back-channel channels to the terrorists in Iran outside of normal state channels that means, by the definition that YOU have accepted....
That means, in your eyes, Odumbo is a traitor..
OK.. I accept that.. :D
You see how easy it is to turn your own arguments against your chosen one?
It's a gift... :D
OH MY GODS!!!!! OH MY GODS!!!!!!
Melina held the President's hand!!!!
Don't ya'all feel like idiots now!!???
hehehehehehehehehe
PTDS... Hysterical PTDS.... That's all it is...
We really dodged a bullet..
We COULD have had Bill Clinton as the First Lady.... :D
Best bit about the Kushner saga is that he deliberately omitted the meeting with the Russian Ambassador on his security clearance application.
Fox News have been ignoring most of the daily crisis because the fanboys can't handle the truth, but even they are reporting on it - of course they claim it could be dirty tricks by the Russians (which it could be). Personally I hope Kushner and Flynn go with the dirty tricks defense and act innocent, because I'm pretty sure the IC have evidence to the contrary.
This is what happens when you walk into the CIA, stand in front of the Wall of Stars, and brag about yourself, then for good measure fire the head of the FBI.
The new sport for heads of state who have upcoming elections and want to boost their chances: Humiliating 45.
Macron has shown the way.
45 is bringing disgrace to our country and foreign leaders are just laughing at him. He needs to stay in the White House and get to work - no more foreign jaunts or golfing trips.
"Leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada & UK walk the streets of Taormina. Trump follows in a golf cart"
No stamina.
paula [20] Thanks! I forgot (in [8]) to mention the part where the entire press has conspired to print and broadcast fake news stories about Trump based on wholly spurious leaks by White House staffers that Obama has managed to sneak into Trump's inner circle.
Such is the state of pro-Trumpian denial: to make their worldview work, one would have to assume a malicious conspiracy of truly epic proportions - ranging from climate scientists in the arctic to international intelligence agencies to Obama moles right in the White House.
And it just goes on and on. Christians in the US are an oppressed minority. Blacks have it in for the police, and deliberately create slums where they can trade food stamps like baseball cards. Latinos travel hundreds of miles through treacherous terrain so that they can kick back in
Arizona with Monster drinks. Corrupt democrats harvest millions of secret illegal immigrant votes simply to make Trump's victory seem less 'big'.
It's an amazing construct, really.
Current Personal 45 Humiliation Winners Table:
1. Macron - The Swerve
2. The Pope - "What do you give him to eat? Potica?"
3. Melania - the hand smack
So, when Odumbo created back-channel channels to the terrorists in Iran outside of normal state channels that means, by the definition that YOU have accepted....
That means, in your eyes, Odumbo is a traitor..
Here's the big difference: Obama created the back-channel lines with the corporation of our intelligence agencies. Trump wanted to keep our intelligence agencies from knowing about his back-channel lines. Why else did Kushner lie about the meetings to the FBI?
I thought the reason you loved Trump so much was that he was going to be the complete opposite type of President from what Obama was. Your comments made it clear that you believe that Obama was the worst, and Trump would be doing things his way -- which would be so much better for America!
So how can you claim that Trump is doing great all the while defending every issue he has caused by screaming, "Obama did the same thing!", even when he did not???
Whoops! Replace "corporation" with "cooperation"
-Russ
As we approach Memorial Day I am moved to think of the brave men and women who have given their lives, and those who risked their lives, lost limbs, lost sanity, live in pain, and missed time with loved ones.
And then I think: what a shame your sacrifice was for nothing.
The Republican Party sold our democracy to Vladimir Putin for a tax cut.
Memorial Day, this year, will certainly be a day of mourning. But not for fallen soldiers. For our country.
Neil,
Best bit about the Kushner saga is that he deliberately omitted the meeting with the Russian Ambassador on his security clearance application.
Probably because it never happened..
Are there any FACTS to support WaPoops claim??
No, there is not..
You believe it because you WANT to believe it..
This is what happens when you walk into the CIA, stand in front of the Wall of Stars, and brag about yourself, then for good measure fire the head of the FBI.
So, you admit it's just a vendetta..
You were mentioning something before about "useful idiots"?? :D
Here's the big difference: Obama created the back-channel lines with the corporation of our intelligence agencies.
Ahh... So NOW you are perfectly OK with the President being in cahoots with the CIA to create back-channel discussions with terrorists...
Amazing....
Trump wanted to keep our intelligence agencies from knowing about his back-channel lines. Why else did Kushner lie about the meetings to the FBI?
Do you have ANY facts to support that there WERE meetings???
No, you do not...
Until such time as you DO have facts, your argument is nonsensical and fact-less..
So how can you claim that Trump is doing great all the while defending every issue he has caused by screaming, "Obama did the same thing!"
How can you claim that Trump is the worst when he is doing the exact same thing that Obama had done???
THAT is the question... :D
, even when he did not???
I have already proven that Odumbo DID do the exact same thing...
As we approach Memorial Day I am moved to think of the brave men and women who have given their lives, and those who risked their lives, lost limbs, lost sanity, live in pain, and missed time with loved ones.
And then I think: what a shame your sacrifice was for nothing.
The Republican Party sold our democracy to Vladimir Putin for a tax cut.
Memorial Day, this year, will certainly be a day of mourning. But not for fallen soldiers. For our country.
Where the uniform...
Then come talk to me about sacrifice...
Your Party slave induced "mourning" means nothing coming from a person who is part of a Party who gleefully spits on soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines at every opportunity...
It's funny...
We have in the here and now, an intelligence community bent on taking down a freely, fairly and legally elected POTUS
And ya'all are COMPLETELY and 1000% APPROVING of that effort...
And yet ya'all STILL think ya'all are patriotic Americans...
Funny.... And sad....
We have in the here and now, an intelligence community bent on taking down a freely, fairly and legally elected POTUS
And ya'all are COMPLETELY and 1000% APPROVING of that effort...
And yet ya'all STILL think ya'all are patriotic Americans...
I mean, think about it..
Rendition??? Black sites?? Torture???
Any of these things ringing any bells???
Ya'all castigated the CIA and the intelligence services on a daily basis over these "atrocities", these "heinous acts", these "crimes against humanity"....
But NOW....
Now that the Intelligence services are engineering a coup against a fairly, freely and legally elected POTUS that YA'ALL don't like???
Now ya'all cozy up to those people like bestest buddies... Now ya'all jump into bed with those guys lickety split...
Ya know, there's a WORD for people who jump into bed with other people at the drop of a dime, just to further an agenda... :D
This is EXACTLY why I laugh my ass off at the so-called "integrity" and "principles" of the Left Wingery...
Because it's well documented that that "integrity" and those "principles" are COMPLETELY situational and UTTERLY suborned to Party loyalty..
News flash for ya'all... Principles that are situational are no principles at all....
Russ,
How can you claim that Trump is the worst when he is doing the exact same thing that Obama had done???
That's the point that ya'all are blinded to or, at worse, refuse to admit..
The ONLY reason you are against these activities is because it's PRESIDENT TRUMP who is doing them..
It's exactly like the 4th Circuit's ruling on the Immigration issue...
The 4th Circuit explicitly states, by omission,. that the law is Constitutional but, because it's President Trump issuing the law, they will oppose it..
Ya'all are doing the exact same thing. Ya'all oppose these actions, *SOLELY* and *COMPLETELY* because it's President Trump..
When Odumbo did these EXACT same things, ya'all supported it to the hilt...
How is this not BLATANT hypocrisy???
When President Trump had a '-D' after his name, even Mr Odumbo aspired to be like Trump...
It's simply amazing, the power of that little '-D' has over the weak-minded and easily led... :^/
Ya know, there's a WORD for people who jump into bed with other people at the drop of a dime, just to further an agenda...
Sure there is: Bond, James Bond.
Principles that are situational are no principles at all....
Remind me of that the next time you have to kill a kitten to save a life.
Rendition? Black sites? Torture?
Any of these things ringing any bells?
Ah, the Bush Administration. I remember it well. That's was the last time your guys were in charge and giving orders.
Now that the Intelligence services are engineering a coup against a fairly, freely and legally elected POTUS that YA'ALL don't like?
A coup? Do you have anything to back that up? All I see is a lot of leaks, mostly from the White House, pointing out instances where Trump or his comrades lied, either in public, on legal documents, to investigators, or to each other.
But this is far from a coup. Trump has about a year before the indictments start coming down, I'd guess. More than enough time and rope to hang himself.
And to emphasize my point, a bit of Sunday morning reading for you:
It Doesn’t F***ing Matter What Obama Did!
You're welcome.
Balthy,
Sure there is: Bond, James Bond.
hehehehehe Now THAT was funny... :D
Remind me of that the next time you have to kill a kitten to save a life.
That was, like, B-52, man.. Care to elucidate??? Because, if you are saying what I think you are saying, I would do it in a heartbeat...
Ah, the Bush Administration. I remember it well. That's was the last time your guys were in charge and giving orders.
And it was YOUR (here and now) guys that were carrying out those orders..
Funny how, all of the sudden, ya don't mind at all...
All I see is a lot of leaks, mostly from the White House,
Mostly based on intelligence and national security related matters..
I know, I know.. There are none so blind as those who will not see...
And to emphasize my point, a bit of Sunday morning reading for you:
It Doesn’t F***ing Matter What Obama Did!
It matters insofar as the credibility of people like you...
It shows that ya'all have none, that, for all ya'alls indignation at the ACTS, ya'all really don't CARE about the acts..
They are not a big deal.. It's *ONLY* the people who commit the acts that are relevant..
Take rape and sexual assault and harassment..
NORMAL people are completely against those things...
But Party slaves are ONLY against those things when persons of the opposite Party commit them..
This is well-documented..
In short, NONE of ya'all have ANY moral foundation to complain about President Trump's actions.. Even if they are discovered to be factually accurate...
NONE of ya'all have ANY moral foundation to complain about President Trump's actions.. Even if they are discovered to be factually accurate.
Listen to yourself. You've put Trump on a pedestal, above reproach. That's delusional.
It doesn't matter whether you think democrats meet your definition of moral or not. The Republicans hold the House, Senate, Supreme Court and Executive Branch. Time to stop blaming others for your own shitstorm. Time to stop making excuses for Fearless Leader and get your team to do something, anything to impress us for a change. Where is the Moral Foundation of the Grand Old Party?
In short, NONE of ya'all have ANY moral foundation to complain about President Trump's actions.. Even if they are discovered to be factually accurate...
And THAT is why what Odumbo did is relevant to the here and now...
I know ya'all can't see it that way, but that IS the way it is nonetheless...
Listen to yourself. You've put Trump on a pedestal, above reproach. That's delusional.
It's not about Trump in this regard..
It's about ya'all's credibility, ya'all's moral foundation to call into question President Trump's actions.. Ya'all have none...
THAT is what this particular issue is about..
Time to stop blaming others for your own shitstorm. Time to stop making excuses for Fearless Leader and get your team to do something, anything to impress us for a change.
Says the guy who whined and cried and bitched and moaned about the Obstructionist GOP when it was the DUMBOCRATS who had the lock on government..
Once again, you have absolutely NO MORAL FOUNDATION to point the finger at the Right when ya'all were doing the EXACT same thing...
Where is the Moral Foundation of the Grand Old Party?
Same place as the Dumbocrats'... Same place as ya'all's...
In da toilet..
What's yer point???
Let me lay it out plainly so you should be able to understand it..
If I were to complain hysterically, yelling and screaming about Odumbo's drone strike program or domestic surveillance program, ya'all would go ballistic and savage me for my hypocrisy..
Because, under Bush I was all for those programs...
But I am CONSISTENT.. I support those programs REGARDLESS of whether the POTUS has a -D or a -R after his name..
Ya'all cannot make the same claim..
Ya'all hysterically savaged Bush for those programs but remained totally and completely silent under Odumbo..
That is blatant hypocrisy and it's why ya'all (NEN) have absolutely NO CREDIBILITY in attacking President Trump...
Address ya'all's hypocrisy... Concede ya'all's lack of credibility..
THEN... and ONLY THEN... might ya'all have a smidgen of a foundation to condemn President Trump...
Emphasis on "MIGHT"....
Here is updated analysis of the most recent so called ‘leaks’ being reported and repeated by the liberal mainstream media (MSM) involving President Trump. The probability that a portion of these ‘leaks’ are completely inaccurate remains very high.
The leaks are all being reported by biased liberal media outlets that were adamantly opposed to the election of President Trump.
These ‘leaks’ in all cases still are not supported with any names of so-called sources and in all cases the ‘leaks’ are meant to destroy the current President.
Former FBI Director James Comey reportedly made statements that were revealed in the media ‘leaks’ but to this date he has not corroborated any of the statements he reportedly made after his firing. . Comey was scheduled to go in front of Congress this past week but instead asked to reschedule so he could first talk to Comey’s predecessor at the FBI, Robert Mueller, who is now the appointed Russia Investigation Special Council.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/05/leaks-still-from-far-left-msm-outlets-only-still-no-sources-and-still-all-out-effort-to-attack-president-trump/
In the world of Weigantia, Post President Trump, NO ONE here would give ANY credence to so many baseless and factless leaks...
But that was before the onset of severe PTDS that engulfs every Weigantian...
The probability that a portion of these ‘leaks’ are completely inaccurate remains very high.
Okay, let's say that a portion of those leaks are inaccurate. That means the rest are accurate, and cause for considerable concern.
Trumpniks can complain, but in the end, it only matters what the FBI and other investigators confirm. Then, whoo boy!
It's not about Trump in this regard..
That's where you're wrong. It's ALL about Trump. It's only about Trump. Trump is the topic. We are in Trumpland.
If it's about anyone other than Trump, then it might as well be about Bugs Bunny, for all of the relevance to today's news that it would have.
McMaster says 'not concerned' after Kushner back-channel reports
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-kushner-idUSKBN18N0NA?il=0
Back-channels are nothing new or nefarious...
Ya'all are simply being hysterical...
That's where you're wrong. It's ALL about Trump. It's only about Trump. Trump is the topic. We are in Trumpland.
I know, for you, it is...
THAT is the problem.
Ya'all are like one of those religious fanatics who think EVERYTHING is about god....
THAT exactly is the problem.
Okay, let's say that a portion of those leaks are inaccurate. That means the rest are accurate, and cause for considerable concern.
Basically what ya'all are saying is that, with ALL this smoke, there MUST be a fire somewhere..
That's what the Right said about NOT-45...
Ya'all didn't buy that argument then..
Why should I buy it now when it comes from ya'all???
Rising Young Staffer for NYC’s Mayor de Blasio is Arrested for Shocking Kiddie Porn Involving 6 Month Olds
https://heatst.com/politics/rising-young-staffer-for-nycs-mayor-de-blasio-is-arrested-for-shocking-kiddie-porn-involving-6-month-olds/
Democrats... :eyeroll:
Rising Young Staffer for NYC’s Mayor de Blasio is Arrested for Shocking Kiddie Porn Involving 6 Month Olds
A prominent young democrat and employee in the administration of New York City’s ultra liberal Mayor Bill de Blasio has been arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography involving girls as young as 6 months old.
Schwartz is the president of the Manhattan Young Democrats and the downstate region vice president of the New York State Young Democrats.
Last year, he posted a picture on Twitter together with Robby Mook, who was campaign manager for Hillary Clinton’s doomed presidential campaign.
As families go to celebrate Memorial Day at BBQs and other family-oriented, it's important that we monitor young children around Democrats...
Don't leave your children unattended when there are Democrats present.. Make sure that Democrats aren't given the opportunity to sexually assault or harm your children in any way....
Schultzie: {61] Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
I'm touched to see you so blatantly adopting one of my riffs. It was original, coming from me. From you it's a pale imitation, but I know that's the best you can do.
There's something about the rightwing environment that saps creative thought and reduces the denizens' thought processes to mush. Unable to think for themselves they latch onto the slogans they've been fed by their puppet masters, and repeat them even when they are completely irrelevant. Or, as in this case, they take the thoughts of others and repurpose them, usually clumsily. Tsk tsk Schultzie. Like your beloved, you are now in the golf cart, following the lead of others because you're just too tired and too weak to come up with your own material.
Sad.
"Thought processes to mush" is a line from PG Wodehouse. Credit where due.
[61] Obvious bias alert: that article is slanted to smear democrats while obscuring pertinent facts.
The headline should read:
Obscure programmer busted with underage porn on laptop also happens to be a Democrat
Giveaways to the slant of the article include the unnecessary use of the term "shocking" in the headline (is kiddie porn ever not shocking?) and the ham-fisted attempt to associate the unfortunate young man with DeBlasio, when in fact the job he works at is several layers of bureaucracy away from the mayor's office, and is likely located in another part of town altogether.
Republicans :eyeroll:
Hot Lip..
I was just illustrating how utterly ridiculous your bigoted comments are...
:D
[61] Obvious bias alert: that article is slanted to smear democrats while obscuring pertinent facts.
Oh puullleeeezzeeee.. You don't have ANY problem with the bias when WaPoop does it...
Your bigotry is showing..
The headline should read:
So now you want to re-write headlines to fit your Party bigotry...
My gods, ya'all's bigotry is sooo transparent...
Giveaways to the slant of the article include the unnecessary use of the term "shocking" in the headline (is kiddie porn ever not shocking?)
I dunno.. I The Holocaust ever NOT shocking???
But you and Hot Lips prove MY point and YOUR bigotry perfectly...
Hot Lips,
There's something about the rightwing environment that saps creative thought and reduces the denizens' thought processes to mush. Unable to think for themselves they latch onto the slogans they've been fed by their puppet masters, and repeat them even when they are completely irrelevant. Or, as in this case, they take the thoughts of others and repurpose them, usually clumsily. Tsk tsk Schultzie. Like your beloved, you are now in the golf cart, following the lead of others because you're just too tired and too weak to come up with your own material.
TRANSLATION: You are utterly devastating my bigoted comments and exposing my bigotry for all to see...
PWNED.... :D
Basically what ya'all are saying is that, with ALL this smoke, there MUST be a fire somewhere..
That's what the Right said about NOT-45..
The difference being that, in the email case, it was Rightie hacks blowing smoke; in the current case, the 'smoke' is coming from officials in the White House itself.
Hot Lips,
Schultzie: {61] Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
But I am glad to see you concede the complete and utter bigotry of your comments...
Maybe there IS hope for you after all.. :D
The difference being that, in the email case, it was Rightie hacks blowing smoke; in the current case, the 'smoke' is coming from officials in the White House itself.
Yea???
Prove it...
You can't because you have NO FACTS....
The difference being that, in the email case, it was Rightie hacks blowing smoke; in the current case, the 'smoke' is coming from officials in the White House itself.
And that is a distinction without a difference..
The point is, you have NOTHING but smoke...
With a person with an -R after his name, that MUST mean there is fire..
With a person with a -D after her name, that MUST mean there is NO fire..
Do you comprehend how utterly lame and bigoted your position is???
Schultzie: stealing someone else's joke is, naturally, par for the course for a republican. After all, so many of them are plagiarists and you are nothing if not spongelike in your adoption of GOP norms.
8 DEAD IN SHOOTING RAMPAGE IN MISSISSIPPI; SUSPECT ARRESTED
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MISSISSIPPI_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-05-28-09-32-12
Democrats.... :eyeroll:
The Party for dead cops....
[68] Balthaser: Always keep in mind that arguing about facts with Schultzie is a waste of time. He is BORG. He can go around in circles indefinitely while never actually saying anything real. The contrarian can say "nossir" forever.
It is the perfect position from which to troll because the intent is simply to annoy. He's losing his powers at this, but the old dog still knows the basic tricks of the trade and will employ them to the bitter end.
Schultzie: stealing someone else's joke is, naturally, par for the course for a republican.
Ahhhhh NOW your are claiming that your bigoted comments are a JOKE!!???
....... Mass shootings..... Ha ha
:^/
After all, so many of them are plagiarists and you are nothing if not spongelike in your adoption of GOP norms.
Do you REALLY want to list all the DEMCORAT plagerists out there???
You just keep digging your bigoted hypocrite hole deeper and deeper...
[68] Balthaser: Always keep in mind that arguing about facts with Schultzie is a waste of time.
You never HAVE any facts....
THAT's your problem...
All you have is hysterical bigotry...
And that is a distinction without a difference..
The point is, you have NOTHING but smoke..
Nice of you to admit, after the fact, that the Hillary email investigation - which went on for years and cost millions of dollars - was nothing but smoke.
But there is a distinct difference here: this case begins with numerous foreign and domestic intelligence agencies warning publicly about suspicious contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian spies, several high ranking Trump officials, including Sessions and Flynn lying publicly about those contacts - leading to the dismissal of Flynn, and the former heads of the FBI and CIA both saying under oath before congress that they'd seen enough disturbing activity to cause them to endorse a federal investigation into the matter.
Hillary's investigators had only whispy vapors compared to the thick black clouds we've got rolling here.
[73] On what basis do you call this shooter a Democrat?
Nice of you to admit, after the fact, that the Hillary email investigation - which went on for years and cost millions of dollars - was nothing but smoke.
No, that was YOUR characterization..
Please don't adopt Victoria's I KNOW YOU ARE BUT WHAT AM I arguments.
You are much smarter than that...
Hillary's investigators had only whispy vapors compared to the thick black clouds we've got rolling here.
Of course you would think that. Your bigotry is well documented...
[73] On what basis do you call this shooter a Democrat?
On the same basis you accuse Republicans of everything...
Paula [74]: Always keep in mind that arguing about facts with Schultzie is a waste of time. He is BORG.
Oh, I know that, Paula. But he's very in-sych with the hive-mind, so while these individual encounters may seem pointless, and largely are, they're a useful indicator of what the collective is thinking at any given time.
To avoid accidental assimilation into their fantasy world, I recommend frequent change of blast frequency. Switch it up. Hive minds don't pivot well.
[75] Schultzie, Schultzie -- you're getting all hot and bothered again!
Trying out the "I'm offended you would joke about" ploy.
Trying out the "It's ok if I plagiarize because other people do" ploy.
Throwing out the "hypocrite" label -- your favorite "go to" insult.
I think you probably need more vitamin B -- helps with brain functioning. You're probably deficient and that's why you're so repetitive and inclined to copy the work of others instead of creating your own.
I'd visit an MD as soon as possible and get your levels checked.
Balthasar: I guarantee you that while I'm typing this Schultzie will be typing some variation of "leftwing bigotry" or similar. He is GOP/BORG. In their world, Republicans are innocent, no matter what the evidence, and Dems are guilty, no matter what the evidence. That makes life easy because they never have to actually evaluate the evidence.
It's nice and simple over there in rightwing-land.
[81] Balthasar: Oops, crossed in the mail.
Yes -- Schultzie is a good little hive drone. And no, he can't pivot.
Paula [73]: On what basis do you call this shooter a Democrat?
Michale [80]: On the same basis you accuse Republicans of everything...
Like Trump, Michale doesn't have a vested interest in establishing credibility before throwing accusations around. What is the difference between Brennan and Breitbart? Credibilty. Righties do not understand that, and do not care.
Republicans rely instead on 'spaghetti theory': if you throw it randomly against the wall, and some sticks, it's good. I'm fairly sure that's Fox News' business model.
Like Trump, Michale doesn't have a vested interest in establishing credibility before throwing accusations around.
My credibility is well established here in Weigantia.
Ya'all's, on the other hand, has been PROVEN to be wanting...
On another note...
From 0600 to 1800 hrs tomorrow, I will forgo any political/partisan fighting in favor of honoring our military..
As the only one here who has actually worn the uniform in service of our country, I will do my part to honor those who serve, past, present and future..
As representatives of the Left Wingery, whose hatred against the military is well-established, I don't expect anyone here to honor the people who keep Americans free...
Just remember...
The US Military is overwhelmingly in President Trump's corner..
Another reason for the Hysterical Left Wingery to hate, despise and demonize the US Military....
Not that the Left has ever needed any reason....
Bite me, Michale. I was regular US Army once, which I've mentioned before.
Liberals don't hate the military. They hate many of the things that the military is asked to do, like when Bush 'pre-emptively' invaded a country that hadn't attacked us (while remaining personal friends with the Bin Laden family), when Eisenhower enlisted the help of the military for 'Operation Wetback', when Nixon ordered the secret invasion of Cambodia, when Trump sent soldiers to Yemen to kill women and children. Y'know, Republican things.
Liberals believe in the ideals of America. Democrats are as patriotic as any other Americans, we just don't wear 'flag' as often as Republicans, unless you count tee shirts, tote bags, car tops, headbands, kerchiefs, dog sweaters, and bikinis.
We just don't waste as much elbow grease saluting to tacky, smarmy, corny wastes of our patriotic time as Republicans do. Give me the Dixie Chicks over Travis Tritt any day.
i don't know about the rest, but not ready to make nice is a super track.
JL
[88] Balthsar: Yep!
[87] Shultzie: you know what's REALLY despicable? Military/Ex-military traitors who go along with selling our democracy to Vladdy so that DT can get loans and launder money, Jared Kushner can be a NY slumlord, and the GOP bigwigs can get their tax cuts for the wealthy.
Also despicable? Military/Ex-military who pontificate about "keeping Americans free" while genuflecting to a foreign dictatorship so their criminal leader can get money and the complicit GOP can get money, and can make working people less safe, less prosperous, and less free.
There are certainly military folks who fought for our country. And there are military folks who have and are betraying it.
When President Trump had a '-D' after his name, even Mr Odumbo aspired to be like Trump...
Little hint, Twitler never had a little ' -D' after his name. I have always found the man to be a narcissistic bore who was famous because he was born into money.
It's exactly like the 4th Circuit's ruling on the Immigration issue...
The 4th Circuit simply took Twitler at his word for the reason behind the ban of Muslims into this country.
Ahh... So NOW you are perfectly OK with the President being in cahoots with the CIA to create back-channel discussions with terrorists...
The question is why are you OK with Trump's transition team being in cahoots with a foreign power to create back-channel discussions with an adversary without our intelligence agencies' knowledge?
Ya'll are giving 'back channel' a bad name when it is actually a very effective diplomatic tool.
Of course, what we are talking about here is decidedly NOT a back channel but rather a secret line of communication ... set up out of the Russian embassy, no less, and ostensibly out of the reach of US intelligence.
That's not like any back channel I've ever heard of.
Michale simply can't be 'okay' with the potential of this unprecedented clandestine operation that would completely side-step, to put it mildly, the US intel community ... certainly not when the context of all of this is considered, dispassionately.
As representatives of the Left Wingery, whose hatred against the military is well-established, I don't expect anyone here to honor the people who keep Americans free...
Uncalled for, Michale. Your contempt for your fellow Weigantians is wholly unwarranted.
I'm surprised there are any of us left here in this comments section which could win an award or two for most boring and/or most contemptuous.
Just remember...
The US Military is overwhelmingly in President Trump's corner..
Yeah, and the CIA gave Trump a standing ovation for the same reason... They are under his command. But if you think Trump is liked by military personnel, you are sadly mistaken. We live next to Fort Lewis, and most of the soldiers we are friends with think he is a disaster. The Republicans love to claim to be pro-military, but they only care about military contractors and not those actually serving! Tell me how a military family can qualify for SNAP if the Republicans truly cared about them?
Apparently, handshakes have become veritable moments of truth.
One day, someone is going to dislocate Trump's shoulder.
Liz,
Ya'll are giving 'back channel' a bad name when it is actually a very effective diplomatic tool.
I agree! Michale ignores the fact that Trump was not the President when Kushner was requesting this, supposedly. However, the biggest issue is that Trump trusted the Soviets more than he did our own government's intelligence. But then again, our government's banks aren't willing to give him a line of credit like Russia's will, so maybe it's not as complicated a matter as some might assume.
Russ,
You're right - it may not be complicated, at all!
But, it's the cumulative and wide-ranging nature of it all that leads to suspicions and questions as to why all of this connection to Russia and lack of criticism of Russian behavior surrounding an American presidential election???
@liz,
agreed, it's strange and more than a little upsetting how many facets this issue seems to have. maybe the russians started the "wire tapp" rumor to try to establish communication and exert influence outside the reach of the US intelligence community?
the more evidence comes out, the more it corroborates other evidence, the more it fuels speculation about what shoe might fall next.
JL
the more evidence comes out, the more it corroborates other evidence, the more it fuels speculation about what shoe might fall next.
"Centipedegate?"