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You are here: Home / Archives for Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45

Dolt 45

Repub Venality Open Thread: Terrible People “Guarding” Our Borders

by Anne Laurie|  June 5, 20184:13 pm| 124 Comments

This post is in: Activist Judges!, Dolt 45, Immigration, Open Threads, Post-racial America, Republican Venality, All Too Normal, Fucked-up-edness

Separation of children is being used as a deterrent for other immigrants. This is Trump’s policy. https://t.co/isvla5HRWe

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 5, 2018

The president has gone through a lot of trouble to ax DACA and impose a tough immigration crackdown that’s at the heart of his political identity… but when things get controversial he’s preferred to blame Democrats, who want to do the opposite, rather than own those actions.

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 5, 2018

Two lies here. There’s no legislation that requires separation; this is a Trump policy he refuses to own. Trump hasn’t started a wall; there’ve been a couple of fence replacement projects. pic.twitter.com/NRK3qtYsKt

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) June 5, 2018

Here’s the AG who Trump professes disdain for describing the necessity of the policy Trump claims isn’t his own in an interview w @hughhewitt : pic.twitter.com/5VgZF6zmug

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 5, 2018

It sounds more reasonable with that honey dripping accent I'm sure pic.twitter.com/SPpSuwpU3m

— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 5, 2018

As this unfolds, please remember that the only way to seek asylum in the US—a protected right under international law—is to ‘spontaneously’ come to a US port of entry or govt official and apply. Sessions frames exercising this right as a crime for which you should lose your kids. https://t.co/Z5nwPaZlWq

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) June 5, 2018

I bet when Trump is berating him on Twitter & pressuring him to resign, Jeff Sessions ponders quitting, but he remembers the real reason he's stayed in the office, & improves his mood by watching video of CBP agents ripping crying children from the arms of asylum seekers.

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) June 5, 2018

“Senator Merkley and his staff saw children in cages.” https://t.co/E0qXlmDQ0t

— Matt Katz (@mattkatz00) June 5, 2018

The Trump admin says the way to avoid family separation is to present for asylum at a port of entry.

Except that border agents are — physically — stopping some asylum-seekers from getting to ports of entry. https://t.co/BnDHXfPWh6

— Dara Lind (@DLind) June 5, 2018

Repub Venality Open Thread: Terrible People “Guarding” Our BordersPost + Comments (124)

Sportsball Follow-Up Open Thread: SMALL!

by Anne Laurie|  June 4, 201810:42 pm| 135 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Open Threads, Sports, All Too Normal, Clown Shoes

A White House official says President Trump found the small size of the Eagles group coming to be “unsatisfactory” so he changed the event pic.twitter.com/pLUoqQVVPJ

— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) June 5, 2018


 
Some further commentary on Adam’s post. Not everybody wants to follow the labyrinths of, for instance, nuclear foreign policy. But cancelling an event because WAAAH MY WOUNDED FEE-FEES?…

I’ll believe that Trump is growing into the presidency when he stops treating himself like a toddler. pic.twitter.com/ZCtQ7u1Qmc

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) June 4, 2018

Philadelphia Eagles wise receiver Torrey Smith said in February that most of his teammates wouldn’t go to the White House. Here was his reason. Sounds about right. pic.twitter.com/12vyVBn1LB

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) June 5, 2018

I sure hope the NFL passes another new rule that players invited to the White House have to go or else. It's a sad day when they can't just go and line up in those nice straight lines — coffles, I think they call them — for their pictures as required, to celebrate freedom.

— NarowlyDecidedHat (@Popehat) June 4, 2018

“Coffle”

show full post on front page

Details on why the Eagles made their decision to send a smaller contingent, leading to Trump pulling the plug on the visit. pic.twitter.com/k3Adv6LNZy

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 4, 2018

America has spoken!!!?????????? pic.twitter.com/kGJCQ2nyfC

— commondisorder (@commondisorder) June 5, 2018

The Trump statement says that Eagles fans will still be invited to the White House “for a different type of ceremony” where they will “proudly play the national anthem” and I hope so many people take a knee in protest, as is their right https://t.co/WCtDHSlWzj

— Hayes Brown (@HayesBrown) June 4, 2018

Sportsball Follow-Up Open Thread: SMALL!Post + Comments (135)

Repub Venality Open Thread: “If You Tell the Truth, You Don’t Have to Remember Anything”

by Anne Laurie|  June 4, 20183:42 pm| 202 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Repubs in Disarray!, Russiagate, All Too Normal, Fucked-up-edness

President Nixon asked the Department of Justice if he could pardon himself. They said no, as no one may be the judge in their own case. He resigned three days later.

In case you want to follow the Nixon model, that would be Thursday. https://t.co/5ntHaySTBJ

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 4, 2018

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2018

"Under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case, the President cannot pardon himself."
Aug. 5, 1974 DOJ opinion, 4 days before Richard Nixon resigned.
It's right there on the DOJ website: https://t.co/G9gIbHNsDl pic.twitter.com/67H9pFzYXJ

— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) June 4, 2018

Set a toddler loose in your home, and you’ll discover what needs to be childproofed. Set Trump loose in your government, and you’ll discover what needs to be crook-proofed. https://t.co/KjAh5PTOaU

— Will Saletan (@saletan) June 4, 2018

It’s Constitutional Infrastructure Week.

— Mike Mc (@images_mc) June 4, 2018

This is the part where the press needs to get every single congressional Republican—every last one—on the record about whether they believe the President can pardon himself (he can't) and what, precisely, they will do if he attempts it. https://t.co/IAu90j9LDt

— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) June 4, 2018


 
Sam Clemens (quoted in the title of this post) was a skilled liar, aka “Professional Storyteller”; watching the current Oval Office Occupancy mangle the ancient forms would, IMO, cause him actual physical pain:

Asked about shifting explanations for statement on Trump Tower meeting, Rudy Giuliani tells @GStephanopoulos:

"This is the reason you don't let the president testify. Our recollection keeps changing, or we're not even asked a question and somebody makes an assumption." pic.twitter.com/DLQsGbfGhA

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 3, 2018

Actual progression:
-there was no mtg
-there was a mtg, but about adoption
-mtg wasn’t about adoption
-nothing was offered
-something was offered, wasn’t any good
-what was offered wasn’t taken
-let’s say something was taken, so what?
-memories keep changing, so can’t answer https://t.co/H7JC7e4E1s

— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) June 3, 2018

"George, I really think you're missing the point: my client committed a LOT of crimes, he was basically a human crime wave at the head of a crime family. George, I was told I could get my parking validated." pic.twitter.com/0nlU8zbEvj

— Orange Leader????? (@OrangeLeaderUSA) June 3, 2018

Repub Venality Open Thread: “If You Tell the Truth, You Don’t Have to Remember Anything”Post + Comments (202)

Russiagate Open Thread: Paul Manafort, Short-Time Coffee Boy

by Anne Laurie|  June 3, 20187:20 pm| 84 Comments

This post is in: Activist Judges!, C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Repubs in Disarray!, Russiagate

As only one of two people left who could become President, why wouldn’t the FBI or Department of “Justice” have told me that they were secretly investigating Paul Manafort (on charges that were 10 years old and had been previously dropped) during my campaign? Should have told me!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2018

….Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time (he represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole & many others over the years), but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn’t have been hired!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2018

The Oval Office Occupant is incapable of not drawing attention to himself, even when doing so is obviously gonna make a bad situation worse. He’s like a toddler who bursts unexpected into the grownups’ cocktail party, face covered in crumbs, screaming I DIDN’T DO IT I DIDN’T DO IT THAT BAD MAN MUELLER AND THE FBI ATE THE COOKIES! (Also, he’s soiled his big-boy pants, and from the acrid smoke now billowing out of the kitchen, managed to set something on fire.)

Manafort being the shadiest prick in all K Street was obvious before he joined the Trump campaign and was all anyone talked about the second he joined. Trump LOVED the idea of having a dictator-shilling white collar blood merchant in his corner, working pro bono.

— zeddy (@Zeddary) June 3, 2018

Among the ultra-predictable, ultra-asinine things people with narcissistic personality disorder do, there’s this:

Blaming others for not preventing them from making their own mistakes. https://t.co/rVWcdF74VE

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) June 3, 2018

pic.twitter.com/Q4LHRsdbsl

— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 3, 2018

show full post on front page

pic.twitter.com/6tGbygQsM4

— cra (@Mkblack64Black) June 3, 2018

….Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late pic.twitter.com/KDsc2hhgsj

— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 3, 2018

A bit of telling nostalgia from 2014 by @alexburnsNYT and @maggieNYT https://t.co/UDIa7fbLRh pic.twitter.com/y8cpxBl4gs

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) June 3, 2018

The ‘why didn’t the FBI stop us from hiring Manafort before he’d been charged?’ line originated with Lewandowski last year. Wonder if he’s wormed himself back into the mix. https://t.co/GESnXgBHoe

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) June 3, 2018

As Trump complains that no one warned him re Manafort, he leaves room for broad shift of responsibility – not just to federal investigators, but to the two people who recommended Manafort, Roger Stone and Tom Barrack.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 3, 2018

Tom Barrack, actual billionaire, former chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee, and one of the few if not the only person who’s called Trump “a friend”. What’s that poem about the snake, again?

Roger Stone says he introduced Paul Manafort to Trump at the 1988 Republican National Convention (https://t.co/RtebEXkOl0). Other accounts put the date as early as 1980 (https://t.co/dxbIdGAlmJ).

There's a reason Trump chose him to LEAD his campaign — and it wasn't ignorance. pic.twitter.com/ayq1sI5ddS

— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) June 3, 2018

Old thread detailing some of Manafort's three-decades relationship with Trump. Do not be fooled by media lackeys who echo Trump's lies. Those lackeys tried this last year too.

Information on Manafort and Trump's relationship goes back 30+ years and is in the public domain. https://t.co/DDLYSjsdpA

— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) June 3, 2018

Russiagate Open Thread: Paul Manafort, Short-Time Coffee BoyPost + Comments (84)

Why You Don’t Elect Stupid People, Part Infinity

by John Cole|  June 3, 20183:58 pm| 220 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45

Maybe the survivalists were just prepping for the Trump election:

President Trump appears prepared to unravel 70 years of pain­staking effort that the United States has led to build an inter­national system of trade based on mutually accepted rules and principles.

Ever since an agreement on trade emerged in 1947 from the ashes of World War II, presidents of both parties have pushed this system as a way to strengthen alliances and promote the expansion of democracy and prosperity in Europe and Asia.

But with Trump’s decision last week to enact aluminum and steel tariffs against U.S. allies in Europe and North America, he is subverting previously agreed-­upon trade pacts. The result is a brewing trade war with Canada, Mexico and Europe, which are expressing shock and bitter frustration while enacting tariffs of their own on a bevy of American products.

The measures announced last week went beyond Trump’s previous actions, such as pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a recently forged trade agreement among 12 nations, and his efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

Meanwhile:

President Donald Trump’s trade war is supposed to help boost America’s job market, but new tariffs could actually make things ugly for US workers.

On Thursday, Trump announced that the US would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from three key US allies: Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. The move follows earlier metals tariffs on countries around the world.

Peter Navarro, Trump’s protectionist-leaning trade adviser, wrote in a USA Today op-ed that the metals tariffs will be a boon for American workers.

But economists and trade experts say the ultimate result will be a net loss in US jobs — perhaps in the hundreds of thousands.

The tariffs will likely boost the price of steel and aluminum in the US, since metal imports will be subject to the additional tax. These higher prices are good news for steel and aluminum manufacturers, but they present a problem for companies that use those metals.

Increased costs for businesses that use steel and aluminum will put pressure on profits and force those companies to cut costs. Some of the necessary cost cutting is likely to come from the workforce, leading to layoffs.

And then there is this from the liberal Wall Street Journal:

New tariffs intended to bolster the American steel and aluminum industries are starting to have the opposite effect in a key part of the U.S. supply chain.

U.S. steel producers are benefiting from tariffs that make it more expensive for companies to buy the metals overseas. But some U.S. firms that use the metals to make everything from refrigeration parts to wheels say the tariffs have led to higher materials prices that are forcing them to charge more for their products. These firms say that in some cases, customers are turning to foreign suppliers that use cheaper, tariff-free metals to make the same products they can then export to the U.S. without bumping up against the new trade barriers.

The fallout, while so far limited, illustrates how efforts to protect some U.S. companies can cause unintended pain for others.

“This is a nightmare for steel consumers,” said H.O. Woltz III, chief executive of Insteel Industries Inc., a North Carolina maker of concrete reinforcements. Mr. Woltz said some of Insteel’s customers have indicated they will boost imports.

This is the best theory as to why Trump is doing this (other than being a fucking ignoramus):

Trump's "Logic" by @fawfulfan

Terrifying is right.

Why You Don’t Elect Stupid People, Part InfinityPost + Comments (220)

Gun Violence Open Thread: Heartbreaking

by Anne Laurie|  June 1, 20186:13 pm| 48 Comments

This post is in: Dolt 45, gun safety, Open Threads, World's Best Healthcare (If You Can Afford It)

It's so unbelievably depressing that these folks, going through the worst grief imaginable, end up having to teach a 70-year old man how to behave like a human. https://t.co/wRH0zvkTxs

— zeddy (@Zeddary) June 1, 2018

The mother of a teenage girl killed earlier this month in a massacre at Santa Fe High School in Texas tells PEOPLE she challenged President Donald Trump‘s views on gun violence during his Thursday meeting with survivors of the mass shooting and families of the victims.

Trump, 71, repeatedly called the gunman “wacky” while speaking at the gathering, at a Houston military base, according to Rhonda Hart…

She then explained that her daughter had anxiety, Asperger’s syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and “took medicine daily.”

“I said, ‘[The shooter] might have been depressed, but he wasn’t wacky.’ But if that kid needed help, he needed to have proper access to it,” Hart says, “meaning you shouldn’t repeal the Affordable Care Act [one of Trump’s cardinal promises] and get them the help they need and take away the stigma of mental illness.”

She says she told Trump, “Mental illness needs to be addressed.”

“I said all that and he didn’t say anything,” she says. “He was just like, ‘Uhhhh …’ ”

So… when do we get to the part where I talk about my bigly Electoral College win?

Per The Hill:

The mother of a Texas school shooting victim said that in a recent meeting with families, President Trump repeatedly suggested arming teachers as a way to combat school shootings…

Hart, who is an Army veteran, told the AP that she suggested employing veterans in schools to serve as guards, and that he responded, “and arm them?”

“It was like talking to a toddler,” she said…

[Trump tossing rolls of paper towels at the families of the Santa Fe school shooting victims]

Dry your tears with these! They work great for blood too so save some for next time! https://t.co/fTmBAlbF3F

— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) May 31, 2018

Gun Violence Open Thread: HeartbreakingPost + Comments (48)

Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: The Cost of Obtaining Justice

by Anne Laurie|  June 1, 201810:32 am| 190 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, Election 2016, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Russiagate

The price tag for Robert Mueller's investigation is about $17 million–and counting. https://t.co/Zgz6xXQbOa

— Carrie Johnson (@johnson_carrie) May 31, 2018

and for that we've gotten 22 indictments, sanctions against a Russian oligarch also implicated in attacks on US troops, 5 felony pleas including against an ex 3-star general with frightening foreign allegiances, & a sprawling case against one of the world's worst blood merchants. https://t.co/F3yHq3uK3l

— zeddy (@Zeddary) May 31, 2018

Per the Washington Post:

… The cost is not necessarily out of line with prior special investigations, and the documents note that Mueller is reporting what his work has caused other Justice Department components to spend — which previous special counsels have not. Mueller reported about $4.5 million in expenditures from October through March, and indicated his investigation caused other Justice Department components to spend about $5.5 million.

The money that Mueller spent directly came from an indefinite appropriation for independent counsels, which the Justice Department determined could be used to fund Mueller’s work. The department said the other money would have been spent by Justice Department components for the investigations “irrespective of the existence” of the special counsel’s office.

From October through March, Mueller, who has a team of 17 lawyers, spent $2.7 million on personnel costs, the new documents show. He also spent more than a half-million dollars on travel and more than $880,000 on rent, communications and utilities, the documents show.

By comparison, Lawrence E. Walsh, the prosecutor who investigated Reagan administration officials in the Iran-contra affair, spent $47.4 million during his eight-year investigation. Former independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr spent more than $52 million investigating President Bill Clinton, and the five independent counsels appointed to look into various Clinton-related matters during the 1990s spent more than $100 million.

If the case weren't getting results we could talk how much it costs. But it's hitting pay dirt again and again and again.

— zeddy (@Zeddary) June 1, 2018

pic.twitter.com/1LxoxBDQge

— McDeere (@McDeereUSA) May 31, 2018

4 Americans killed in Benghazi
•7 Federal investigations
•$6.9M in taxpayer money
•Total Outrage from the Right

4600 Americans killed by Hurricane Maria
•0 Federal investigations
•0 accountability
•Total Silence from the Right

The hypocrisy is deafening??

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) May 30, 2018


 
Speaking of Follow the Money, this widget is getting favorably reviewed:

Friends, please check out our new RUSSIA TRACKER. We are following all the witness interviews, subpoenas, criminal charges, and much more. Track all the key players. I've worked on this for months with @talyellin and @stark_talk. Hope you find it useful. https://t.co/cFhLddbnaH

— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) May 30, 2018

Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: The Cost of Obtaining JusticePost + Comments (190)

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