President* Trump

[rstrong]

[JTA]

It seems like the Trump admin is in a death spiral: http://www.newsweek.com/allies-intercep ... ons-557283

U.S. ALLIES CONDUCT INTELLIGENCE OPERATION AGAINST TRUMP STAFF AND ASSOCIATES, INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS

The foreign agency is also gathering electronic and human source information on Trump’s overseas business partners, at least some of whom the intelligence services now consider to be agents of their respective governments. These operations are being conducted out of concerns that Russia is seeking to manipulate its relationships with Trump administration officials as part of a long-term plan to destabilize the NATO alliance.

...

Worse, the United States is now in a situation that may be unprecedented—where European governments know more about what is going on in the executive branch than any elected American official.

...

[Vrede too]

We may just be seeing the tip of the Russian iceberg at this point, and more revelations could theoretically lead to impeachment. Also:

... Some details about Trump’s business partners were passed to the American government months ago. For example, long before the president’s inauguration, German electronic surveillance determined that the father of Trump’s Azerbaijani business partner is a government official who laundered money for the Iranian military; that information was shared with the CIA, according to a European source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Of equal concern to our allies is Trump’s business partner in the Philippines, who is also the special representative to Washington of that country’s president, Rodrigo Duterte. This government official, Jose E.B. Antonio, is the head of Century Properties, which in turn is a partner with the president’s business in the construction of Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines. According to people with direct knowledge of the situation, a European intelligence service has obtained the contracts and other legal documents in the deal between the Trump Organization and Antonio. That deal has already resulted in large payments to Trump’s business, with millions of dollars more on the way—all coming from an agent of the Philippine president.

The financial relationship between an American president and the Philippine government comes at a time when the historic alliance between the West and the Southeast Asian country is under great stress. Since the election last year of Duterte, a campaign of slaughter has gripped the Philippines, with death squads murdering thousands of suspected drug users in the streets. The carnage, which intelligence officials have concluded is being conducted with Duterte’s involvement, has been condemned throughout the Western world; the Parliament of the European Union and two United Nations human rights experts have urged Duterte to end the massacre.

Duterte has responded by signaling his government could tilt its alliances away from the West, instead turning to China as its primary ally. Such a move could be devastating, given that the American armed forces maintains large military bases there. The situation with the Philippines “is already an enormous challenge,” one official with direct knowledge of the European intelligence operations said. “President Trump’s business there is a complicating factor that we are trying to assess.” ...

[Vrede too]

The irony of (President*) Trump whining about leaks

"Donald Trump has benefited from leaks more than the CEO of Depends. So forgive me if I am unpersuaded by Trump's complaints about them."

[rstrong]

There's also the possibility that he'll adapt ...

Sheesh, now I'm concerned about rstrong's sanity.

The Democrats’ 2020 Nightmare

The first is that they can’t just count on Trump to mess things up and flame out. George W. Bush erased our budget surplus, presided over the intelligence failures of 9/11, gave us black sites and the use of torture, and invaded Iraq based on bogus intelligence. The response of voters: let’s have another round! For all his flaws, Bush had clear convictions and aims, while John Kerry didn’t. Yes, yes: the convictions were fanatical and the aims delusional, but that just goes to show how much more politically effective bad beliefs are than vague ones.

[Vrede too]

Agreed, the GOP had little other than NObama, but they were energetic about it. The Dems have little other than NoGOP, but they're way too tame about it.

[Vrede too]

The Democrats’ inept resistance: Party leaders want Bernie Sanders to save them from angry activists
Rather than crafting an agenda to appeal to angry voters, Democrats make harebrained plans to hide from them

"The bigger problem underlying all this is that the Democratic Party still doesn’t seem to have a broader agenda other than projecting, 'We’re not Donald Trump.'”

[Vrede too]

Flynn, Puzder, Immigration EO, nearly DeVos, all in the 1st month = Yuuuge Looozer POTUS.

[Boatrocker]

The Democrats’ inept resistance: Party leaders want Bernie Sanders to save them from angry activists
Rather than crafting an agenda to appeal to angry voters, Democrats make harebrained plans to hide from them

"The bigger problem underlying all this is that the Democratic Party still doesn’t seem to have a broader agenda other than projecting, 'We’re not Donald Trump.'”

"I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat." Will Rogers

[Vrede too]

I just watched the first part of President* Trump's news conference. I wish it was hyperbole to say so but I have never heard such a pitiful litany of self aggrandizement, lies and whining from any pol, ever. It was so bad that even I started feeling a little sorry for him before changing the channel.

Just one example, paraphrased: "My electoral vote victory (304-227) was the greatest since Reagan."

Ummm,
Barack Obama 2012: 332-206
Barack Obama 2008: 365-173
Bill Clinton 1996: 379-159
Bill Clinton 1992: 370-168
George H. W. Bush: 426-111

In reality, President* Trump's electoral vote victory was the 6th greatest since Reagan, only surpassing both Shrub margins. Sad.

[rstrong]

I think Trump's plan is to keep diluting the truth until it achieves homeopathic like potency.

[neoplacebo]

I've also been watching this "news conference" and have never seen anything like this. Trump is completely insane and should be fucked, broken, and driven across the land.

[k9nanny]

I caught the end of it, and tried to maintain a professional detachment.
Anyone else think he and Kellyann attended the same school of elocution? The one that leaves out any hint of punctuation?

<sigh> Every morning I wake up, and every morning the reality of it slaps me in the face.
Please, tell me this is a parallel universe, and one morning I'll wake and we'll be back in the bearable one.

Please? Anyone?

[rstrong]

Trump also repeated his wingnutty campaign fantasy that "Hillary Clinton give Russia 20 percent of the uranium in our country."
In a speech to the entire country.
As President.

[billy.pilgrim]

Trump also repeated his wingnutty campaign fantasy that "Hillary Clinton give Russia 20 percent of the uranium in our country."
In a speech to the entire country.
As President.

And no one called him out on it

[Vrede too]

... <sigh> Every morning I wake up, and every morning the reality of it slaps me in the face.
Please, tell me this is a parallel universe, and one morning I'll wake and we'll be back in the bearable one.

Please? Anyone?

There, there, it's only a bad dream. Everything is fine . . . oh crap, I can't do it, RUN!!!

[rstrong]

There, there, it's only a bad dream. Everything is fine . . . oh crap, I can't do it, RUN!!!

I got this.

There, there. Sleep well. Everything is fine. The Prime Minister is doing a good job....

[Vrede too]

Is that an invite?

My touchstone for knowing when Putin puppet President* Trump has screwed up so bad, regardless of politics, that he's irretrievably lost the American people will be when Mr.B finally admits that Hillary, as flawed a candidate as she was, was the better choice. I won't hold my breath - it'll take brains, heart and balls - but some things are so obvious that they can't be hidden from forever. Y'all let me know when it happens, please.

[Vrede too]

I just watched the first part of President* Trump's news conference. I wish it was hyperbole to say so but I have never heard such a pitiful litany of self aggrandizement, lies and whining from any pol, ever. It was so bad that even I started feeling a little sorry for him before changing the channel.

Just one example, paraphrased: "My electoral vote victory (304-227) was the greatest since Reagan."

Ummm,
Barack Obama 2012: 332-206
Barack Obama 2008: 365-173
Bill Clinton 1996: 379-159
Bill Clinton 1992: 370-168
George H. W. Bush: 426-111

In reality, President* Trump's electoral vote victory was the 6th greatest since Reagan, only surpassing both Shrub margins. Sad.

Ah, finally found an article that mentions it.

Trump touts false claim about election victory

... “I got 306 Electoral College votes ... It was the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan.”

The president earned 306 electoral votes, but technically received only 304 after two electors defected. Three hundred and six is fewer than the electoral votes earned by the winners in 2012 (332), 2008 (365), 1996 (379), 1992 (370) and 1988 (426). NBC News reporter Peter Alexander brought this fact up to the president.

“I was talking about Republican,” said Trump....

:-0?> It's not what he said and George H. W. Bush is a Republican.

[O Really]

It was a lame response no matter what. As was "I was given that information..." Never did admit the claim was wrong. No surprise there, though.