Cont: The Trump Presidency 11: Insert something funny

[Sideroxylon]

The usual, acceptable government response when dealing with abhorrent but necessary allies is well established in practice:

1. Announce publicly that your government is deeply, deeply concerned with reports of X having occurred. "We are shocked and dismayed to learn..."
2. Indicate that X goes against important internationally established law and human values, and certainly should never be permitted to occur again.
3. Publicly announce one or a few sanctions against the guilty ally. Preferably sanctions that sound really tough but have no very painful or long lasting bite (it helps if you do this with the secret cooperation and understanding of the guilty party. "Hey, would it be okay if... We don't really want to hurt or upset you. You understand we have to do something for our own public relations.").
4. Later, quietly remove even these sanctions when the fuss has died down.

This is exactly what many other governments dependent on Saudi oil and political power have done. The fact that Trump is unwilling to go even this far even this adds OBSEQUIOUS and COWARDLY to the words you employed as descriptors. Trump: a bully to the 98% of people he perceives as less powerful than himself, but an unbelievable quaking, rear-end kisser of the remaining 2%, who he fears.

Excellent summary and contains perhaps the best argument for a support of Trump’s position, but for the bumbling way he has done it and his conflicts of interests with the Saudis. A leader letting them off the hook in an openly pragmatic and rational approach would be more acceptable but still wrong. I personally prefer the fallible America that sometimes only paid lip service to the noble values it once represented. No, what we have here is a weak and cowardly dishonest approach to the situation that diminishes America and makes the world a more dangerous place with emboldened tyrannical leaders.

 

[a_unique_person]

He understands. It's misdirection. It's all Trump apologists have left.

They have very few molehills left to choose from.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Then undoubtedly you have some suggestions for what else Trump should be doing?

Excited!

How about at least listening to his own intelligence services?

 

[Cabbage]

Yeah, he said he collapsed heartbroken, which he published right after Osama got killed.

Context matters.

And your assertion that he said "exactly" why he "collapsed crying" is absolutely indicative of the type of analysis I have grown to expect around here.

He was heartbroken because his brave and beautiful (vomit) pal got wacked.

End of story.

It's OK, many people that only know English as a second language have trouble parsing some of the grammar. We understand.

 

[Sideroxylon]

How about at least listening to his own intelligence services?

His base love the idea of the ordinary bum, who avoids reading anything of depth, gain saying the opinions of professional experts - people who have put the effort into being lifelong learners. It is so empowering especially after so long having science undermining core elements of their beliefs/identities.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

President Trump has told The Wall Street Journal he expects tariffs to be placed on all Chinese imports, including items like iPhones. This could boost the cost of an iPhone by 10 percent, a hike which Trump believes would not be a problem. “People could stand that very easily,” Trump told the Journal.

The news comes four days ahead of a summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China’s top priority for the summit is to try to persuade the US to not implement a planned tariff increase that’s set to kick in on January 1st, which would raise existing tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 percent. Trump says Beijing’s request to hold off on this increase is “highly unlikely.”

Linky.

 

[LSSBB]

His base love the idea of the ordinary bum, who avoids reading anything of depth, gain saying the opinions of professional experts - people who have put the effort into being lifelong learners. It is so empowering especially after so long having science undermining core elements of their beliefs/identities.

Trump Syndrome

 

[Stacyhs]

He should have denounced the Prince and recommended sanctions. He should have demanded reparations from the Kingdom for Kashoggi's family. Instead, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth weakly gave this authoritarian regime a pass and denounced our own intelligence services.

Can you say 'PATHETIC'?

Can you say 'TRAITOR'?

By sanctioning the 17 Saudis involved with the Kashoggi murder, Trump is doing exactly what MbinS did; punishing scapegoats in an effort to look like he's taking action while allowing the man who ordered the murder to go unpunished.

 

[newyorkguy]

Trump Tweets

Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!

We'll close the border permanently? Does Donnie know that Mexico is the United States' third biggest trade partner? That we export over $250 billion worth of products to Mexico every year? Close the border permanently?

The sad thing is, American producers are already losing business in Mexico because of Trump. Because, a) Mexican corporations have been lobbied by Mexican political advocates not to do business with the U.S. and b) concerns that with Trump at the helm, America may no longer be a reliable partner to do business with.

 

[acbytesla]

By sanctioning the 17 Saudis involved with the Kashoggi murder, Trump is doing exactly what MbinS did; punishing scapegoats in an effort to look like he's taking action while allowing the man who ordered the murder to go unpunished.

Yep. Trump is a disgrace as a President and a human being. How any American can continue to support this festering mass of fecal matter is beyond me.

 

[acbytesla]

We'll close the border permanently? Does Donnie know that Mexico is the United States' third biggest trade partner? That we export over $250 billion worth of products to Mexico every year? Close the border permanently?

The sad thing is, American producers are already losing business in Mexico because of Trump. Because, a) Mexican corporations have been lobbied by Mexican political advocates not to do business with the U.S. and b) concerns that with Trump at the helm, America may no longer be a reliable partner to do business with.

The man is a moron.

 

[BobTheCoward]

Oh well, bit of a shame that I was the only one to come up with solid suggestions.

I gave an answer before.you ignored it.

 

[Minoosh]

This is exactly what many other governments dependent on Saudi oil and political power have done. The fact that Trump is unwilling to go even this far even this adds OBSEQUIOUS and COWARDLY to the words you employed as descriptors. Trump: a bully to the 98% of people he perceives as less powerful than himself, but an unbelievable quaking, rear-end kisser of the remaining 2%, who he fears.

I don't understand Trump's reflexive need to kiss dictator butt. In a day or two he'll announce he's in love with the crown prince. It's totally optional, so why does he do it? It's one of his more vulnerable areas, IMO, in that it definitely alienates some conservatives. Quite a few of them actually. He's usually pretty good at manipulating public opinion but he seems to have a real blind spot about telegraphing that he is not the "alpha male" in those scenarios.

A sublimated sexual kink, maybe? Does he have a desire to be dominated?

 

[Stacyhs]

I don't understand Trump's reflexive need to kiss dictator butt. In a day or too he'll announce he's in love with the crown prince. It's totally optional, so why does he do it? It's one of his more vulnerable areas, IMO, in that it definitely alienates some conservatives. Quite a few of them actually. He's usually pretty good at manipulating public opinion but he seems to have a real blind spot about telegraphing that he is not the "alpha male" in those scenarios.

A sublimated sexual kink, maybe? Does he have a desire to be dominated?

Didn't Stormy spank him with a TIME magazine?

 

[Minoosh]

Didn't Stormy spank him with a TIME magazine?

Does he have a safe word?

 

[varwoche]

I'm pretty sure that "not X" is not a proper response for this sort of question.

Unless one wants to be evasive, that is.

I'm going to share something with you that will come as a surprise to nobody here save for an emoji pusher or two. TBD's presentation in this thread -- in virtually every thread in which s/he participates -- is 200 proof evasion, infantile neenering, and flat-out lies. This particular evasion, like most of them, is comically transparent. Yawn, another weekday at ISF I say. The only question I have -- does TBD not realize that s/he is a laughing stock?

 

[Norman Alexander]

So far my most reliable answer for the questions about why Trump does what he does is simple: What's in it for Trump personally.

Forgiving the Saudis and MBS for murder? They have been bankrolling him and paying him to live in his hotels. Tens if not hundreds of millions annually that we know of. Will Donny risk that by biting the hand that feeds? It would appear not.

Fawning to Pootie while dissing the USA? Again, Russian banks "overseen" by Putin have been bankrolling Trump for decades. If Donny has been losing in the real estate and casino games bigly and constantly, where does his millions come from? Who rode shotgun on leaking stuff to Wikileaks? Who threw social media spanners into the 2016 election? Here's your answer. Putin has Donny's balls in his pocket, pee-tape or not.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Does he have a safe word?

Melania!

 

[acbytesla]

So far my most reliable answer for the questions about why Trump does what he does is simple: What's in it for Trump personally.

Forgiving the Saudis and MBS for murder? They have been bankrolling him and paying him to live in his hotels. Tens if not hundreds of millions annually that we know of. Will Donny risk that by biting the hand that feeds? It would appear not.

Fawning to Pootie while dissing the USA? Again, Russian banks "overseen" by Putin have been bankrolling Trump for decades. If Donny has been losing in the real estate and casino games bigly and constantly, where does his millions come from? Who rode shotgun on leaking stuff to Wikileaks? Who threw social media spanners into the 2016 election? Here's your answer. Putin has Donny's balls in his pocket, pee-tape or not.

I'm thoroughly convinced of this. This is a perfect example why the emoluments clause is in the Constitution. Trump is clearly a captive of foreign interests. He sold out and now can be threatened by those interests. He stopped representing America and now is owned by Russia and the Saudis. There cannot be another explanation.

 

[Stacyhs]

So far my most reliable answer for the questions about why Trump does what he does is simple: What's in it for Trump personally.

Forgiving the Saudis and MBS for murder? They have been bankrolling him and paying him to live in his hotels. Tens if not hundreds of millions annually that we know of. Will Donny risk that by biting the hand that feeds? It would appear not.

Fawning to Pootie while dissing the USA? Again, Russian banks "overseen" by Putin have been bankrolling Trump for decades. If Donny has been losing in the real estate and casino games bigly and constantly, where does his millions come from? Who rode shotgun on leaking stuff to Wikileaks? Who threw social media spanners into the 2016 election? Here's your answer. Putin has Donny's balls in his pocket, pee-tape or not.

I agree.