The Trump Presidency 13: The (James) Baker's Dozen

[newyorkguy]

Last night Spike Lee appeared at the Oscars in Hollywood to receive an Oscar for Best-Adapted Screenplay. In his acceptance speech Lee said,

“The 2020 election is around the corner – let’s all mobilize and be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate,” Lee said. Link

Donnie responded, by tweet:

@realDonaldTrump
Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres! Link

 

[Dr. Keith]

I see. So there's really no point in talking about this with you. Understood.

Yeah, no point if that is all you are going to bring to the discussion.

You pointed out that the president hired one man who was respected prior to being hired as if that countered the fact that his hires have been quite consistently bad.

That's like pointing out that the Browns beat the Bengals twice last year last year to counter the claim that they have been quite consistently bad.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Yeah, no point if that is all you are going to bring to the discussion.

You pointed out that the president hired one man who was respected prior to being hired as if that countered the fact that his hires have been quite consistently bad.

Except of course by the green berets who he hung out to dry.

"A former Army Special Forces officer is accusing retired Marine General James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, of "leaving my men to die" after they were hit by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2001.

Mattis has not commented publicly on the incident, which was chronicled in a 2011 New York Times bestselling book, “The Only Thing Worth Dying For,” by Eric Blehm. The book portrays Mattis as stubbornly unwilling to help the Green Berets."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/former-special-forces-officer-gen-mad-dog-mattis-left-my-n691211

But no marine would ever stick their neck out for the army.

 

[Andy_Ross]

TrumP Tweets

Since my election as President the Dow Jones is up 43% and the NASDAQ Composite almost 50%. Great news for your 401(k)s as they continue to grow. We are bringing back America faster than anyone thought possible!

 

[jimbob]

It's really disgraceful that Trump would write something like that. Reid wasn't "thrown out." He served in the U.S. Senate for thirty years before retiring due to advancing age and a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

To have a U.S. president express himself in such crude and dishonest ways, and to do it on social media!, is very damaging to our country. SAD!

FIFY

 

[Aber]

Re: Trump having a "Ceaușescu moment"...

Followed by execution by firing squad?

That might be going a little far.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1100062898229981185

Opposition to Trump's emergency declaration grows. 23 former Republican members of Congress are urging legislators to "pass a joint resolution terminating the emergency declared by the President." Via Politico

Documents embedded in tweet.

 

[TurkeysGhost]

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1100062898229981185



Documents embedded in tweet.

Republican former members of congress may have scruples, but serving members do not.

 

[Garrison]

TrumP Tweets

Since my election as President the Dow Jones is up 43% and the NASDAQ Composite almost 50%. Great news for your 401(k)s as they continue to grow. We are bringing back America faster than anyone thought possible!

Looked up the Nadaq Composite, its still below the level it reached in October 2018, but I guess Trump won't take 'credit' for the huge dip that happened late last year.

 

[Segnosaur]

A few rumblings from some Republican donors about the upcoming 2020 elections...

From: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/25/trump-2020-campaign-strategy-1179119
more than 100 major Republican donors gathered at the Trump International Hotel for a presentation from the president’s campaign manager Brad Parscale and other top political hands on their plans to keep the White House in 2020 after a brutal midterm election. But several of the GOP contributors left the two-day retreat in Washington dissatisfied, dogged by essentially the same concern: The president doesn’t really have a strategy to win reelection. They are chiefly worried about how he intends to prevail again in the Rust Belt states that voted for Trump in 2016, but where Democrats performed strongly in last year's midterms. But there are also concerns about whether the president's fundraising apparatus is up to the task, and whether Trump will trample on any strategy or message the campaign does develop, as he frequently does.

Now, Trump did win the 2016 elections, even though his campaign was often called a 'dumpster fire'. But, that was against Clinton, a politician that the Republicans had decades to attack her character. (And that was also back when the media was often giving Trump a free pass on many of his lies.)

So, if republican donors are unhappy, it brings up a few possibilities: 1) they bite the bullet and contribute to Trump anyways, 2) they ignore the presidential campaign and donate to lower level candidates instead. (That's largely what they did in the last election.)

 

[Stacko]

Yet more legal issues for Stubby McBonespurs:

From: https://www.thedailybeast.com/alva-...suit-that-trump-kissed-her-without-consent-10
Alva Johnson, a staffer on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, has filed a lawsuit against the president, in which she accuses him of kissing her without her consent ahead of a rally in Florida months before the election.

Of course, we all know that's a ridiculous claim. Trump would never try to kiss someone without consent. Instead he will grab them by the pussy. And she would never refuse, since they just let you do it.

In case you haven't been keeping count, this is the 23rd woman to accuse him of sexual assault.

 

[Steve]

Last night Spike Lee appeared at the Oscars in Hollywood to receive an Oscar for Best-Adapted Screenplay. In his acceptance speech Lee said,

Donnie responded, by tweet:

Any explanation for why Trump just assumed that Lee was referring to HIM as being on the wrong side of history and as the "hate' part of "love vs hate"? Did Lee mention him by name?

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

It is my honor today to announce that Danny Burch, a United States citizen who has been held hostage in Yemen for 18 months, has been recovered and reunited with his wife and children. I appreciate the support of the United Arab Emirates in bringing Danny home...

...Danny’s recovery reflects the best of what the United States & its partners can accomplish.
We work every day to bring Americans home. We maintain constant and intensive diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement cooperation within the United States Government and with...

..our foreign partners. Recovering American hostages is a priority of my Admin, and with Danny’s release, we have now secured freedom for 20 American captives since my election victory. We will not rest as we continue our work to bring the remaining American hostages back home!

 

[Andy_Ross]

Any explanation for why Trump just assumed that Lee was referring to HIM as being on the wrong side of history and as the "hate' part of "love vs hate"? Did Lee mention him by name?

He's a paranoid loon with a guilty conscience?

 

[Segnosaur]

Re: Spike Lee's acceptance speech regarding racism and hate

Any explanation for why Trump just assumed that Lee was referring to HIM as being on the wrong side of history and as the "hate' part of "love vs hate"? Did Lee mention him by name?

It could be that at the end of Blackkklansman, there are scenes showing neo-Nazi marchers in charlottesville, along with Trump's statements about there being "fine people on both sides". (Suggesting, quite rightly, that Trump considers racists to be "fine people".)

Granted, Trump probably didn't watch the movie Blackkklansman (or if he did, he thought it was a tragedy.... those fine people unfairly targeted by the cops just for exercising their rights.) But he might have had it explained to him.

 

[WilliamSeger]

Last night Spike Lee appeared at the Oscars in Hollywood to receive an Oscar for Best-Adapted Screenplay. In his acceptance speech Lee said,

Donnie responded, by tweet:

Hmmm, I wonder why Trump didn't say, "Thanks for the endorsement, Spike."

 

[newyorkguy]

Any explanation for why Trump just assumed that Lee was referring to HIM as being on the wrong side of history and as the "hate' part of "love vs hate"? Did Lee mention him by name?

I didn't watch the Oscars but from what I have read, I don't think Spike Lee mentioned Donnie by name. Did he need to?

By the way, the other part of Donnie's tweet:

@realDonaldTrump
...your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!

I think realistically the claim I highlighted could be a problem for Democrats in the 2020 election. A lot of moderates do give Trump credit for the strong economy and the low unemployment rate. Even people I know who otherwise despise him. They might vote for him too, in 2020. Their reasoning is, "The economy is going pretty good. Why switch horses in mid-stream?"

The deeper problem is, how much of the good numbers are because of Trump? What has he done other than, as someone put it, "been sitting in the chair" when the economy went into an upcycle? What exactly has he done to boost the economy and how has he done it? Dereg and tax cuts? Is that really the reason? Look at the chart below (does not show 2018) and you can see, unemployment peaked in 2010 and has been declining ever since at roughly the same rate, including for African Americans. There's no increase in the rate of decline once Trump is in office. Remember, a constant criticism of Donald Trump is, he'll take credit for anything.
.

 

[JoeMorgue]

Former Trump campaign staffer sues, alleging that Trump kissed her without consent

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/25/politics/alva-johnson-donald-trump-lawsuit/index.html

"A former Trump campaign staffer is suing President Donald Trump and his campaign, alleging that the then-Republican presidential candidate kissed her without her consent during the 2016 race. She's also suing over equal pay -- claiming that she was paid less for her work based on race and gender."

Well I'm sure this will be the smoking gun that finally takes Trump down.

 

[Segnosaur]

By the way, the other part of Donnie's tweet:
...your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!

I think realistically the claim I highlighted could be a problem for Democrats in the 2020 election.

You're right... it could be. People don't really understand the details of how the economy works, they may just jump on some broad figure like "unemployment rate" and think it means more than it does.

That's why I'm hoping a recession happens sooner than later. (Not that I WANT people to suffer, but recessions are cyclical. One will happen some time, sooner than later. I would much rather see one start now, when Trump is in power and people can associate it with him, rather than after 2020, when (if Trump loses) a potential Democratic president gets blamed for the downturn.

Fortunately, there are a few things working in favor for the democrats:

- There are economic issues which are affecting average voters (income tax refunds are smaller this year, tariffs are harming some of Trump's core voters.)

- Even with the current "economic success", Trump's poll numbers are poor. So if/when the economy does start to falter, it will really really hurt him.

The deeper problem is, how much of the good numbers are because of Trump?

The answer to that is: Pretty much nothing.

The economy started to pick up under Obama. (In fact, more jobs were created in the last full year of Obama's presidency than in the first year of Trump's.) In Trump's first year in office, the economy did do well, but that was before Trump actually started to do anything. Once he actually started to take action (getting involved in trade, getting his tax cut bill passed, etc.) then the economy started to falter.

Now, its possible that some of Trump's actions have provided a benefit... tax cuts improved corporate profits, for example. But such benefits are largely temporary (and those tax cuts are fueling an ever-growing debt that must be dealt with.)

 

[The Big Dog]

Ha, another grifter claims that Trump tried to kiss her in 2016.

Lets take a gander at what she said in 2017?

As recently as May 2017, Johnson spoke glowingly of Trump in a radio interview. “He’s just the nicest guy... He treats everyone as if they are a part of his family," she told the Alabama-based program Politics and Moore.

Plus I thought he was totally racist or something?

any way, cool story "resistance." lolz