There aren't any, in Trump's administration. Or in the rest of the Republican Party's upper echelons.
The Trump Presidency
- Thread starter joepistole
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That's a good question and I don't think we yet know the answer. Trump ran on a platform of non interventionism. His big flipflop is certainly dramatic and when combined with his other flipflops it may ultimately cost him some support within his already fractured party. But it probably won't matter until the 2020 election cycle and that's a long time in American politics. It depends on what Trump does next. Does Trump continue down this road? Does he increase American involvement in Syria and North Korea? If the US is spending trillions and trillions rebuilding Syrian and North Korea in 2020 it could very well hurt The Donald and the Republican Party. Then again, it may not matter if Joe Sixpack is dumb, fat, and happy. The big question is what comes next? Bombing Syria might give Trump a temporary boost in polling, but it's only a short term fix. The euphoria evaporates. My fear is Trump becomes addicted to militarism. It's an easy fix for him.
Thus far I haven't seen anyone within his party speak critically of Trump. It's a rare thing to see a Republican attack a Republican president because, you know, he's a Republican.
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In one news cycle The Donald has managed to flip flop on:
1) NATO
2) The Federal Reserve
3) Interest Rates
4) America First
5) Export Import Bank
What's next? The good news is Trump has taken more traditional and rational positions on all the above. The question now is for how long? When will he flip back? Trump is nothing if not erratic.
DrKrettin
Registered Senior Member
Yes - many thanks - I can view it.
#cowardice | #WhatTheyVotedFor
As it turns out, there is something President Trump's detractors and supporters can agree on: It's Donald's fault.
And in another new filing in the same case, a Trump supporter accused of assaulting protesters agreed with the plaintiffs that Trump wanted a riot — while denying he actually harmed anyone.
Alvin Bamberger, who was seen in a video pushing a protester through a jeering crowd at the Louisville convention center, “would not have acted as he did without Trump and/or the Trump Campaign’s specific urging and inspiration,” Bamberger's lawyer wrote.
Bamberger denied “shoving … and striking” anyone, as the lawsuit accuses him of. But he admitted to touching plaintiff Kashiya Nwanguma, a 21-year-old college student who had gone to the rally with a protest sign.
And he accepted as true her claims that Trump's speech “was calculated to incite violence” against the protesters.
“Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump and/or the Trump Campaign repeatedly urged people attending Trump political rallies to remove individuals who were voicing opposition,” reads Bamberger's filing, which asks that Trump be forced to pay his damages, if he's found liable.
(Selk↱)
Alvin Bamberger, who was seen in a video pushing a protester through a jeering crowd at the Louisville convention center, “would not have acted as he did without Trump and/or the Trump Campaign’s specific urging and inspiration,” Bamberger's lawyer wrote.
Bamberger denied “shoving … and striking” anyone, as the lawsuit accuses him of. But he admitted to touching plaintiff Kashiya Nwanguma, a 21-year-old college student who had gone to the rally with a protest sign.
And he accepted as true her claims that Trump's speech “was calculated to incite violence” against the protesters.
“Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump and/or the Trump Campaign repeatedly urged people attending Trump political rallies to remove individuals who were voicing opposition,” reads Bamberger's filing, which asks that Trump be forced to pay his damages, if he's found liable.
(Selk↱)
The idea of Republicans as the Party of Accountability always felt strange; now that the GOP is the Party of Trump, well, okay, they're just a little more blatant about it all. Trump attorneys argued Friday that the president "is immune from the suit because he is President of the United States", which in turn doesn't fly but is, in its own way, hilarious nonetheless. As questions of relevance go, I don't think this is a case that will make Republicans regret dragging Bill Clinton in for such extraordinary process, but we can note that if that much of a president's history is exposed to lawsuit, then what a president did to get elected is well within the range of what people can sue about.
It's almost like we've finally come 'round to the Spirit of "Lester Coward".
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Notes:
Selk, Avi. "Trump says he can’t be sued for violence at his rallies because he won the election". The Washington Post. 15 April 2017. WashingtonPost.com. 17 April 2017. http://wapo.st/2omTq75
Has anyone been following Louise Mensch's twitter feed? Is she a loon or is it likely that Trump and his associates are more or less for the high jump quite soon and are really only governing in name as their game is up?
It is too complicated for me to follow and attaching credence is another story entirely ....
That Ms. Mensch is a bit off her rocker is part of the fun. The really good Twitter feed to watch is Greenwald's; he would rather, it seems, destroy the Democratic Party without any clue of where to go next or how to get there, as a means of overcoming the right-wing evil. It's rather quite striking to watch him tumbling down the rabbit hole of self-imposted leftist exclusion, yet that really does seem exactly where he's going.
There was a great moment when he tried to argue against American liberals embracing Mensch en masse, which basically meant he was annoyed at someone, somewhere. Though it's true I've heard a couple Democrats mention her name, as well.
Still, the former Tory MP seems to be at the heart of the bullshit chain leading to the president's Twitter outburst accusing his predecessor. That, at least, ought to be worth something.
Those of us on this side of the Atlantic know her fairly well of old. She has let it be known that she has attention deficit disorder as well as a hard drug problem in the past that she claims has damaged her mind
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/l...essed-up-after-taking-hard-drugs-7920094.html
#cowardice | #WhatTheyVotedFor
While perhaps it felt great in the moment, yet another Trump supporter wants to pass the buck for their alleged criminal behavior onto the president:
A white nationalist leader accused of assaulting a young African-American woman at a Donald Trump campaign rally filed a countersuit on Monday claiming the president directed him and other supporters to remove protesters.
Matthew Heimbach claims in his federal court filing that he “acted pursuant to the directives and requests of Donald J. Trump and Donald J. Trump for President” and that, if he's found liable for damages, “any liability must be shifted to one or both of them.”
The legal fight stems from a March 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky, at which protesters were allegedly roughed up and ejected by Trump supporters after the then-candidate barked from the stage “get 'em out of here!”
The protesters filed civil assault and battery claims against Heimbach and two other Trump supporters and accused Trump of inciting his supporters.
Heimbach, a leader of the white supremacist Traditionalist Youth Network and a vocal Trump supporter during the campaign, can be seen in video from the Louisville rally pushing and screaming at a young African-American woman as Trump bellows “get out!”
The woman, Kashiya Nwanguma, joined two other protesters in filing the lawsuit against Heimbach, the two other Trump supporters, Trump and his campaign.
Matthew Heimbach claims in his federal court filing that he “acted pursuant to the directives and requests of Donald J. Trump and Donald J. Trump for President” and that, if he's found liable for damages, “any liability must be shifted to one or both of them.”
The legal fight stems from a March 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky, at which protesters were allegedly roughed up and ejected by Trump supporters after the then-candidate barked from the stage “get 'em out of here!”
The protesters filed civil assault and battery claims against Heimbach and two other Trump supporters and accused Trump of inciting his supporters.
Heimbach, a leader of the white supremacist Traditionalist Youth Network and a vocal Trump supporter during the campaign, can be seen in video from the Louisville rally pushing and screaming at a young African-American woman as Trump bellows “get out!”
The woman, Kashiya Nwanguma, joined two other protesters in filing the lawsuit against Heimbach, the two other Trump supporters, Trump and his campaign.
Once upon a time, Republicans claimed the mantle of the "Party of Accountability". It was always a pretty sick joke, as the idea was intended to focus partisan sniping while covering for something else.
Still, we've come a long way from holding Bill Clinton to account for adultery and conspiracy theories alike while demanding teachers prove they can teach kids without adequate funding but still finding reasons to overlook (y'know, for instance) the House Speaker's corruption, to the point that alleged independent thinkers looking to make America great again are filing briefs arguing, essentially, "I didn't do anything wrong, but if I did it's someone else's fault because Donald Trump told me to do it!"
In Heimbach's Monday filing, he “denies physically assaulting” any protesters. But he also levies blame at the protesters, writing that they “provoked a response” by trying “to disrupt a free assembly and campaign event and to infringe rights of the defendants and other attendees to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to vote and other constitutional rights.”
He writes that he “acted, if at all, in self defense,” as well as “in reasonable defense of others,” while also contending he was acting at Trump's instruction.
Noting that Trump is “a world famous businessman” who “relies on various professionals including attorneys and other professional advisors,” Heimbach writes that he "relied on Trump's reputation and expertise in doing the things alleged." Heimbach writes that he relied on Trump's authority to order disruptive persons removed and that Trump was legally within his rights to ask other attendees to assist in defending their constitutional rights "against 'protesters' who were disrupting.”
He writes that he “acted, if at all, in self defense,” as well as “in reasonable defense of others,” while also contending he was acting at Trump's instruction.
Noting that Trump is “a world famous businessman” who “relies on various professionals including attorneys and other professional advisors,” Heimbach writes that he "relied on Trump's reputation and expertise in doing the things alleged." Heimbach writes that he relied on Trump's authority to order disruptive persons removed and that Trump was legally within his rights to ask other attendees to assist in defending their constitutional rights "against 'protesters' who were disrupting.”
Meet the new Republican accountability, same as the old Republican accountability. Well, okay, #SameSameButDifferent.
The only surprising aspect is that once upon a time even Republicans could figure out what was wrong with, "I didn't do it, but if I did ...".
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Notes:
Vogel, Kenneth P. "White nationalist claims Trump directed rally violence". Politico. 17 April 2017. Politico.com. 18 April 2017. http://politi.co/2pdJsd5
A recent example of post-event justification.
"A "very powerful" US Navy armada which the Trump administration said was heading towards the Korean Peninsula to deter the North from carrying out a nuclear test was actually carrying out exercises with the Royal Australian Navy thousands of kilometres away in the Indian Ocean, the ABC has confirmed."
src: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-...ion-against-north-korea-turnbull-says/8451512
"THE US is being hailed for a manoeuvre against North Korea that has been described as an elaborate game of “psychological warfare”. "
src: http://www.news.com.au/finance/work...a/news-story/597a5f3f1f77fe1930ee5e9674fa5f13
I call Bullsh*t. "Psychological Warfare"...hee hee... more likely Trump made an over reaching impulsive mistake that turned out ok and the admin is now justifying it as genius...
Post event justification....
"A "very powerful" US Navy armada which the Trump administration said was heading towards the Korean Peninsula to deter the North from carrying out a nuclear test was actually carrying out exercises with the Royal Australian Navy thousands of kilometres away in the Indian Ocean, the ABC has confirmed."
src: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-...ion-against-north-korea-turnbull-says/8451512
"THE US is being hailed for a manoeuvre against North Korea that has been described as an elaborate game of “psychological warfare”. "
src: http://www.news.com.au/finance/work...a/news-story/597a5f3f1f77fe1930ee5e9674fa5f13
I call Bullsh*t. "Psychological Warfare"...hee hee... more likely Trump made an over reaching impulsive mistake that turned out ok and the admin is now justifying it as genius...
Post event justification....
He is one sick f*ck - "I want my wall! Waaahh!!!"
Trump Threatens To Cut Off Health Care For Millions If He Doesn't Get His Way
No, Trump, people will die far sooner than anyone would have thought. They will die because of YOU.
No, Trump, people will die far sooner than anyone would have thought. They will die because of YOU.
What kind of sick, poisonous mind would resort to dangling a Tweet like this over the heads of millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions, children unable to secure affordable health care through their parents, men and women who need preventative care to diagnose potentially fatal diseases?
Because like a spoiled infant, he’s unable to get his way? Because no one is going along with building his stupid border wall? For that he’s going to hold Americans’ lives hostage?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/...h-Care-For-Millions-If-He-Doesn-t-Get-His-Way
Go back to your natural environment Trump - you're an invasive species...Because like a spoiled infant, he’s unable to get his way? Because no one is going along with building his stupid border wall? For that he’s going to hold Americans’ lives hostage?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/...h-Care-For-Millions-If-He-Doesn-t-Get-His-Way
Twofer today...
Here we have our preeminent moron admitting that anything he doesn't know much about has no reason to exist - one more notch in the ole narcissistic belt:
Here we have our preeminent moron admitting that anything he doesn't know much about has no reason to exist - one more notch in the ole narcissistic belt:
Quote of the Day: I Said NATO Was Obsolete Because I Didn't Know Anything About NATO
From Donald Trump, explaining why he said NATO was obsolete during the campaign:
From Donald Trump, explaining why he said NATO was obsolete during the campaign:
I was on Wolf Blitzer, very fair interview, the first time I was ever asked about NATO, because I wasn't in government. People don't go around asking about NATO if I'm building a building in Manhattan, right? So they asked me, Wolf ... asked me about NATO, and I said two things. NATO's obsolete — not knowing much about NATO, now I know a lot about NATO — NATO is obsolete, and I said, "And the reason it's obsolete is because of the fact they don't focus on terrorism."
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dr...lete-because-i-didnt-know-anything-about-nato
"Some people can handle their learning curve better than others".
"Sometimes there isn't time for a learning curve."
The lesson was not about NATO but about taking a position on a subject he knows nothing about.
There is some evidence that Trump is slowly learning.
"Sometimes there isn't time for a learning curve."
The lesson was not about NATO but about taking a position on a subject he knows nothing about.
There is some evidence that Trump is slowly learning.
You mean "sssssllloooooooooowwwwlllllyyy", right?
Raaaaaaaththerrrrrr sloooooooiwwwlllllyy 
My fear is that he will just learn to better BS his intellectually challenged base - 96% still think he's Grrrreatt!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/04/23/poll-96-percent-of-trump-voters-don-t-regret-it.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/04/23/poll-96-percent-of-trump-voters-don-t-regret-it.html
Like I said ages ago. The support he has is essentially irrational. Surely you don't expect them to suddenly become rational?
What I mean is that even rational persons have difficulty justifying their original and their ongoing support, but continue to support him they do. So his performance and integrity are irrelevant. The question is, though, what IS relevant to his support bases devotion?
What I mean is that even rational persons have difficulty justifying their original and their ongoing support, but continue to support him they do. So his performance and integrity are irrelevant. The question is, though, what IS relevant to his support bases devotion?
You will note the most bizarre March for science just had across the globe. A March for rationality, sanity, truth etc.. I never thought I would see the day when people feel the need to protest against fiction in such a way.
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