Trump

[Trigon]

I don't think we need to wait quite that long, as there is already a growing movement for this: http://time.com/4658633/impeach-donald-trump-congress/

If successful, then I'm going to bet that this will happen sometime within the middle of 2018.

[Oniya]

Yeah, I was kinda seeing bets like that back before the inauguration.

[Callie Del Noire]

Before summer is here, people are gonna start placing bets on how long Trump can remain in office...  :D

Uh.. they are doing it NOW. Particularly after his basically set a policy of saying anyone who disagree with him is a liar, wrong and un-American.

[HannibalBarca]

Interesting vid on Trump's literacy--or lack of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXGuJlTVXfw

[Verasaille]

I think we also need to remember, Trump is 70. He could be experiencing a little bit of age related senility. It happens to all of us. Not saying that someone in their seventies is too old to serve, but he does show signs of his age. I really think there should be a way for a person to be tested for their health and ability to do the job of president.

Come to think of it, I wonder when was the last time Trump had a physical?

[Lilias]

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-takes-hair-loss-medication-associated-sexual-dysfunction-mental-confusion-1604783

Original in the NYT, might be behind paywall.

Also, perspective.

[Trigon]

I don't think age is an excuse. To give an example, Noam Chomsky is 88 years old and intellectually he's still going strong (as is Immanuel Wallerstein at age 86). I think Trump's lack of literacy really does reflect, on some level, his lack of intelligence and/or his aversion to critical thinking...

[Lilias]

I don't think age is an excuse. To give an example, Noam Chomsky is 88 years old and intellectually he's still going strong (as is Immanuel Wallerstein at age 86). I think Trump's lack of literacy really does reflect, on some level, his lack of intelligence and/or his aversion to critical thinking...

Timely piece: https://eatprayvote.org/2017/02/06/is-donald-trump-functionally-illiterate/

[Verasaille]

I love this sign!

[Nachtmahr]

Interesting vid on Trump's literacy--or lack of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXGuJlTVXfw

I don't think we should take this guys analysis too far, but he does seem to be pretty much on point. The way Trump talks and tweets has irked me for well over a year now, since I was introduced to him (Literally had no idea who he was before that - I guess I'm kind of grateful for that). I mean, he doesn't sound smart. His tweets and political "statements" are often less coherent than an upset 16 year old persons YouTube comments on Daily Show videos. His body language is more just nonsensical flailing than anything else. He doesn't answer questions, and he doesn't seem to understand the gravity of any situation.

Add that to the fact that he's desperate for attention and positive reinforcement, and you've got a terribly dangerous cocktail. All of the blatant lying has already shown that he's willing to go to virtually any length to construct his own narrative. A narrative in which he's infallible, and the opposition are all liars and trolls out to get him. Everyone's jealous, ugly, spiteful, and so on.

Everything about the way he acts is childish and irresponsible, and more than half the time he seems absolutely puzzled as to what's going on around him. I mean, is he genuinely trying to attack the courts, or was he really just not aware that a president can't do anything he likes? It's Bush the 2nd all over again, where we have to wonder whether it's all a deliberate plot, or if he's really just treading water. His most recent Putin-comments definitely shifted my opinion towards the latter.

And then there's the allegation that he didn't even realize that he was putting Bannon on the security counsel, but just blindly signed it. And the fact that he seems to genuinely struggle when reading out what his executive orders are about.

Anyways, this rant is over. It's just been boiling in my mind for such a long time. He genuinely seems like a mentally challenged person who stumbled his way into the most powerful office on earth, entirely by accidentally wooing a massive demographic of disgruntled individuals who'd rather trade hope in for absurd pessimism. I mean, cut to the whole "Rusted-out factories dotting the landscape like tombstones!"-bit of his inauguration speech.. >.>

[Kythia]

I don't think age is an excuse. To give an example, Noam Chomsky is 88 years old and intellectually he's still going strong (as is Immanuel Wallerstein at age 86). I think Trump's lack of literacy really does reflect, on some level, his lack of intelligence and/or his aversion to critical thinking...

I'm a little confused by this comment.  You don't think age can affect, and thus be an excuse for,  reading ability because there are some people it hasn't done that for?  That doesn't really make sense, am I reading you correctly.

[Oniya]

I think it's something along the lines of age not being the sole factor in Trump's reading (in)ability.  Some aggravating factors (including degenerative conditions, vision problems, or other impairments) can strike at any age. 

[Iniquitous]

Debated on whether to put this in the "What's in the news" thread or here... decided on here since it deals with Trump and his pathological lying.

So - the White House released it's list of under reported terrorist attacks to try and back up the claim Trump made about the "dishonest" media not covering terrorist attacks.  Needless to say, he is getting blasted for the list.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/white-house-terror-attacks-list-isis-media-ignored-donald-trump-covered-widely-reported-bowling-a7566951.html

[Nachtmahr]

Debated on whether to put this in the "What's in the news" thread or here... decided on here since it deals with Trump and his pathological lying.

So - the White House released it's list of under reported terrorist attacks to try and back up the claim Trump made about the "dishonest" media not covering terrorist attacks.  Needless to say, he is getting blasted for the list.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/white-house-terror-attacks-list-isis-media-ignored-donald-trump-covered-widely-reported-bowling-a7566951.html

How dare he? Politicizing tragedies is one thing, but this is on another level entirely. If it's at all possible, my resentment of this sorry excuse for a human being and his subordinates has grown.

[HannibalBarca]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKvvOFIHs4k

Sometimes fictions can parallel reality.  Sometimes fictions were inspired by history.

Sometimes both fictions and history can inspire the future.

Don't acquiesce.  Don't accept changes you know are wrong. 

"For evil to succeed, all it needs is for good men to do nothing." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Resist.

[Kythia]

"For evil to succeed, all it needs is for good men to do nothing." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Perhaps Edmund Burke, perhaps not.  Certainly not MLK.  It's actually pretty interesting

[gaggedLouise]

Perhaps Edmund Burke, perhaps not.  Certainly not MLK.  It's actually pretty interesting

Burke is supposed to have said it, or verbatim: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”― but MLK is widely cited as having said "Evil only succeeds when good men are standing by and doing nothing" or the like. No idea how solid the attribution to Dr. King is, but of course he may have been inspired by Burke and have "refreshed" his line.

[DominantPoet]

Trump went into full blown child mode about Ivanka's clothing being dropped from a retail chain.

THEN had his press secretary, address it in a media conference.

Apparently tweeted WHILE he was in an intelligence briefing.

And the tweet caused the chain's stocks to go down (likely temporary, but still).

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/presidents-tweet-sends-nordstrom-shares-tumbling-45349446

I can't even...words about this. I just can't. It's not fathomable to me that this is part of reality, it really isn't. How are there not swarms of lawyers descending upon Pumpkinhead, purely due to ethical conflicts with all this childish bullshit he keeps spewing out through social media avenues?

[Lilias]

Burke is supposed to have said it, or verbatim: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”― but MLK is widely cited as having said "Evil only succeeds when good men are standing by and doing nothing" or the like. No idea how solid the attribution to Dr. King is, but of course he may have been inspired by Burke and have "refreshed" his line.

Dr King also definitely said, 'In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.' Don't fall silent.

[Noisekick]

I knew Trump would become president cuz Hillary betrayed Bernie and Clintons supporters were dicks to everyone else, so you had a ton of protest votes in a broken system nobody complained about when Obama had 50% more delegates but only 5% more votes. And now, no one is doing anything about it. Protesting and rioting wont do shit if you are only a million across the country. During the Weimar Republic, the riots were communists and fascists and in the minority. So in my opinion, Trump came to power because people were dicks because they thought their shitty candidate was better than the other shitty candidate.

[Valerian]

And the tweet caused the chain's stocks to go down (likely temporary, but still).

It was extremely temporarily, according to this: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nordstrom-recovers-from-trumps-terrible-tweet-in-just-4-minutes-2017-02-08

So I don't think DT has quite the clout he thinks he does.  This list shows all the companies that have stopped carrying Ivanka's products, including Neiman Marcus, and apparently T.J. Maxx and Marshall's have told employees to throw out Ivanka Trump signs and stop 'featuring' her brand.  But none of those companies got the Nordstrom's treatment for some reason.

Considering that the GOP is usually all about the free market, it must feel a little awkward for them to have to support (or at least ignore) DT's childish attack.  When customers stop buying a product, whether because of a boycott or some other reason, companies are just being sensible to stop carrying said product.  This is how business normally works.  It isn't rocket science.  :P

[Nachtmahr]

Considering that the GOP is usually all about the free market, it must feel a little awkward for them to have to support (or at least ignore) DT's childish attack.  When customers stop buying a product, whether because of a boycott or some other reason, companies are just being sensible to stop carrying said product.  This is how business normally works.  It isn't rocket science.  :P

They're all about the free market, as long as their interests get to control it. Does that make sense? Well, it's the GOP.

To be fair, I think configuring a toaster would be considered rocket science for Mr. Trump.

On a related note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_H_wiI46D8

Edit: Am I petty for laughing at this? Probably. But I think we could all use a giggle.

[Iniquitous]

They're all about the free market, as long as their interests get to control it. Does that make sense? Well, it's the GOP.

To be fair, I think configuring a toaster would be considered rocket science for Mr. Trump.

On a related note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_H_wiI46D8

Edit: Am I petty for laughing at this? Probably. But I think we could all use a giggle.

I cant watch him live much less in video.  The way he talks (plus the shit he says) makes me wanna smack him upside his head.

Back to Trump's fit about Ivanka and Nordstorm - this is further proof of conflict of interest.  I wish I could find the article I was reading yesterday that discussed how this was further proof of his conflict of interest.   It even brought up how the American Red Cross chose to have their annual ball at his resort in Florida (he is receiving money from the organization for their use of his resort) to his son's trip to Uruguay to this feud with Nordstorm.

Of course, it doesn't look like anyone is going to investigate this, so this will become the new norm - businesses that have dealing with him or his family afraid to do anything that will upset our Cheeto In Chief.

[Nachtmahr]

Of course, it doesn't look like anyone is going to investigate this, so this will become the new norm - businesses that have dealing with him or his family afraid to do anything that will upset our Cheeto In Chief.

I don't see that happening. At least, not exactly like that. I think that, just like with Nordstrom, his words will gradually lose their weight. Eventually the markets won't quiver at all when he speaks, and various businesses will realize that there might be some good PR value in speaking out against the Trump administration. Furthermore, tantrums like this one only serve to dig himself an even deeper hole. I mean, they really just highlight how unprofessional and childish he is.

[Valerian]

http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/09/news/kellyanne-conway-ivanka-brand/

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to President Trump, said in an interview from the White House that people should "go buy Ivanka's stuff."

Conway made the plug Thursday in an interview with Fox News Channel, one day after the president attacked Nordstrom department stores for dropping his daughter's fashion line.

"Go buy Ivanka's stuff, is what I would tell you," Conway said. "It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully -- I'm going to just, I'm going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online."

Federal law says that public employees may not use their positions "for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity."

Larry Noble, the general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization of election law experts, said that in his opinion, Conway "may have violated the law."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

No comment, hm?  This is my shocked face.   ::)

I'm sure Trump won't fire her no matter what (though I am itching to start a petition to get her gone), but it will be interesting to see the fallout from this.  Conway already sometimes seems uneasy with the lies she has to tell, so I'm wondering if she might resign if things get much worse.  But this is what you get when you take a job like this one for the most unpopular US president ever.