The Bully Tweetpit

By PatD, a Trail Mix Contributor

Wiki tells us that a bully pulpit is a conspicuous position that provides an opportunity to speak out and be listened to. This term was coined by United States President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to his office as a “bully pulpit”, by which he meant a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda. Roosevelt used the word bully as an adjective meaning “superb” or “wonderful”, a more common usage at that time.

The tweet is the current president’s platform,  less a pulpit from which to inform but more to bully.  In addition, we are told not to take the tweets as statements of statesmanship. Not policy, not written for the ages and, perhaps, not even truthful.

On CNN Sebastian Gorka, a White House national security aide, says the President’s tweets are only social media, not policy. When asked about Trump’s controversial remarks in an interview on Monday’s NBC Today Show Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway decried the media for its “obsession with covering everything [Trump] says on Twitter and very little of what he does as president.” [….]

When pressed further on Trump’s tweets, Conway said she wasn’t going to “let [the president] be seen as the perpetrator here,” and argued that the media should be less focused on Trump’s social media presence and the on-going Russia scandal and more concerned about the recent string of attacks ISIS has either inspired or directed.

NBC’s Guthrie argued that as president, Trump’s statements on Twitter carry a great deal of weight and are considered a reflection of his agenda.

Spicer: Trump tweets “official”

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“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

62 thoughts on “The Bully Tweetpit”

  1. cartoon by  horsey who also wrote at latimes:

    Is Trump incapable of reasoned thought? Has he no sense of decency? Was he childishly indulging a personal grudge against Khan who, during the presidential election, had shown disfavor for Trump? Does he not understand that, in the midst of a human tragedy in the capital of America’s closest ally, it is a truly disgusting thing to be spouting peevish insults?

    Kellyanne Conway is wrong. Paying attention to Trump’s tweets is very important. Those little bursts of uncensored thought provide the clearest window into the mind of the strange man who represents us all to the world.

  2. Sorry about the delay in publishing your post, Pat. I neglected to hit the schedule button last night when I prepped it for this morning. Pogo, got yours for tomorrow. Thanks much for playing.

  3. As Spicer said yesterday, Trumps tweets are official statements from the President of the U.S..

    Trump’s spent the past 40 years never being challenged (except for Ivana or Marla).  I wouldn’t be surprised if he went tweeetnutso tomorrow.  Might be a show!

  4. The Condom’s hubby doesn’t agree with her.  Hope they are getting divorced

  5. dv, today’s senate hearing with coats and rogers may also stir up a tempest in the tweetpot.  on morning joe today sen. warner alluded to q & a  that may prove verrry interesting.

  6. ahh, but he did manage a no-go-to-jail card for someone previously mentioned as a solid replacement for present wh chief of staff.  wouldn’t be surprised if more musical chairs are in the works in the big house…. I mean the white house.

  7. We once had a much and widely loved police chief here…….a black Jewish man named Reuben Greenberg.   Charismatic and eccentric, even making national news more than once, he remained as chief for a long time, as police chiefs go…….well, toward the end his eccentricity slowly grew into dementia, or Alzheimer’s or whatever it was……he would go on patrol and make really strange traffic stops and finally at times began screaming at the people he’d pulled over, threatening them with prison and whatnot…..

    well, here’s wiki:
    Charleston’s population increased 64% during the time Greenberg was chief, while crime decreased 11 percent.
    Greenberg retired in 2005 after over 23 years.[1] This followed a controversial 2005 incident in which a motorist charged that he hit her car door after she told him that she had called the police department to report his erratic driving. Health reasons, such as high blood pressure, were cited as the cause for his behavior for several years earlier, which included: poking a news reporter in the chest while on video in 2003 (he later apologized, saying “I’m not proud … It was not my finest hour”), calling an anti-war demonstrator a “crazy fat lady” in 2003 (he later said: “I was wrong. She’s not fat. She’s obese. She’s grossly obese. If she doesn’t like that, she can do something about it, like the Atkins diet that I was on.”), and being involved in 5 traffic accidents while in his police vehicle over a 6-year period. During one of these accidents, in 2005 he hit a car while turning the wrong way down a one-way street.”
    so what it was  was it kinda crept up on him and finally the Mayor had to act. Point being he was able to hang in there quite a while until that time.

    with the Pres…….there’s no Mayor.

  8. Somehow it strikes me that a drumpf tweet pales in comparison to a Teddy speech.

  9. I loved this – so I’m reposting it. I can identify, and it is kinda how I feel.

    Kizone_Kaprow
    11:12 AM EDT

    As an anonymous internet crackpot I feel qualified to predict that Trump’s wrist will be slapped, for now; partisans on the right will declare victory and descend even deeper into destructive self-delusion; Trump will continue to dig his own grave throughout the summer because he can’t not do it; and it will be warm, providing the best evidence yet for global warming.

  10. seth noting 4 top law firms turned down representing drumpf: “man, how guilty do you have to be when a lawyer won’t even take your case?”

    https://youtu.be/MfjupwQVtx0
    Published on Jun 7, 2017

    Seth Meyers’ monologue from Tuesday, June 6.

  11. bb, thanks for responding to my query about the preliminary assessment that Russia didn’t cook the vote tabulations.

    you wandered about background qualifications of the latest leaker.  this is from today’s nbc story “Alleged NSA Leaker’s Mom: She’s ‘Scared’ They Are ‘Going to Make Her Disappear’ ” about ms. winner

    Her expertise was translating languages spoken in Afghanistan, her family said, and she served six years in the U.S. Air Force as a cryptologic language analyst.

    Gary Davis, her stepdad, told NBC News that she “served her country with distinction, and was commended by her commanding officer for her service in saving American lives, and in taking out enemy combatants contributing to the mission on the war on terror.”

    oops, forgot the link http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/alleged-nsa-leakers-mom-shes-scared-they-are-going-to-make-her-disappear/ar-BBCdrFj?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

  12. HOUSEKEEPING (for those using Explorer): Back to my note yesterday, that script debugging adjustment in my Internet Explorer led to other issues on other sites. Apparently a recent Microsoft update did something goofy to my IE browser (latest version – 11) and it’s not playing nicely with our site and others (very slow page builds). I am now switching to Firefox as my default browser and giving up on Explorer, which has been getting glitchier with every update. If any IE users are experiencing similar issues, suggest you compare the performance of other browsers, you might want to switch.

  13. Trump might live-tweet during Comey hearing: report
    “I was just talking to some White House officials this morning and their view is that the president himself wants to be the messenger, his own warrior, his own lawyer, his own spokesman,” Costa said during an appearance on MSNBC.

    “The president is expected to be tweeting on Thursday in response to Comey, not to stay quiet during the testimony, because he himself wants to be the one driving the process,” Costa said.

    Goodie!  This is going to be some fun.  Trump’s going to be his own lawyer – fool!

  14. A couple of people will need to choose another horse.  Classic Empire is out of the Belmont.  The PP draw and morning line have been done, so Riders Up.

     

  15. Craig – I’m a Mac person and dropped Safari and IE a long long time ago.  Personally, I’ve found Chrome to be the most stable for this sort of stuff.

  16. Also on the tech front, thought this was interesting — our security tools have recently been blocking a series of IP addresses, all originating from Turkey, attempting to log in with fake names, sometimes as many as 50 an hour. No harm done, our tools did their job, but just in case I am now blocking the whole country. I’ve been blocking Russia and Poland for a while, after similar episodes. Keep that in mind on your next visits there.

  17. DV, one my issues with Chrome was how it kept putting all text on any site in italics with each update. I got tired of constantly having to fix that and just deleted the damn thing. Plus, I avoid anything google-related as much as possible.

    I am a Windows guy, not because I love it, just what I trained on and never felt like switching.

  18. Plus, don’t get me started on my webmaster issues with Apple. Efficiently delivering a web site to their devices, especially the mobiles, involves regular updating of code on the site that I don’t experience with other products. Very annoying.

  19. I’m with Dvitale300

    Mac & Chrome.  Every once in a while I try Safari again, but something always gets messed up while surfing around.

     

  20. It’s called obstruction of justice. There’s enough here for a Senate trial. Worth remembering that Nixon’s demise was ordering his chief of staff to shut down an FBI investigation. Difference was it was on tape. So, without direct evidence, this case hinges on Comey’s credibility.

     

  21. Jamie,  rats.  I’ll go for Epicharis because I have no idea what it means or how to pronounce it, but I kinda like the name.

     

    Sturg, Mother, Mother Ocean, I have heard you call…

    always liked Buffet – favorite verse –

    Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too lateThe cannons don’t thunder, there’s nothing to plunderI’m an over-forty victim of fateArriving too late, arriving too lateI’ve done a bit of smuggling, I’ve run my share of grassI made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast

    Never meant to last, never meant to last

  22. The Condom’s hubby doesn’t agree with her.  Hope they are getting divorced – Ms Cracker @ 9:45 AM

    Obviously, he’ll get the kids.

  23. Pogo

    I know they are all stallions, but take your pick.  Epicharis is either a genus of bees or a genius of an Ancient Roman freedwoman and a leading member of the Pisonian conspiracy against the emperor Nero.

    Pronunciation CH as a K  Ep-i-kar-is

    Oh and he is owned by a Japanese consortium.

     

     

  24. Lol. Great comment from over at Wapo:

    seller11
    3:43 PM EDT

    Laurence Tribe of Harvard Law, on Twitter: “Coates et al are pulling a novel privilege: the ‘I’d-prefer-not-to-answer’ privilege. My technical legal response: WTF?!?”

  25. Tomorrow will be a very interesting day in D.C.  Besides the Comey thing there are various Pride events going on and the tourists are arriving.  They also invade places besides downtown D.C. (around the Mall), like Annapolis.  I was on my way back to my vehicle after a day of jury duty, no jury needed thank you, and decided to stop and play local picking up bargains.  First stop one of the many art galleries in Annapolis, no tourists, but I did pick up a great Japanese ink on rice paper drawing.  Second stop, tourist bureau.   Oh my, the streets were full tourists in awe of 1770’s, that is young compared to my ancestors buildings.  I got new booklets for 2017, much better than my 2014 versions.  Streets were full of them.  I did get to explain that my seven great grandfather married a local gal, so did my six great.  Local history wows ’em every time.

    Several D.C. watering holes are opening early for the special event.  Some are offering free rounds for certain key words.  There will be a lot of smashed people floating around D.C. tomorrow afternoon.  At least the testimony is out so they can ease off some of the special words.

  26. Jamie…. Just give me the same horse as Pogo please.  May as well continue to ride together.

    gee…. I’m on vacation as things get interesting again.  Oh well… I still have a subscription to Wapo to fall back on.

  27. I didn’t catch the beginning of today’s session.  Are these guys under oath?

    If so, isn’t a ” I would rather not answer because it’s not appropriate – isn’t that contempt of Congress?  Or, does it take a rethug majority to bring that charge?

  28. pogo, thanks for the nytimes link on the comey statement…. most interesting and least bureaucratic 7 pages written by a career gov’t employee I’ve read in awhile.  it will make a great 1st chapter in his up-coming best seller [title yet unknown but something about “the art of the dodger”].  wow.  pundits are pumping adrenalin as we speak.

    as for your Belmont pick: what? not hollywood handsome?

  29. Okay Renee.  Another rider for someone in on an assassination of Nero.  Guess you could consider it early practice session.

  30. Let’s see if this link to the image address for telnaes works – I can’t get her or toles’ cartoons to display here. I guess they are too big.

    Yup, works – worth a click, too.

  31. Jamie, I’m going for the win, place, show perfecta of

    1. Tapwrit, 2. J Boys Echo, and 3. Patch.

    Flatus and I will bring home a winner; I’ll hang onto the tail. Either that, or I’ll follow Flatus and then you, up on Patch, if he’ll have me.

  32. Really enjoyed Bob Dylan’s speech yesterday here on TM. All professors and teachers should make his speech required reading to show how literature influences us. When Dylan was talking about the book, All Quiet on the Western Front, I kept hearing Don McLean’s The Grave, one of the most powerful anti-war songs ever written. He, too, must have been influenced by All Quiet on the Western Front.

    A brief interlude from All Trump, All the Time.

  33. Woo hoo! to Comey for the Wednesday afternoon surprise.   Trump will be tweeting with a mouthful of dry crackers tomorrow.

  34. Has drumpf taken the bait or will he before Comey testifies?  In short will he take to the Bully Tweetpit?

  35. The Bully Tweetpit is yet to be seen.  We’ll either hear quiet – or a freakstorm.

    Unfortunately I’ll be flying to Pennsylvania and won’t be wired in to watch.  On the other hand, We’re going up to State College to arrange housing for our daughter who was accepted to Penn State Law School – so it’s a good thing.  She want’s to be a civil rights attorney – and go after bastards like Trump (so proud)!  For Christmas she sent me the “March” series by John Lewis.  We did something right as parents  ;o)

  36. DV, congrats. Puhlease save her – talk her into a noble profession, like roofing or carpentry or prostitution.  ( just kidding of course)  we need more lawyers. ?

  37. lawyer making lemonade out of lemons:
    “The president is pleased that Mr. Comey has finally publicly confirmed his private reports that the President was not under investigation in any Russia probe,” Marc Kasowitz wrote in a statement. “The president feels completely and totally vindicated.”
    “He is eager to continue to move forward with his agenda,” Kasowitz concluded.
    hope he got paid up front for that…and a lot…. drumpf is renown for stiffing his contractors.

  38. dv, my congrats to you, the mrs and ms…. but if she’s anywhere close to being a creative sort (put the kabash on it as pogo says) warn her about law school… lawyering okay and she might want to read for it in a state not requiring the torture of law school…. it will fry her brains, tamp down all imagination and temporarily turn her into an argumentative untrusting monster. takes years to recover and some never do.

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