What’s a puppet master to do when the strings get tangled?
Watching Trump’s twists and turns in all directions, Putin has to wonder why he bothered to meddle in our election. At least there’s no Hillary in his face, but the loose cannon he got instead doesn’t seem to have a clue or inclination on how to do what Putin hoped: steer the U.S. away from it’s traditional western alliances in favor of a world order that benefits Russia.
In his appointments of anti-Russian military leaders to the Cabinet, backpedaling on questioning U.S. commitments to NATO and the abrupt firing of his Russia-friendly NSC advisor, Trump hardly seems the dish Putin thought he had ordered.
from last night’s pbs newshour:
JUDY WOODRUFF: …What do you make of how the president did this week?
DAVID BROOKS: Yes, to me, the big chasm of the week is the gap between the circus act and the substance.
The press conference was its own thing. It’s like some exploding nebula of madness. I thought it was just mildly deranged, just the epitome of nonlinear thinking. Let’s put it that way.
But what strikes me is, we have got to remember, what is the guy actually doing? And here we have an administration where he’s making a lot of press conferences, but, on the substantive picks, he doesn’t have a national security adviser. There are 691 confirmable positions in the White House.
The Trump administration has not even come up with names and nominees for 631 out of those 691. So there is nobody there, nobody in the shop, no policy-making being made.
And so I compare it to, so, you know, Trump is sitting on the control deck of the starship Enterprise, and he can push a lot of pretty buttons, but those buttons aren’t connected to anything. And so nothing is happening.
[….and later in the discussion…]
JUDY WOODRUFF: David, you started out with some pretty strong language describing the news conference. I wrote down. And you said he came across — the president came across as mildly deranged.
Did you really mean that?
DAVID BROOKS: I will walk that back a little.
Unmoored. Is that walking it back? I don’t know.
(LAUGHTER)
[….]
But then the attack on the press, highlighted by the tweets today saying that my newspaper, NBC, all these organizations are enemies of the people.
Well, if you want to draw rhetoric straight out of the fascist playbook, we’re enemies of the vote, the people, that is like — that has so many historical echoes. It’s illiberal and offensive to the way democracy is supposed to work and how one is supposed to just act within the institutions of democracy.
So, within that context, I think some strong language, to me, is merited.
I’m with x-r
Reading the Wapo coverage of drumpf’s presser and the reactions to it lead me to believe my initial opinion about their lack of ability to accept the obvious and understand it rather than explain it away was correct. Based upon Gallup’s polling about 8 % more folks have thankfully come to see the folly of their previous decision to vote for the a$$wipe.
https://youtu.be/T90zvoyhtzU
The media needs to stay on its toes since Congress seems to be in “nothing to see here” mode with Rand Paul leading the pack of non lookers
Bring On The Special Prosecutor
So who is the bigger fool…. Trump trusting Putin or Putin trusting Trump. Somehow, methinks this bromance will not end well.
Donald Trump seeks a grand bargain with Vladimir Putin
Neither of those guys trusts the other, one least little bit.
Those kinds of guys only trust people they own.
If Putin has a lot of dirt on the trumpet then he might trust him a little bit.
As Hemingway said of Zelda:
Hawks don’t share
patd- Not only has he not filled the confirmation required positions, he has not reallystarted filling the thousands of other political appointee positions. To make it worse he cleared out all of those who could babysit the government while he went down the list of billionaires and millionaires willing to work for him.
The situation of no appointees, I doubt the term leader will apply to most of them, in position may be a major factor in the guy being impeached or Amendment 25 ousted.
I am waiting for today’s theatrics to entertain us. Caligula would have been challenged to maintain the pace of incompetence we are experiencing.
For those who need a shot of fortitude in their quest to become older
Today’s Gallup Tracking now down to 38%
How Low Can He Go? http://www.gallup.com/poll/201617/gallup-daily-trump-job-approval.aspx
Question: Is RT America propaganda?
I have been reading bits here and there regarding RT, Russian Television. Usually it’s been references on my Twitter feed suggesting it as Russian propaganda. Today I saw a mention in a New Yorker piece about Gen. Flynn accepting a $40,000 speaking fee from RT; the speech was in Moscow. It was suggested that this was Putin’s choice of corruption.
I’ve been a listener and viewer of Ed Schultz for years. He’s gone from MSNBC and moved to RT and vouches for it, citing his independence there.
What have you heard about RT America? I don’t have cable but I do listen to Ed’s podcast. I need more information on this.
Probably time to begin considering the formation of Radio Free America.
The problem with the Trump administration is that by the time the well tuned machine gets up and running and only has two or three major fuck ups per week people who don’t know any better will consider it an improvement.
Sadly, Putins buyers remorse is neither here nor there he can probably live with and be grateful for continued chaos regardless of the instigator.
would that America would suffer some buyers remorse for having put this prick in office.
Yes, Virginia, RT is propaganda.
From the days of Radio Moscow until now, the Soviets/Russians have run very sophisticated propaganda operations aimed at engaging with curious and malleable personalities with the objective of making our social systems pale in comparison to theirs.
Jace – the thing about Putin and buyer’s remorse is that he has folders of drumpf acts to publish to the world, many would probably force the republicans to read the Constitution, Section 110 of Article III, again. The KGB man faces the dilemma of letting Mr. Peebody hang around until the r’s are fed up and do something or just get it over with right now. Mr. P is in the bad spot of everything he does is under scrutiny so actions for his bromance love will be recorded for play back later. Or just get it over with hoping that they can do some clean up without interference from the floater.
Flatus, thank you. And yuck.
So the Sovs have their mitts on Big Eddie and Mike Pappantonio. Horrible. Well, I’ll find more podcasts.
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau has “Pod Save America.” It’s different and so far I’ve enjoyed the insight into how a White House should be run were it not infested with idiots and liars.
Ed’s tenor seems to have changed since the election.
Blue Bronc,
I think you’re right. Vlad theGlad probably has the goods on Trump. Possibly even his tax returns.?
But the game may be up in as much as far too many people believe that he actively sought to influence the outcome of the election. He defiantly got his man, but with him comes a level of scrutiny that may make his life much more difficult. In a perfect world he and Trump would get to do a perp walk together in front of the media that they both so obviously loathe.
jace, speaking of tax returns, whadaya wanna bet the mother about to be deported in phoenix and the mother who’s taken sanctuary in a Denver church to keep from deportation both paid more personal income taxes during their decades of working here than did the drumpf during the same years? and oh how I would also like to see the comparison of their behavior on a personal basis to his over those same years.
Mr. Doodlesdog,
Shultz jumped the shark during the 08 primaries when he went all in for Obama.
After the election he became the whiner in chief when he did not get what he wanted out of the Obama administration. He may have championed a few good causes, but I for one was not sorry when he departed the scene, nor did I consider his departure any great loss.
Patd,
Betcha that would be a safe bet. Shameful!
Published on Feb 18, 2017
It was the best of Steves, it was the worst of Steves.
The ‘so-called executive’ order allowing companies to poison streams and drinking water is a landmine at the feet of the gop. Coal mining effluent releases mercury and lead into the ground water. Mercury and lead cause abortions, birth defects, and retardation. Chemical companies can now dump chloro and flouro carbons into the streams, poisoning ground water and drinking water, causing abortions and cancer. The accent here is on abortions. Therefore the gop is pro-abortion. Alleged pro-life groups that do not denounce this gop’s pro-abortion position a phonies, who cheat real prolife individuals out of their money.
Pass it on.
X-R
These are the same people who are anti-vaxxers because of the fear of chemicals
In addition to your white girl gun campaign – there needs to be a lot more writing on poor white people the ones on public assistance and the crime rates in their neighborhoods.
Are you crazy, CC? Putin has infiltrated the highest levels of our government- who knows to what extent? He wakes up, every morning, laughing at America, and goes to bed, every night, laughing at America. For good reason.
MDD-
Watch RT America for an hour and you’ll see it’s all just Anti-American conspiracy-theory bullshit designed to poison the United States’ ideological well. Putting Ed Schultz on for an hour doesn’t legitimize the other 23.
another bunch of hypocrites will be exposed when the exec order is issued “sending the feds” to clean out Chicago and other urban areas ostensibly to bring down the crime rate. look for the more rabid 2nd amdt adherents to look the other way at severe gun control, even confiscation of guns in the more colorful neighborhoods…. drumpf will declare extreme vetting in gun purchases by muslims, mexicans, California voters, cnn and nyt fans.
beware the ides of martial law
Everyone seems to forget about Manafort- so, let’s add Flynn: that’s two Russian stooges WE KNOW ABOUT. You don’t think there are 3?!
…or 4?!?!
bink, you’re leaving out don jr and his other spawn
I call them “Uday and Qusay”, but only because their father reminds me of Saddam Hussein.
Blink,
Uday and Qusay. That’s rich. Those monikers need to stick.
The upside to these Russian ties is that we no longer need to pay for a hot line to the Kremlin.
Spoiler Alert.
There are any number of selections that I could post on Sunday that would be appropriate for marking Presidents Day. Not going there!!
I would gladly honor our presidents both living and dead, but to do so would be to include the current office holder. I have no intention of conferring on him any sense of honor or legitimacy. Just not going to happen! Ever!
No Wagner, then? Too bad, CC wants to attract more conservatives.
As Americans, we all need to accept the Trump presidency. You either did something, or didn’t do something, and then end result was the election of an Anti-American fascist despot.
Have a day.
Can we at least agree to call it the Trump aberration rather than the Trump administration?
Bink
I think I’m going with refuse to accept Pussy Grabber as my president
#45 will be like 13 in many hotels — it’s not there
He’s the Usurper-in-Chief and Duce of the trump Junta.
Not my president. I have yet to recognize babybush as a legitimate president, and he had more claim to that honorific title than this bag of rotting shit.
Please pardon my Anglo-Saxonism.
Jace
A salute to the environment that the latest appointment will try to destroy might be in order.
Worth Repeating :
“Everyone seems to forget about Manafort- so, let’s add Flynn: that’s two Russian stooges WE KNOW ABOUT. You don’t think there are 3?! – Bink
Il Duce is #3. I’m guessing bannonov is #4. Uday & Kusay are #s 5 & 6. Melania (daughter of a Yugoslavian commie party official) could be #7. stephen miller looks like a humorless felix dzerzhinsky sort of fellow; a possible 8th mole ?
I’m not accepting Trump as anything other than the puppet in chief that he is.
As for having any responsibility for his assent. No fucking way!
“Don’t blame me, I voted HRC.”
Recent events have proven beyond a doubt that it was the best vote I ever cast.
XR, No need to apologize. If it looks like shit, and smells like shit, chances are pretty good that it, make that he is exactly that.
All circus and no bread.
Sturg
good one
sorry, friends, the rules and refs say he won the game. now if it’s found the winner deflated the ball, tilted the field or drugged the loser, that he bribed the refs and there are pages and pages as well as several videos documenting same…. well then it’s time to revolt. until then pray to your preferred whatever for a miracle ’cause we’re in the deepest of doodoo.
You know when Pussy Grabber is going to tell a whopper
he spends 5 minutes attacking the media
What a revoltin development
I think Pussy Grabber’s consistent contempt for the constitution is a reason to become a refusenik
Don’t know what the percentage is of trump voters who are in this category but they’re there and they really are looking forward to, and are fully expecting martial law, at which point they will be free to wreak havoc unrestrained upon the libtards, and the minorities…..
when trump is talking……it’s them he’s talking to. They totally believe everything he’s telling them.
Pussy Grabber’s message of unity
Get on board or I will smash you
Here is a good article about the cohort between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials.
Good News! we have an eighth continent. This discovery made before trumpence kills science and replaces it with creationism. He is slicing his way through the media and stifling laughs…he wants truth and humor to die on the vine.
I am with bink…putie is laughing all the way to the bank about us. We are now a democrazy. The risky interference worked.
rr our local university broadcasts international news programs. I have been watching international news for some time. RT is part of the lineup. assange used to work for RT, ed is like larry king, etc. It is about the $.
State of the Union
Restore the Constitution Open Carry Rallies (round 3)
What: 3rd round of Restore the Constitution open carry rallies
When: October 30th, the Saturday before the elections
Where: Your hometown, in the most visible firearms carry legal location possible (In my case that will be Little Five Points, Atlanta)
Who: You and anyone else ready to get started on some “Second Amendment remedies”
Why: 1) To practice gathering together while armed 2) to show friends, foes, and neutrals alike what can be done and to what extent Second Amendment rights can be used and to know where they stand 3) To bring attention to the fact that the Constitution is being violated in multiple ways. It’s one thing to debate online; it’s quite another to speak to the public or the media while carrying a weapon.