91 thoughts on “Fool in Chief”

  1. wapo:

    The Treasury Department has ordered President Trump’s name be printed on stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is rushing to send to tens of millions of Americans, a process that could slow their delivery by a few days, senior IRS officials said.
    The unprecedented decision, finalized late Monday, means that when recipients open the $1,200 paper checks the IRS is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side of the payment.
    It will be the first time a president’s name appears on an IRS disbursement, whether a routine refund or one of the handful of checks the government has issued to taxpayers in recent decades either to stimulate a down economy or share the dividends of a strong one.

  2. more from wapo link above:

    Trump had privately suggested to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, to allow the president to formally sign the checks, according to three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
    But the president is not an authorized signer for legal disbursements by the U.S. Treasury. It is standard practice for a civil servant to sign checks issued by the Treasury Department to ensure that government payments are nonpartisan.
    The checks will instead bear Trump’s name in the memo line, below a line that reads, “Economic Impact Payment,” the administration officials said.

  4. “Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise.”

    Niccolo Machiavelli

  5. Hain’t all the fools in town on our side? And hain’t that a great enough majority in any town?
    —Mark Twain, HUCKLEBERRY FINN

  9. The checks will be signed by you on the back, processed through your bank, and the funds will be electronically exchanged between your bank and the Dept. of the Treasury . The checks will then be shredded by your bank’s shredding contractor. A lasting monument to Ozymandias Trump.  

  12. Even with a paper check, it’s taxpayer dollars that make up that check.  
    As far as I can tell, until he proves otherwise by releasing the documents he continues to hold hostage, Trump has never paid taxes.
     
    There’s no fool like an orange fool.  Er, old fool.  Actually, both work. 

  13. lizzie:
    In this moment of crisis, it’s more important than ever that the next president restores Americans’ faith in good, effective government—and I’ve seen Joe Biden help our nation rebuild. Today, I’m proud to endorse @JoeBiden as President of the United States.

  14. The energy that Elizabeth Warren will give to Joe, especially if she’s the veep!

    “Let’s get to work.” -E.Warren (Let’s is a contraction of let us, so…!?!)

  20. How’d that work, Sturg?  I thought cats see all, know all … read minds and manipulate humans. 

  22. For the tens of millions who watch Fox News, Trump is no fool. 
     
    Rather he is a strong, decisive, and brilliant leader who is relentlessly attacked by cowardly and treasonous liberals in the Democratic party and the “fake news” media, who should all be arrested and imprisoned without trial.
     
    Average age of Fox viewers = 66.
     
    Average amount of time they spend each day watching Fox News = 4 hours.

  23. LOL. 
    When I first got into graduate school I lived in an apartment next to a very young couple and came home one day and the wife was standing at the top of about a 4 foot stepladder leaned up against this relatively small tree not more than 15 feet high beside the apartment building. Her cat was up in the tree and I asked her what she was doing. She said I’m trying to get the cat down because cats can only climb up, they can’t climb down. Well the cat being about 6 feet above her I asked her how that was going to work if the cat couldn’t climb down to her. She kind of looked at me like I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. Either she or the cat figured it out – there was no cat in the tree the next time I went out there.

  24. Nash,  my beloved uncle is one of the Fox viewers on steroids.  94 years old and better’n 12 hours per day watching that shit. If SFB was walking past he’d try to touch the hem of his garment. 

  25. I know from a life in Cat City that a cat doesn’t WANT to climb down, but come dinner time he’ll figure something out. This particular cat has managed to avoid that problem altogether.

  26. Speaking of fools – from today’s WaPo:

    Amid growing uneasiness about stay-at-home orders, conservative groups across the U.S. are organizing “anti-quarantine” rallies, including one Wednesday in Lansing, the capital of virus-ravaged Michigan.

    Barnum was right. I’m guessing they’re predominantly kids and Fox viewers. 

  27. Can’t go out drinking?  That’s OK. 
     
    Stay home and make yourself a …  “Quarantini”
     
    or a … “Locktail.”
     
    Does anyone have any creative ideas about what these mixed drinks should contain?

  28. 2 parts that liquor you’ve had in the back of the liquor cabinet for 10 years
     
    1 part whatever mixer helps you get it down

  29. Nash…  just remembered you posted last night that trump’s pressers are pre-empting local and national news.  I get my news from Boston stations.  They are not showing trump’s pressers around here except on cable news.  I watched David Muir on ABC last night…  he barely mentioned trump and only in a negative way.  ABC did, however, play the video of Obama giving his endorsement to Biden.
     
    I did try to watch some of trump’s presser last night….   lasted all of 3-4 minutes.

  30. The hope of this coronavirus being a one time hit and never reinfecting seems to not be true.  People are showing reinfection or reactivation.  Having been living with HepC for about forty years and “not detectable” much of the years since 1997 there have been tests showing virons.  The damned virus hides.  It looks like COVID-19 is doing the same thing.  So giving people the plasma of those who got over it may not be that nice.  The more we learn about this virus the more it looks even nastier.

  31. First world problems of the day from Arizona – our Keurig broke yesterday and we can’t get our toaster set to toast the bread the way one likes it after the other toasts the bread the way they like it.
    See, I stopped drinking caffeine last year due to blood pressure concerns. Pam doesn’t have that issue, so she still drinks leaded and she enjoys a number of varieties of coffee. I have switched to hot coco as my beverage of choice in the morning. Our Keurig services both choices simply and in the number of cups necessary depending on the day.
    Now as for toast, Pam likes hers darker and crispier, whereas I like mine lightly browned and not too crunchy. Resetting the toaster has become problematic. 
    Solutions – we ordered a new Keurig and a second toaster yesterday afternoon. 
    We’re very fortunate that Pam is retired and my company has been an early adopter of working from home, even before this pandemic. We’re healthy and reasonably content in our isolation. We’re fine financially. So we’re able to indulge luxuries that so many may not due to the constraints of living in the time of virus.
    Thanks to all here on the Trail for keeping track of the buffoon squatting in the White House. Our mental health requires us to pay no attention to what it says or does. 

  32. Travis
    Several years ago Mrs Jack bought a new fancy 4 slice toaster, with dual controls. So each of us could have our toast the way we liked it. It didn’t cost that much and was well worth it not to listen to one or the other of us grumble.
    Jack

  34. Quarantini- 1 1/2 Oz. Cheap Gin or vodka. Bitters – just enough to take it to the edge of undrinkable. Tabasco (or other HOT spice). Shake with ice. Garnish with pearl onion, jalapeĂąo or olive. Should be barely tolerable. If it tastes too good or isn’t painful enough, add more bitters or hoT sauce. 

  35. Fox news primetime audience is 2.4 million not “10s of millions” Lets keep things in perspective here.
    btw, NPR all things considered , has a daily listenership of 2.8 and I suspect you will find their voting rate 25 to 30 percentage points higher too.
    Jack

  36. Pogo…  I’d like to pour one of those down SFB’s throat!
     
    We opened up a bottle of DeLoach Zinfandel last night….   straight from the Russian River.  We toasted KGC and Mr. Cracker.

  38. You want a quick alcohol rush, spray everclear onto you mask to sterilize it then absentmindedly put it on before it dries. 
    Jack

  39. Under the what kids use to get high, The latest idiot adolescent craz is TikTok videos of the idiots consuming large quantities of nut meg to get high. 
    I just read the head line and not the article but I’m assuming this has to be destructive to either the liver or kidneys.
    Jack

  40. Jack – although a nice refreshing taste whatever splashes outside of the mug will clean and sterilize the hands. 
     
    The critters slept the dark, gloomy and rainy morning.  The sun is shining a little and they are up and bugging me to play the out and then in game.  One goes out.  One goes out.  One goes out.  One comes in.  One comes in.  One comes in.  Repeat until the 2pm nap time.

  42. Travis- i find the best way to make toast is in a pan🤷‍♂️
     
    Jack- kids have been doing nutmeg for years.  Zero of them have gotten high off of it.

    Speaking of “everclear”, methinks i’ll build a makeshift still this week. if i stop posting, i blewed up.

  43. i, also, appreciate everyone’s political contributions, but boy howdy i hope some of you take a break from it once in a while and get out of that headspace.  trump on the brain 24/7 sounds like hell

  44. Well gosh Jack. A 4 slice toaster is such a logical and efficient suggestion that we never even thought of it. I guess we’ll ultimately end up with a 4 slice toaster option, it’ll just be in 2 separate toasters.
    Toast is seemingly such a simple food. But it turns out it’s one of those little compatibility issues in a relationship. We’re not militant about it or anything, but it’ll sure be nice once we have his and hers.
    Oh! Just thought of a bonus with 2 toasters. We can have our warm toast at the same time!
     

  47. quarantini?  try a variation of the ole G & T that the brits tho’t fought off malaria.  like an extra dry martini, good gin with splash of tonic (quinine water) and a malaria tablet in place of an olive.
    shaken, not stirred of course.  

  48. All these people who are supposed to be the strongest, most bad-ass people around, are the ones complaining the most about the “stay-at-home” orders here in Michigan and elsewhere, it seems to me, at least. People got into their cars today to drive around the Michigan state capital in protest of Whitmer’s updated stay-at-home order.

  49. I gave away my toaster (among other things) to someone trying to furnish their lake property.  I’ve made toast in my skillet for years.   If I had toast more often, I’d probably want a toaster.
    It used to be the cinnamon challenge & kids ended up in the hospital because they aspirated it into their lungs.   My guess is the same would happen with nutmeg.
    Trump isn’t even rearranging the deck chairs in the Titanic. He’s just standing at the bow of the ship yelling, “I am the king of the world,” as we speed to our collective  demise.

  50. For tonic water (I have no spirits here), I have a brand called Fever Tree.   One of them has elderflower in it and I quite like it.  Made a cup of fresh thyme & ginger “tea” this morning.  It’s just hot water, no tea.  I’m about out of thyme.

  51. Bink…  I haven’t watched so little cable news in years.  What’s the point in watching all the bad news about Covid-19 over and over again.  Been watching a lot of Animal Planet lately.  We’re intrigued by these Alaska: The Last Frontier types of shows. 
     
    Needed some cough drops to suppress the stupid cough I always get when the trees start to bud.  I have a Dollar General very close to me.  But…  I went to the one in the neighboring town.  Just needed to take a ride…  put on Sirius to the 60s channel…  and sing my ass off.   My god… what some of us have been reduced to do to have some fun 🙂

  52. Thank you, WaPo for pointing out the hypocrisy of the SFB “administration”.

    …

    Surgeon General Jerome Adams stressed most Americans faced low risk of infection, but warned that mask wearers could heighten their risk because they were more likely to touch their faces as they adjusted their masks. He urged the public to save the supply for medical workers on the front lines.
     
    “Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!” Adams tweeted on Feb. 29, as stores across the country sold out. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus.”

     But inside the White House, another team had become convinced that a broader user of masks could help reduce infection and save American lives, as well as ensure the White House functioned without widespread illness, according to people familiar with the situation.

    ***

    The handling of the goodwill shipment to the U.S. government concerned some U.S. officials involved in the arrangements, who were disturbed that a subset of masks went directly to the White House at a time when doctors and nurses were crafting homemade gear and U.S. policy stated that civilians shouldn’t wear masks, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

    White House officials noted that the vast majority of the masks from Taiwan were prioritized for medical staff and front-line responders and sent to the Strategic National Stockpile….

    [Continues]

    … to become “our” stockpile, administered by SFB’s smarmy son-in-law.

    Your government – here to help you.

  53. Primary care physicians are now worried that their practices won’t survive, since a lot of their business is preventative care.  They are asking to be part of the next stimulus package.   Maybe be belongs to a large, TX-based chain.  They sent out an email for all of their clinics, saying the you can stay in the car if you want to be seen in person, rather than doing tele-health. My PCP was a decorated, Army medic.  I wonder what he thinks of all this?   I hope to ask him many months from now.   

  54. The Surgeon General is an anesthesiologist.   I wouldn’t  trust him to put me under.  No reason to take info from him, either, since he’s gonna say whatever Trump tells him to say.   Everything Trump touches dies.

  55. Renee,  While I do watch too much news, I’m a Beatles Channel and Classic Vinyl listener, and for TV I love “How the Universe Works” on the Science Channel – I occasionally binge it, Drunk History, and have lately taken to watching the various car restoration shows on Motor Trend TV (with that I’m sort of watching what I always wanted to do but never had the time, place or money to rebuild a classic car.  Oh, and movies.  I love watching movies.

  57. Poobah, Didn’t you say something about risk and Senators as running mates just a few days ago? I’m betting ol’ Charlie Baker wouldn’t appoint a Democrat to fill her seat.

  58. Warren as Biden’s VP?
     
    Pro(s) of Warren as VP:
    (1) This would appease Democratic voters on the left, who are still annoyed and suspicious of Biden. 
    (2) By choosing a liberal VP, Biden can position himself further to the right, which might help him in the swing states.   (This is the conventional wisdom, regarding swing states – Dems have to move right to win them.) 
     
    Con(s) of Warren as VP:
    (1) Warren’s state, Massachusetts, is not a swing state … it’s a sure thing for Biden, and Warren didn’t even win the Massachusetts Democratic primary so she doesn’t help him gain any electoral college votes. 
    (2) Maybe it’s a better strategy to choose a woman who is seen as more conservative than Biden, so he can position himself as more liberal, which also might help him in the swing states.   
    (3) Given the sexism of many male voters, they are more likely to trust a conservative woman, whom they think would be tougher and “more like a man.”
     
    I think everything depends on whether Biden and his advisers think he needs to move to the left or to the right to carry the swing states, especially the “rust belt” states in the Midwest that Hillary lost to Trump. 
     
    An argument could be made that Trump beat Hillary in the “rust belt” by running to her LEFT on economics.  These states have a lot of unionized workers who have faced decades of factory shutdowns due to structural changes in the economy, and they thought Trump would help them.  (He didn’t, but they thought he would.)
     
    I would advise Biden to choose a woman who is seen as more conservative, someone from a large (non-rust belt)  swing state so she can help him get those electoral college votes.   He should then base his strategy on a liberal agenda: offering more government programs to help middle and lower income families, financed by higher taxes on the upper class and on big corporations.  This will gain him some, if not all, of the rust belt states.
     
    A strategy based on simply portraying Trump as an incompetent fool, which is what Biden has been doing so far, is not enough to guarantee a victory.  Biden needs offer more than that to get people to vote for him, especially to turn out younger and more liberal Democratic voters in huge numbers which will be needed due to Republican voter suppression efforts.

  59. RE: All of the suggested “Quarantini” and “Locktail” ideas from “Trailmixologists.”
    Great ideas.  I’m going to try them all.
    And then throw up.

  60. Sirius – Red White and Booze is a good channel to change the pace of the day.
     
    Modern toasters are garbage.  Some last a month, some last a year, but they fail so fast.  I would like to go “antique” shopping to find one from the 60’s, wire in a new grounded power cord and make toast.
     
    A few decades ago I went on the wagon.  My drink of choice was tonic water, second was tea.  I was dry for over a year.  No one, including my family, noticed.  I was expecting at least a “I did not know you drank until you showed up sober one day” remark, nada. 
     
    My latest purchase was Hendrick’s Gin with a cucumber curling apparatus.  Cool.  Make a Hendrick’s G&T with a cucumber curl in it.  Delicious. 

  61. RebelliousRenee:  I am glad to hear that the Boston stations are not covering Trump’s news conferences, but what I have read is that in many states they are.  People who habitually watch the local and national “evening news” on the network affiliated local stations, aren’t getting any news .. all they are getting is Trump’s propaganda.  He deliberately scheduled the conferences into the evening time slots that would do this.   Also, these local and national network evening news show are most frequently watched by older viewers, who tend to be less educated and more vulnerable to right wing propaganda. 

  62. Every SFB voter is a racist, anti -women,gays and anyone who isn’t a straight white male.  They won’t change
    Turnout is the key to getting rid of him

  63. All this discussion of the browning of bread reminds me of my childhood treat:  Waffle Toast

    When waffles were made on Sundays, I got one slice of buttered bread to put into the waffle maker.  That butter cooked into the little squares in the toast truly does taste different with its combination of crusty and moist.

     

  64.  

    Knowing my fondness for owls, my son bought me the above for Christmas.  I have been staring at the bottle since as it would be a shame to break open such a special bottle.  It may become a victim to a Quarantini.

     

  66. New terminology:  “Coviddiction.”
    A serious medical condition that afflicts self-isolating individuals who spend more than 4 hours a day online reading stories about Covid-19.
     
     

  67. Sonoma County is providing n95 masks to seniors.  We got masks gloves and a baggie of wipes

  68. Warren: She’s well to the left of Joe & although she  seems  much younger, she won’t make him  look  ancient.  
    Lots of things are good made in a waffle iron.  Hash browns, for instance.
    BB – I had something a couple of years ago made with gin, tonic, elderflower liqueur, cucumber & mint.  It was kind of like drinking a salad, since I had ‘em hold back on the gin.   
    Meanwhile, New Zealand seems to be doing the lockdown properly. 

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/International/zealand-pm-ardern-pay-cut-country-recovers-covid/story?id=70159746

    Can you imagine Moscow Mitch or Devil Nunez taking a pay cut?

  69. I made the mistake of tuning in. This is getting very scary. Constitution that he loves?  That he loves to ignore and/or violate. 

  71. Jamie, bourbon quarantini – I like the idea. I could ask my RW friend/bourbon EXPERT to concoct such a thing. 

  74. Hi OSH!  I bet you’re glad the rush for Easter candy is over.  Now that it’s calmed down, I must give you a call.  Rick and I are fine.  Hope all is well with you and yours.

  75. Pogo

    Whatever he comes up with, we could name it the Old Wise Owl.   It won’t make you smarter, but it will make you think you are.

     

  76. Those peeps in the streets in Michigan…..
    They look just like big yellow canaries in a coal mine.

  80. if IMpotus (aka poutus) gets to have signature on the stimulus checks so as to get undeserved credit,  his signature should also go on all the COVID death certificates to get the credit he actually deserves.

    something along the lines of “this death courtesy of”  Image result for Trump signature

  82. Having his name in the memo line of the check’s will actually hurt him, should anyone who’s not still a Trump lemming actually notice it.  It’s not enough money and it was not done quickly enough. How many times did we hear the payment was coming  “very soon” and “next week”?  Too little, too late.

  83. Jamie my RW friend/bourbon expert from Kentucky says this is the bourbon quarantini:
     
    Two shots of Barrel Rye bourbon, with 1/2 ounce of Triplesec, a quarter of a lemon and a dash of bitters.  
     
    Sounds like it might be too good but he says it will grow hair back on my head.

  86. It’s no secret: any Ocean Spray product makes any alcohol palatable- that said, i’m embarrassed at how good the bourbon i mix with mine is, and this is the song for which i mixed it:

  87. So, i guess i won’t be seeing Tame Impala in D.C. this June.  Too bad, i was gonna meet up with CC and rage before the show.  Am genuinely curious if i’ll get these tickets refunded.  Oh well, it would have been like this, but louder and more fun: (and drunker😭):

  88. omg, a whole “Men I Trust” album, for free?   you people are so lucky, you don’t even realize:

  89. i just sent you all two, full, hip, current indie-rock albums, THROUGH SPACE.
     
    ✌️❤️🇺🇸

    (“Men I Trust” is such a good band name, btw. [edit within an edit: BRILLIANT album, holy $#!?] ok i’m burning moonlight…)

    (edit:”starlight”. Moon isn’t out😭)

    (Final edit: Nash- love that your criticism has gained purpose and practicality, keep it up🇺🇸

    RR- Welcome to the post-TV News-lifestyle. i know you’re going to enjoy it😜❤️🇺🇸)

    (Ultimate Final Edit: speaking of “brilliance”, brilliant Original Post, patd. i wanted to share the thought with others, but they just wouldn’t fucking get it🙏❤️🇺🇸)

Comments are closed.