I Have a Question for Trump Supporters
Of all the great deals we were promised by Trump, which actually-delivered great deal is your favorite great deal?
Announcer’s voice: UnilateralchangingofregulationsselectionofcabinetappointeesornominationsofSupremeCourtjusticesarenotdeals. APR3.7%butcertaintorisewhentheFedraisesinterestratesfurtherandcausesarecession.
[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]
So far, no Clinton in the WH. And the leftwing/Never Trump in petulant, pissy meltdown on a daily basis.
Colonel Haiku (d47fa2) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:19 amIf you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.
AZ Bob (f7a491) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:21 amThe Art of the Schlemiel. It’s the only thing he’s produced other than a reality show. Of course he didn’t do the actual work of writing.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:22 ami like how President Trump has exposed the craven moral bankruptcy of the CNN fake news propaganda slut media and vast swathes of the federal government, from the idiotic social justice trash in our pathetic military, to the naked corruption of our FBI, to the palpable contempt our Congress has developed for us, the American people
eyes have been opened as never before
and people are seeing with an unprecedented clarity
and that’s a deal that filth such as John McCain, Mitt Romney, or Jeb Bush were all wholly incapable of delivering, because they are all three part and parcel of the problem
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:28 amAt last, we have a President who makes CNN look bad! By Golly, that’s leadership!
Appalled (1a17de) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:42 amyes yes leadership quite in contrast to that of the perverted Barack Obama, who, in consort with other disgusting anti-semites – a surprising number of which infest the US military – arranged for a perverted nuclear holocaust of Israel
these past few months with President Trump are as to a spring after an endless winter
America’s no longer actively pursuing an agenda of evil, though there remains a distressing amount of inertia that in some ways mimics intent
no end of work to be done that’s for sure
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:47 amMy favorite is the deal he promised to negotiate with “existing hospitals” on health care:
(emphasis added)
Remember those tough negotiations between the White House and “existing hospitals” to “take care of everybody” and “save so much money on the other side” during the health care debacle?
Neither do I.
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:52 amGetting rid of Obama-era regulations has been a big win.
Colonel Haiku (d47fa2) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:54 amif you like your doctor you can keep your doctor lol Mr. Dave
Barack Obama took the greatest healthcare system in the whirl and ass-jacked it into a stunning fiasco
and the sleazy McConnell Senate likes it this way
President Trump has been indefatigable in his efforts to help mend the obamacare disaster
his one failing was his naivety in believing campaign promises made by dishonest cowardly filth like John McCain
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 11:56 amDave: The list of failures will result in a longer thread than Patterico intended.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:00 pmHow do you define ‘Trump supporters’?
I did not vote for him, I think he is an egotistic blowhard with a very skewed sense of priority but as President I support him in any endeavor to preserve, protect and defend our people, our borders and our constitution.
I guess his biggest achievement so far is not being Hillary aka Obama v.2.
harkin (a92711) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:05 pm“MSNBC White House reporter Garrett Haake said he got several responses calling for him to be fired as a result of him saying something nice about President Donald Trump as he visited a Hurricane Harvey relief center in Houston on Saturday.
Haake, who had just returned from Houston, remained at the White House during Trump’s day trip to storm damaged Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana, wrote on Twitter after seeing video of Trump warmly embracing children at the Houston relief center at NRG Stadium, “These pictures of @realDonaldTrump with children at a Houston shelter are fascinating. This is Trump the Grandpa, who public never sees.”
Thirty minutes later a bemused Haake tweeted: “This tweet has elicited responses comparing Trump to Hitler, Stalin and Satan, and several calling for me to be fired. Thanks everyone.””
TDS at its finest.
https://mobile.twitter.com/GarrettHaake/status/904037939226738688
harkin (a92711) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:16 pmI did not ask for a list of his accomplishments.
I asked for a list of the “great deals.” Because we were promised “great deals.”
Not a single “great deal” has been cited. Instead people just reword my question.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:18 pmGetting rid of Obama-era regulations has been a big win.
To the degree that he’s doing that, a definite yes. And it should be clear to everyone here that my opinion of Trump could be termed NeverTrump (modulated into “How do we mitigate this disaster?” since the election.
I qualified that statement because 1)the rollback is not as speedy and thorough as the original promises suggested and 2) the bureaucratic process and lawfare being used to block the changes is further slowing it down. The latter is not Trump’s fault. It’s not necessarily the bureaucracy’s fault: if the law requires a comment period on proposed regulations, the process has no choice but to wait.
kishnevi (480bf9) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:24 pmSo we can only answer the question with a yes or no?
AZ Bob (f7a491) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:25 pmI get a great deal of satisfaction watching the deep state flail about. I get a great deal of joy knowing Hillary Clinton will never be POTUS.
Colonel Haiku (d47fa2) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:25 pmDefine ‘Great Deal
We’re easily confused.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:31 pmAsk for an evaluation of Trump get ‘Hillobama!’
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:33 pmDeflection is a non-contact sport.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:34 pmit takes two to deal and the sleazy McConnell Sasse McCain Republicans are an avowed part of the fascist “resistance”
who’s a good faith actor with which President Trump supposed to deal?
sleazy lying war hero John McCain: hahaha i did filthy obamacare all up in it! Suck it, America!
nevertrump: Why are President Trump not make deals cause of he promised? He promised and why are he not make deals? He said he would make deals. This are not true there are no deals.
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:34 pmoh boy
with which *President Trump’s* supposed to deal i mean
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:35 pmObama! Fake news! Deep state! Obama!
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:35 pmGreat deal in-the-offing: Trump tweet this morning —
OK, w/ apologies to Mr. P this deal (or deal-adjacency) is not quite yet concluded (and w/ the caveat that I’m not so much what you could call a Trump supporter, I suppose).
But still. I’m tired of all that Chinese crap in Wal-Mart and Amazon. But since I just can’t seem to stop myself from buying it, this is ultimately good news. And if I don’t see one more damn statue of Vishnu clogging up the aisles at Dollar General anymore, well that won’t go amiss either.
Q! (267694) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:36 pmGreat deals:
Pinched faces of the left
Colonel Haiku (d47fa2) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:36 pmEPA employees crying on the job
Military seems to believe they have CIC support
Jerry Brown cutting deals with ChiComCrapitalists
Hollywood, media and coastal elites taking their masks off and showing themselves to be the enemies of Middle class America they’ve been suspected of being
Lotsa great deals…
Colonel Haiku (d47fa2) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:40 pmSounds like pfc sees schadenfreude as the primary finished product.
JOB CREATOR!!!
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:41 pm3% in 2q17… another great deal.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:44 pmOne of the most audacious mutterings from his cake hole was BRINGING BACK THE INDUSTRIAL AGE!
Those blue-collar hopefuls put their faith in his Blowviation and have been duly rewarded.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:46 pmGreat Deals:
Neil Gorsuch
Betsy DeVos
Scott Pruitt
Withdrawal from Paris Treaty
Abandonment of TPP (not entirely good – a better TPP would be worthwhile but this one wasn’t)
More activist sanctions against Venezuela
More activist destruction of ISIS
Anything he can do unilaterally he’s had a great success rate. Anything that takes cooperation, VERY spotty record. None of this comes close to not being Hillary. That alone is a great deal.
Patterico I know you’re still a NeverTrumper. I kind of understood way back when. But stevemaley.com’s analysis right before the election that said “in the end #neverhillary wins” was and is the right answer and all the whining in the world by you about his imperfections doesnt’ change the relative value of his win compared with the alternatives.
Lazlo Toth (a52ca5) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:46 pmHe promised to negotiate with “existing hospitals” to give everybody better healthcare coverage while saving the government untold billions of dollars at the same time. How did that go?
He promised to negotiate with Mexico to make them pay for the wall. How’s that going?
Was there some fine print to all his promises of “great deals” stipulating that the promises were void unless the other side conceded everything demanded before negotiations began?
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:47 pmALL AMERICAN STEEL FOR THE PIPELINE!!!
Healthcare will be so cheap and so-o-o-o much better. A hundred times better!
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:49 pmNo signature legislation, lazlo?
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:50 pmDelivered employment to leftwing half-wits and ne’er-do-wells in the form of Soros funding of Pantyfa and basement dwelling keyboard commandos… amirite, bennie?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:52 pmTrump signs VA reform bill, making good on a campaign promise
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:58 pmThe ‘deal’ which Hillary Clinton got for writing What happened. 🙂
The Dana who is absotively, posilutely overjoyed that Hillary Clinton is still a private citizen (f1c5f8) — 9/3/2017 @ 12:58 pmI’m sure that will be a popular move with every worker whose factory uses Chinese steel or electronic components, as well as the ones producing the $150B+ worth of goods and services we export to China every year.
You can always be sure that Trump thinks everything through before he makes idiotic threats on Twitter, including the side-effects and unintended consequences…
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:00 pmYes, it’s definitely better to have fewer choices.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:00 pmCheck your OED.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:02 pmit’s better for people to not get nuked by a chinese noko nuclear bomb thank it is for them to have a robust selection of goods at dirty white supremacy walmart
this is obvious to anyone who is willing to do the analysis
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:03 pmWas that the promise? “I’ll make great deals unless it turns out there are no good faith actors, in which case I’ll make zero deals and simply do one or two things unilaterally and then bitch on Twitter — but never mind because all my supporters will twist the English language to redefine my unilateral actions as deals”?
I guess he is keeping his promises — if that was the promise.
But I don’t think it was.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:04 pmugh
thank = than
i hope this annotation is of benefit to the reader
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:05 pmPresident Trump’s not unlike our steadfast friend Lucille van Pelt
the booth for to make the deals is open
but the juvenile and sleazy republican senate spends all the day sniggering by the bike racks
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:07 pmhere’s a representative example of the sleazy, dishonest character of the disgraceful trash President Trump’s supposed to approach in good faith
it’s quite extravagant, the disgracefulness of these trashy senators
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:12 pmI have never once used that term to describe myself.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:12 pmI agree with this, but the image in my mind’s eye is Trump holding the football.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:13 pmpoor Lucy that one little antic’s become so defining for her, no matter how unfairly
still all she can do is press on, courageously and with a resolute heart
in this she is an example to us all
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:16 pmI think I finally figured out why people are so reflexively defensive of Trump.
You think that if I criticize the man, that I am reproaching you for voting for him.
But I’m not. I always said that I fully understood why someone would vote Trump in a general election against Hillary Clinton. (Not in a primary.) I’ve never criticized that vote.
But y’all are hyperdefensive about it.
Until I came to this realization, it made no sense to me that I criticize something he does and get a chorus of BUT HILLARY! in response. Huh? She’s not president. Why do we care that Trump is not Hillary.
But now I get it. When I write: “I criticize Trump for action x” the reluctant Trump voter reads: “I criticize you, the reluctant Trump voter, for voting for Trump.”
And when that’s what you read, “BUT HILLARY!” makes sense.
But that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just criticizing Trump.
This feels like it’s worth an entire post.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:19 pmHas Trump done any bad deals say like those of Obama and Iran?
AZ Bob (f7a491) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:21 pmLazlo at #29 and happy at #34 did a pretty good job of responding to Patterico’s question.
Although a better question might be, “What could have Trump accomplished if our elected representatives in Congress actually represented the interests of their constituents instead of kowtowing to corrupt party leaders, abandoning the democratic process, and attempting to overturn the results of a presidential election.”
ropelight (db9e35) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:22 pmpost away my friend
i look forward to your thoughts on this matter
but take a care not to count me among these you accuse of having voted for President Trump
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:22 pm” abandoning the democratic process, ”
You see Trump as pro-democracy?
Phew!!
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:24 pmPipelines built. Veterans Admin in the process of reforming.
Getting a deal done to destroy the judicial filibuster.
Not being a Flake who just said it was unacceptable to build a wall to defend our southern border from invasion.
NJRob (7f4bec) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:25 pmGetting so many leftists in Republican clothing to admit they are leftists. Now that they cannot do fake votes to pretend they are Republicans, they unite with the left to defeat the conservative agenda.
NJRob (7f4bec) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:26 pmThere have been many “great deals” listed that don’t mention or allude to Hillary Clinton. Doesn’t take much energy to read them.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:32 pmwha??
what on god’s green would hiring veterans for customs jobs accomplish?
this man’s a complete toff is what he is
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:32 pmGratifying to hear from his proponents that his greatest accomplishments largely involve doing nothing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:36 pmPatterico, you’ve been criticizing Trump so long and so often, it’s gotten to the point where you must have asked yourself if you protest too much.
Are your efforts drawing support or are you barking up the wrong tree?
ropelight (db9e35) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:39 pmAs has been mentioned many times, it takes a cooperative congress to help get what needs doing done. But then we’ll read that Trump needs to do a much better job selling it. Yes, he needs to do better. But this ain’t the senior prom and congress most assuredly is not comprised of virgin debutantes.
And yet we seldom read about congressional culpability.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:42 pm45… and what sort of guy would tell Charlie Brown to go fukk himself anyway!?!?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:44 pmEnablers, is what he has made his entourage.
“You ok to drive? You had three Black Russians, man. Hey! It’s your life”
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:48 pmdeal
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 1:51 pmdēl
noun
1.
an agreement entered into by two or more parties for their mutual benefit, especially in a business or political context.A unilateral accomplishment by a President that can be undone by the next President.
@53. they unite with the left to defeat the conservative agenda
Trump’s a transient. Conservative ideologues discovered to their utter horror, that there’s not nearly as many of them as their echo-chambered media has led them to believe. A party at war with itself now for years was easy pickings for The pragmatist Donald; he knows his audience: entertain’em. Look at the pipsqueaks he rolled with ease; ‘Lyin’ Ted; Lil’ Marco; Low-energy-Jeb… Shouting go-to-safe-word ‘Reagan’ gets met w/blank stares these days, too. And his opponent, the last gasp of the feminist 70s- was even more unlikable than Cruz– and that’s saying something. After tossing the expected SCOTUS bone, his continuing success has been and will be to effective neuter conservative ideologues for years to come.
“And that’s a good thing.” – Martha Stewart
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:01 pm@46. And she works for peanuts.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:04 pmWow! You’ve distilled that down to a narrow ph…….
I still get ‘ nuthin..
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:05 pmThat’s not a “deal” it’s an executive order. It takes at least two parties to make a deal.
Rev.Hoagie® (630eca) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:07 pm*whoosh*
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:11 pmDCSCA,
And yet Americans elected a pretend conservative over a declared, committed liberal. Go figure.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:11 pmThat’s the point, Hoagie. Three haven’t been any of the promised deals.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:12 pmThe problem is, people don’t believe him. This is probably an alternative to a pre-emptive attack on targets in North Korea, courtesy of Kelly, McMaster and Mattis.
The trade embargo may be imposed as early as October 15, but more likely in November or December, with a 30-90 day warning period. If Trump announces this embargo, he will probably expect China to cave in.
In fact, he probably expects China to cave in well before it reaches that point. Actually, people should probably speculate in the stock market and/or Treasury bonds, since China is going to sell a lot.
Of course, this may be litigated, but winning the case might mean war.
Sammy Finkelman (9716ab) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:13 pmPatterico, I think some people are defensive because they feel like you are undermining their ability to vote for Trump and still claim to be conservatives. They want him to deliver conservative solutions and reforms, but it doesn’t appear he will and your reminders make that painfully obvious. Maybe I shouldn’t speak for others but I feel that way.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:16 pmThat’s also why they are angry at what they call NeverTrump — aka all the people who said “I warned you” — even more than liberals.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:18 pmReally, let’s stop beating up his loyalists through demands for actual results. They are between a rock-head and his, er…rock-head. It’s a genuine fustercluck.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:18 pm..
While he’s pressuring China about North Korea, he might as well pressure China about Pakistan as well.
He could ignore, for the moment, the South China sea. That’s not as critical.
Sammy Finkelman (9716ab) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:18 pmThe question — as modified by the fast-speaking announcer — presumes that there are any such “deals.”
I’m having a hard time thinking of any. The word “deal” implies that there has been opposition between two self-interested sides who’ve made compromises or modifications in their respective positions in order to actually reach an agreement. In domestic circumstances, it implies something that might have required Congress to have passed over serious opposition due to something actively done by the POTUS (beyond appending his signature); in the foreign policy sphere, it implies something that resulted in an international agreement between the United States and others.
I was encouraged by the UN sanctions against North Korea, which would fall in the latter category, and for which — for what they’re worth, which is unclear, but they’re better than nothing, which seemed probable — Trump’s administration can take credit. The Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia likewise got at least some bickering Arab nations to sit down together and supposedly to agree upon some joint future action, although that too seems to be in the “better than nothing but not yet producing much in the way of hard results” category.
Nothing on the domestic front springs to mind. To paraphrase Eisenhower when asked shortly before the 1960 presidential election for an “example of a major idea” of his VPOTUS, Richard Nixon, that Ike had adopted:
Beldar (fa637a) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:19 pm@67. It’s easy to figure, DRJ:
“It was the TV.” – Nurse Diesel [Cloris Leachman] ‘High Anxiety’ 1977
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:19 pmNo one, and I mean NO ONE wants to ever har….I told you so.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:19 pmAs I understood the sense of the question, it was asking for examples that would validate Trump’s claim to be a great deal-maker, someone who can create agreement in circumstances when other lesser deal-makers couldn’t.
The VA reform legislation is an example of something that was agreed upon by the GOP congress and passed by GOP votes without significant opposition within the GOP, and without Dems being able to block it. I give Trump zero credit as a “deal-maker” for that, since it wasn’t the result of his strategic skill or negotiating prowess or anything else besides his signature.
I should perhaps, however, have self-selected out of this quiz, depending on what the title means by “Trump supporters.” If it meant Trump voters, I don’t qualify. If it meant “people who approve generally of Trump,” I still don’t qualify. If it includes people who will applaud and support him when he does things of which we approve (which is broader than deal-making and would include, e.g., the Gorsuch nomination or the withdrawal from the Paris Accords), then I qualify. I think this puts me in company with our host, as I’ve understood his past posts.
Beldar (fa637a) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:27 pmPatrick do you or will you ever get tired of riding your Never Trump Hobbyhorse?
The election is over; he won. The other candidate didn’t. Suck it up. I did that under 8 years of Obama.
Skeptical Voter (1d5c8b) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:28 pmSee, Patterico? Skeptical Voter never once complained about Obama in 8 years. Get with the program.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:32 pmAlso, you don’t get to decide if you are NeverTrump. Skeptical Voter does.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:34 pmOMG, DRJ, you are on a tear! It is both terrifying and wondrous to behold.
felipe (023cc9) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:41 pmi love president trump he’s the cool side of the pillow he puts the spring in every step he’s not just the president
he’s our best friend
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:43 pmSomeone in a past thread mentioned that there are still 200 positions open in Trump’s administration. How many of those are heads, deputies, assistants, etc. of departments I don’t know, but it would make sense that you would have to have your government reasonably staffed to move forward on policy, regulatory, and other types of issues.
Hundreds of nominees have been waiting for Senate confirmation, which has been stalled by Democrats inflicting delaying tactics on the process; more nominees are added on an almost weekly basis. A bunch of nominees, but nowhere near most, were confirmed just after the ACA vote fail (quid meet quo?) and before Congress went home. This article is from July:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/senate-trump-nominees/535884/
Click on a few pages here & look for the word “nominations” to see how there is a steady stream of nominations moving to the Senate.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/nominations-and-appointments
Trump may come off as a complete buffoon and deserve much of the criticism thrown his way, but I suggest that some slack has to be cut for him not having adequate staffing to, y’know, get stuff done.
ColoComment (e457e2) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:45 pmI don’t read many complaints about HF’s comments (of late), so I will take him out of my filter and read what his thoughts are. Starting tomorrow, I think. I say this “out loud” in the same spirit of one who knocks before entering a room.
felipe (023cc9) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:47 pmIt’s really true. The bit from the original “Ghostbusters,” and “choosing the form of your destroyer” and ending up with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ctgn7kKYHo
The political system did it with DJT. So I can only hope that this mess will result in people actually holding candidates to their own statements and promises.
But hypocrisy will win. Sort of like people who attack any number of former Republican candidates in gross and insulting and overly personal ways….yet ignoring any promise or overstatement by DJT (let alone fangirling out).
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:49 pmI find your comment apt, Simon. The voters have chosen the destroyer -for us. I want to ask “how did we come to this?” But I know very well how.
felipe (023cc9) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:54 pmColoComment,
I think that was my comment. From what I have seen, as of June, Trump had nominated less than 10 people to the 205 jobs a President can nominate in the Department of Justice. That does not include other agencies or departments of the government where a President can make appointments, and there is no slowdown in the consideration of these positions because Trump hasn’t nominated anyone. If this is correct (and I think it is, but I sincerely hope my information is not correct), then Trump is not draining the DOJ swamp.
DRJ (d35869) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:55 pmFrankly, if you don’t support and bad mouth Trump all the time you kinda did decide you’re a neverTrumpist. I’d figure if you’re not a leftist Democrat or an antifa thug or a member of the elite media but spent the last ten months b!tching about Trump you’re a neverTrumpist. If you fail to recognize the value in supporting an American President who is in the Republican Party and call those that do “Trump Supporters” when in fact they are Republican Supporters you may be a neverTrumpist. If you believe that supporting a President who is not a rabid leftist Democrat is akin to agreeing with everything he says, does and Tweets, you may be a neverTrumpist.
I could go on but I’m beginning to sound like “You may be a redneck”.
Rev.Hoagie® (630eca) — 9/3/2017 @ 2:56 pmI have a potential deal for consideration. If Trump can get China, et al, to pressure North Korea into not going to war and not using nuclear weapons, then I will give them credit as deal-makers.
DRJ (d35869) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:00 pmNo one here “bad mouth[s] Trump all the time.” Trump has been given credit for Gorsuch and a few things, but he makes so few conservative decisions and has accomplished so little that it seems like people are criticizing him all the time.
DRJ (d35869) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:02 pmI have a question or two for Trump serial castigators: what do they think the great deals would be under a Hillary Clinton regime… what do they think Americans would’ve been subjected to in just the first year?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:02 pm88… or it may just be an insipid form of OCD, Hoagie.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:04 pmHere is the most recent batch of nominations.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/09/02/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-personnel-key
At this rate Trump has a good chance of naming people for all thise positions by the time Jan 20, 2020 gets here.
kishnevi (480bf9) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:08 pm85… all is fair in love and politics, Simon. I think back to an earlier time… a time when SNL was funny… and the skit where two political foes running for the same office issued increasingly outrageous ads about each other’s behavior and fitness for office.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:09 pmthe senate judiciary committee includes harvardtrash ben sasse and prissy arizona toff jeff flake
to say nothing of the unfailingly perverse orrin hatch who may very well have threatened already to halt all nominees that are put in front of the committee if President Trump fulfills his promise to rescind food stamp lawless DACA actions
and the very princess of the resistance lindsey graham’s in the mix as well
which is to say the corrupt DOJ’s likely to remain satisfyingly corrupt for our Republican Senate for many many moons yet
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:11 pmI’m going to track that one down… funny stuff in an unfunny world.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:11 pmugh i’ve been careless again
food *stamp’s* lawless DACA actions i should have said
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:13 pmWhy should his supporters be on the rack when he gives a fig whether they roast on a spit or get hit by a bus? That misplaced loyalty comes up frequently as a curious aside.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:14 pmThanks, DRJ. I should have added to my comment that IMHO it’s not primarily the numbers that are telling, but rather the types of positions themselves that have not been confirmed. I’ve never worked in government, so forgive my ignorance, but I would assume that positions would typically be filled from the top down: a deputy for policy (or some such) seat being filled and then that guy would in turn begin filling in his organization chart, all of which being a necessary prerequisite to achieving [promised] accomplishments.
I noted the word “key” in the Atlantic article: “In the span of a few minutes on Thursday afternoon, the Senate confirmed dozens of the president’s stalled nominees to KEY posts in several departments. The departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Commerce got long-awaited deputy, under, and assistant secretaries.” (caps added)
To extend the metaphor, it seems to me that in order to drain a swamp, one first has to obtain & position (get confirmed) the right-sized pumps for the job, prime them (with middle managers & staff), and then turn them on (policy direction) & let the pumps work as designed. Not to make excuses for anyone, just trying to see the bigger picture.
ColoComment (e457e2) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:19 pmHere is a link for all nominations pending or confirmed in the Senate.
https://www.senate.gov/legislative/nominations.htm
It includes judges, ambassadors, and positions in the Executive Branch, plus nominees to the Federal Reserve, SEC, and other commissions.
kishnevi (480bf9) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:23 pmBingo. That’s my latest post. It’s already up at RedState. Up here in an hour.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:34 pmTrump is not good at deals because he’s not good at assessing the situation, unless, maybe, somebody is there to help him. He’s going to propose a deal with Congress about the Dreamers. It is not likely to work. His big problem is that he is boxed in by his campaign promises
With regard to North Korea Rex Tillerson really spoiled things that other day. It made him believe Trump was bluffing.
Sammy Finkelman (516a57) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:34 pmThe TL;DR is that by criticizing Trump, I do not intend to be criticizing people who voted for him.
But everyone interprets criticism of him that way. That’s why we get “BUT HILLARY” as a response to every criticism. Everyone who voted for Trump takes any slapdown of Trump as a personal slight directed at them.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:35 pmIs your card:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-trump-abe/japans-abe-agreed-with-trump-putin-on-cooperation-over-north-korea-idUSKCN1BE0WL?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=59ac6faa04d3015f8edea240&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:39 pmthat don’t make it hurt less, your scornfulness towards our president (Donald Trump)
he’s the one good thing what’s happened in America nigh on a decade
and it was so unexpected as to be manifestly Providential
this is God’s will I can feel it
i feel a praise song coming on
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:39 pm61 – that’s one crazy volume of the OED.
harkin (a92711) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:44 pmThe United States can really unilaterally impose sanctions by cutting off states from the banking system. This is probably closer than most people are ready to think.
I don’t know – if the pressure gets too high – maybe the result could be a surprise – the resignation of Hu, followed by a resignations and retirements in the Chinese military, and a change in policy regarding North Korea and other places, plus a number of unrelated changes all over.
China is not quite a one-man dictatorship, even though it is moving closer to that.
Now I don’t know how China can get rid of I’m Kim Jong Un. But they probably know the inside and outside of North Korea’s nuclear program.
Sammy Finkelman (516a57) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:47 pmThe question arises, if there can be such word-for-word repetition in multiple media outlets on an insignificant story presented as original content, what media coordination exist with respect to stories that are not so insignificant? *
https://youtu.be/TM8L7bdwVaA
Anyone who tries to tell me there is no collusion among the media is a liar.
* H/T to Liberty’s Torch
Rev.Hoagie® (630eca) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:51 pmThere is almost no collusion amongst the Media.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:54 pmI know, right? And yet the definition I gave at 61 is the one employed by nearly every Trump supporter on this thread. For example, you. I asked Trump supporters to list great deals, and you responded by saying:
Which is only a “deal” as per the redefinition from the crazy volume of the OED that y’all are using.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:58 pmAcamademic point: Sometimes, the best deal is the one not made.
I’d give him credit for withdrawing from the Paris Accords on Climate.
I excoriate him for his refusal to tear the Iran agreement to shreds. DACA? A massive betrayal. His proclamation of victory with the House version of ACA reform? Harrible (he said in his best NYC accent).
Your larger point absolutely stands. DJT has utterly failed in his actions to match his rhetoric.
Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:58 pm103. Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:35 pm
I don’t think it’s that. They seem to be taking string criticism of Trump as meaning that Donald Trump should not have been elected president. That’s not what you’re getting at I think.
Trump can be bad, but in a different way and easier to handle (if you put aside the possibility that he might get us into an unnecessary nuclear war — which is not actually all that likely.)
One way it is better that he is president: Look at how easy people find it to criticize him!
Sammy Finkelman (516a57) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:59 pmWell, I do believe Donald Trump should not have been elected president. But I think the same about Hillary Clinton.
Depends on which people you’re talking about.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:05 pmEd from SFV (3400a5) — 9/3/2017 @ 3:58 pm
Not yet. Trump is still working on figuring out a way to escape from his campaign promise.
If Congress legalized them, that would not violate any campaign promise. But Democrats are not likely to give him a face-saving way out of this. I don’t think they will vote for any anti-immigration thing at all, not even wasting money by pretending to do anything to build a wall with Mexico, or more border police if it is characterized as anti-immigrant.
It’s going to be hard to pass amnesty for “Dreamers” with only Republican votes.
.
Sammy Finkelman (516a57) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:06 pmIt’s very simple:
1. If you refuse to admit anything good done by a candidate, no matter what, you are a self-deluded partisan.
2. If you refuse to admit anything bad done by a candidate, no matter what, you are a self-deluded partisan.
It’s a simple calculus, and self-evidently true.
If you have a candidate who does many things wrong, and you do not admit that those things are wrong, and then respond with “at least XX is not YY,” you are also a partisan.
I do think that DRJ and Patterico are correct. Many people, I believe, were worried about voting for DJT. This is because of the nonsense he prattles on about on Twitter, etc, his long history of truly odious actions, his bad business deals, his low-rent actions…and more importantly, his documented history of not being right of center of most issues. The term “Presidential” is an important one. And if you think it doesn’t matter now, you cannot be upset about the previous inhabitant of the White House’s bizarre actions with rappers and Hollywood types.
So when these DJT voters (as opposed to people who held their nose, hoped for the best, and are looking at this adminstration through shaded eyes) are confronted with their choice, they are irritable. Worried. And so they need to lash out. Hence all the nonsense in the comments section. It also explains the attempts to drown out other voices with bizarre overstatements.
It’s not difficult: every person should be able to state what specific actions DJT has taken since his inauguration that they (i) like, (ii) hate, and (iii) are worried about. I think that Patterico could answer this directly, and I hope that DJT supporters (real ones, instead of silly trolls) could do the same.
If a person can’t do that, or only respond that things could be worse under another person, well, we are back to cheerleading.
Despite the previous administration, we elect politicians, not kings or queens.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:06 pmBut you didn’t define “deal” yourself. I voted for him and am pleased with the deal I got, in some cases in only relative terms, and in other cases in absolute terms. I haven’t checked the OED as you suggested because “deal” was sufficiently ambiguous.
And yes I would like to see some legislation – mainly legislation that rolls back bad legislation that is around today. Having said that, the amount of legislation that somebody implements has never seemed like a good measurement. I would have been much more pleased with almost every administration in my lifetime had they passed fewer laws. An example – Sarbanes-Oxley. I deal with it every day as a corporate lawyer. I don’t believe it’s prevented dishonest people from committing fraud and I don’t think it’s kept honest people more honest, but its cost is staggering. And it was implemented by a Republican administration. Along with Obamacare there are a zillion other laws that should never have been enacted. So no signature legislation being a weakness, 7 months in? Maybe. But no big load of new laws for everyone to adjust to, and a good number of regulations withdrawn – yes, I’m happy about that. I’m okay with my “deal” that I got when I voted against Hillary, and for Trump, which I found to be the only viable and actual vote against Hillary.
Lazlo Toth (a52ca5) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:13 pm@107 I don’t know – if the pressure gets too [sic] high – maybe the result could be a surprise
I don’t know either. And of course “surprises” are what most thoughtful people are a’hankerin’ for, especially in international relations, and particularly when involving nuclear powers. A dream scenario for a deep and subtle thinker like Trump, whose high IQ is legend and whose competence is obvious & nonpareil. As Sweetum-Tootsies suggests [@ 105], this has all the earmarks of being manifestly Providential.
Q! (267694) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:14 pmLazlo,
“When I am President I will make great deals. Specifically, I will make a deal with you that I will not be Hillary Clinton. I will not, however, make any actual deals besides that. Instead I will engage in a handful of unilateral actions that cannot fit within any dictionary definition of the word ‘deal” and otherwise I’ll pretty much bitch on Twitter and fire everyone surrounding me as a way to blame others for my own incompetence. Still: not Hillary!”
Trump supporters: “Yup, that’s what I heard when he said he’d make such great deals!”
The rest of us: “Whaa?”
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:19 pmOff-topic:
Walter Becker of Steely Dan has passed away.
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:20 pmhe’s a blessing and a wonderment
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:20 pmAs little as I thought of the guy, I actually expected I would be happier with the actual progress of policy than I am at this point. I never doubted Mitch McConnell’s ability to hold the line on the Supreme Court and little doubted Trump’s ability to do what he was told by the Federalist Society and pick an acceptable candidate for the Court. Other than that, I am underwhelmed. And as far as the “great deals” we were promised, the responses to this thread confirm that I didn’t overlook anything, since people are either ignoring the word I used in my question or redefining it.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:22 pmThey don’t have any choice, Patterico. But you left out the third reaction: yell at you.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:28 pmI thought I could hold my nose until he performed his act for the lower classes. I can’t hold it that long.
Ben burn (eb1e37) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:28 pmDo y’all like your Hereos with or without milk?
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:30 pmHe’s made a deal (through his Attorney General), with local police departments across the country, to bypass their states’ restrictions on asset forfeitures:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/sessions-forfeiture-justice-department-civil/534168/
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:32 pmThat’s a great deal right there, right, happyfeet? It was worth electing Trump just for this alone.
To make deals, you have to understand the issues. Trump knows nothing about anything, and isn’t interested in learning. He could not answer basic questions about the health-care reform bill, and was completely unaware of some of its key provisions. Nor, for that matter, did he care what was in it, or whether it lived up to any of the rainbows and unicorns nonsense he fraudulently promised people during the campaign, as long it passed and could be touted as a “win” for him personally.
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:34 pmpls to forgive me
but it sounds to me for all the whirl like nevertrump’s rooting for President Trump to most decidedly not accomplish any of these “deals” and they’re not a little appreciative of the efforts of resistance clowns like John McCain and Ben Sasse
for while, sure
yes we can point to this or that lack of any deals
over here there’s no deal on this and over yonder we don’t see a deal on this other thing
but one must be mature and sober-minded to diagnose what infirmity of process there might be what’s impeding these “deals” from coming to fruition
and i’d submit that infirmity derives from a sick and corrupt McConnell Senate what hates President Trump, what hates America, and what hates Americans
just an observation there
and of course
once President Trump does indeed conjure a deal or a dozen
they’ll be wholly unsatisfactory to them nevertrumps and you can take that to the bank
deals of all kinds, you see, are inherently wholly unsatisfactory to ideologues
an it’s a recipe for an enduring and stubborn unhappiness for that lot and i see no end to it
that said
a blessing and a wonderment, he is
does my heart good to see it
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:35 pmJeffy Sessions is a dirty filthy deeply corrupt and evil man Mr. nk
he’s a devil crawled up from the pits of hell to prosecute a torment upon justice itself
pray for our deliverance
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:37 pm@124. Patterico, Captain Crunch is a serial tweeter.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:38 pmoopers *and* it’s a recipe is how that should read
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:40 pmWow, what a turn-out!
What a crowd!
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:42 pmSo, Trump appointed this devil from the pits of hell, yet somehow, in your addled reality, that is consistent with believing, simultaneously, that Trump is a blessing and a wonderment and can do no wrong…
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:49 pmdon’t problematize it Mr. Dave
it’s not a good situation
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:50 pmWait, there’s more. Trump personally made a deal that if a cop bashes your head into a car door while he’s seizing your assets, he will get an attaboy and not a civil rights prosecution.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 4:55 pmthat’s washington post fake news
i’m on record as abjuring this
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:01 pmThere are no great deals. Trump obviously underestimated the difficulty in governing a divided republic after winning by running against both major political parties and overestimated his ability to do great deals with the people who used to want his favor.
crazy (11d38b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:06 pmJimmy Carter: Don’t let Harvey divide Americans
wtf is he talking about
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:13 pmHappy, I could crap all day on Steven Miller the same way you crap on Sessions, but in the end I realize “he wayciss” isnt going to pass muster on these pages.
urbanleftbehind (847a06) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:21 pmSessions is too focused on his own pride, to admit he made a mistake, the same one Ashcroft did fourteen years ago in recusing.
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:26 pmHis praise for Linda McMahon said it all. I’ve long suspected it but now I’m sure. He’s not a Trump supporter, he is lampooning them.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:29 pmWell linda did too lamikazi find against the lake marine and his protege, so she was owed something.
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:32 pmhumph
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:33 pmBut take bridenstine who is being spattered for having enough of an aerospace background actually that’s a pretext for doubleunplushood thonking.
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:35 pmas I was saying, Mr. Sessions is a very complex man
capable of acts what manifest the great love he has for this country
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:35 pmHis attacks on all of Trump’s appointees are classic strategy to deprive a leader of his close support and to leave him alone, isolated and ineffectual with no one to carry out or even transmit his orders.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:38 pmnotes astrophysicist Marco Rubio, who will never be president, hates Mr. Bridenstine a lot
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:39 pmIt’s not a big priority for me, but for train body of voters who did, reversing course could be problematic, along with other real or perceived retreats.
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:40 pmMr. Trump’s doing a whole lot of effectual all up in it he’s got a great team and a lot of momentum!
it’s just some people in his administration are super-stupid (Rex Tillerson)
or they have an irrational hatred of the jewish people (us army general “HR” McMaster)
or they happen to be a vapid half-naked and semi-literate stripper-looking chick (Ivanka)
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:43 pmoopers that should have said *noted* astrophysicist Marco Rubio
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:44 pmWell, maybe my expectations were too low after the last 7-8 presidential elections. Trump was not my first, second, third or fourth pick. But having spent all of last year trying to figure out how I was going to get through 4-8 years of Hillary after 8 years of Obama after 8 years of barely tolerable Bush after 8 years of Clinton, during which my politics changed and I came to dislike him and like Reagan…well, I’m still every day waking up knowing that the Dems aren’t in power, Hillary isn’t president, and neither she nor Obama got to make a Supreme Court appointment. I didn’t see neverTrump as an answer, having voted for third party candidates in 1976 and 1980 and concluding that those votes were wasted. Right now, in NY, I am a registered Dem because we don’t have open primaries and the Dems distresssed me enough to want to vote in their primaries. I voted for Bernie Sanders – whom I think is a nut and a hypocrite – because I disliked Hillary enough. Trump was way easier to vote for.
And every day, Hillary is not president and the Dems can’t pass more Dem legislation and they can’t get the Supreme Court to decide the way they want and the lower courts are now getting filled too.
All the neverTrumpers here see Pollyanna in my comments. Me, I’m still delighted at what didn’t come to pass.
Lazlo Toth (a52ca5) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:45 pmWe can’t take you anywhere pikachu, you are not house trained.
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:46 pmyour media at work America
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:52 pmTrumps greatest deal to the people is Melania.
mg (31009b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:54 pmi think she’s pretty and very kind-hearted
she has a sweetness about what comes from inside
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:55 pma sweetness about *her* what comes from inside i mean
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:56 pm@153. Especially boarding AF1. Deplaning ain’t bad, either.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:56 pm“Harvey dumped around 25 trillion gallons of water on Texas and Louisiana, flooding countless homes and wrecking cities.
But the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on site two days before the storm hit. The National Guard and Coast Guard quickly mobilized and have saved thousands of lives.
On Tuesday, Trump went to Corpus Christi, Texas, to survey some of the damage and cheered on the relief effort. He told the local people that “Texas can handle anything” and he held up a state flag to roars of proud approval.
Still, religion writer Anthea Butler said in a New York Times op-ed that Trump’s actions were “devoid of empathy” because he didn’t mention any of the roughly 40 people that died in the storm.
That Trump says, “Wow!” and, “Spirit of the people is incredible. Thanks!” on Twitter makes for long and restless nights for the media. Meanwhile, everyone else is relieved Harvey was managed as best as possible.
Journalists need Trump to sing “Amazing Grace” or wipe away a tear at the White House press podium in order to feel like he’s really doing the job right.
In January 2016, then-President Obama cried while talking about the executive actions he was taking on gun control.
Chris Cillizza, a Washington Post blogger at the time, wrote, “I do have a strongly held belief in favor of men — including male politicians — crying in public if necessary.” He added, “I say this as, yes, a male who occasionally cries in public.”
After the 2015 mass shooting at church in Charleston, S.C., Obama delivered a sermon and broke into song.
The Atlantic magazine was so moved by the moment, it published an entire analysis by Peter Manseau on Obama’s rhetorical pause, calling it a “high-wire act.”
Trump doesn’t cry and he doesn’t sing, but he did pledge $1 million of his own money to the relief effort and the administration saved lives during a record-breaking hurricane.
That’s not enough for the media. But perhaps it meant something to Houston.”
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-doesnt-cry-or-sing-but-he-knows-how-to-help-harvey-victims/article/2633232
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:58 pmI know she doesn’t have her oars in the water
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/30/nancy-pqelosi-donald-trump-john-hickenlooper-ed-perlmutter-denver/
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 5:58 pmThere is an advantage who seems to demonstrate that she understands the high privilege accorded to her.
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:03 pmShe married for money. She has admitted this — casually and publicly. There’s a word for someone who does that but I’m too nice to say it.
Patterico (115b1f) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:11 pmThis Anthea butler, it was nowhere near her wirst
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/matt-hadro/2013/02/18/happened-msnbc-panel-sits-around-and-tells-race-jokes-air
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:17 pmAtleast she hasn’t raped Haiti of darn near every dime like the person some wanted for president
mg (31009b) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:19 pmNonetheless, she has comported herself perfectly as First Lady. Bad character and bad behavior are two different things, and it is praiseworthy for a person to behave better than his character calls for.
I would apply that to Trump’s performance in office, too. I think he is trying to be “better than he should be”.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:24 pmMaybe “deported herself” is more colloquial.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:27 pmTrump doesn’t cry and he doesn’t sing, but he did pledge $1 million of his own money to the relief effort and the administration saved lives during a record-breaking hurricane.
Given his past behavior, make sure he actually donates that money…and that it’s his money that’s donated.
And while I know that every branch of the military (including the Coast Guard) was helping with the rescues,as was the “Cajun Navy–and would have done so no matter who was sitting in the Oval Office–I wasn’t aware that any White House staffers were among the rescuers
kishnevi (35d300) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:34 pmShe married for money. She has admitted this — casually and publicly. There’s a word for someone who does that but I’m too nice to say it.
and what do we call John McCain then
yes yes
a war hero
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:41 pmOh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear,
— Romeo and Juliet
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 6:48 pmThis is such a great thread—-proving Patterico’s thesis repeatedly. So many folks are doing precisely what they are unhappy about when the Left does it.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 9/3/2017 @ 7:03 pmI raised my objections in the other thread, Simon, but I guess microagressions are the rage
narciso (d1f714) — 9/3/2017 @ 7:08 pmWell, he’s received high marks from David Duke, so that’s a start…
Dave (445e97) — 9/3/2017 @ 7:13 pmI could have sent Trump the same tweet but I don’t have Twitter.
nk (dbc370) — 9/3/2017 @ 7:49 pmComplete nonsense. It’s just you and Patterico trying to reassure yourself that you weren’t trying to destroy the nation by not voting for him and preferring to let Hillary win.
That’s what every single passive-aggressive post is about. Over and over again.
NJRob (7f4bec) — 9/3/2017 @ 9:12 pmAh well; Pattterico writes that Melania married for money; she admits it casually and publicly. Patterico said there’s a word for women like that but he won’t say it.
I used to follow this blog faithfully, checking in each day for several years. Then when the Trump rants got too bad, I stopped visiting. Lately I’ve been dropping in on occasion. After that shot about Mrs. Trump, I see it’s time to drop back out for a while. Adios fellows. Maybe I’ll be back–about the time the swallows return to Capistrano next year.
Skeptical Voter (1d5c8b) — 9/3/2017 @ 9:31 pmHillary is a rapist and no one cares. Bill is a rapist and no one cares.
mg (31009b) — 9/4/2017 @ 1:08 amMelania married for money. So effing what.
Only one 2016 presidential nominee boasted about committing sexual assault and indulging in sexual perversions with underage children. And it wasn’t Hillary.
Dave (445e97) — 9/4/2017 @ 3:16 amThe simple fact is that any woman as attractive as Melania has a wide range of options when it comes to selecting a mate. Choosing a dynamic, handsome, solvent man who loves her makes sense.
To say of America’s First Lady that “she married for money” is such a callous cheap shot so wide of the mark it reveals an unhealthy underlying animosity.
ropelight (db9e35) — 9/4/2017 @ 5:52 amCorrection to 107. I tried to write familiarly with names I wasn’t so familiar with.
The current paramount leader of China is Xi Jinping. The name of the previous one is Hu Jintao, who is completely out of power now. Xi faces formal re-election for a second 5-year time period in October. There is some speculation he might want to consolidate his rule beyond that. Secondary positions might not be so pre-determined. Now all decisions are usually made privately before the official meeting.
What’s going on could be an attempt by some people to affect the succession in China, and there are several completely different possibilities as to who is trying to affect what and who is manipulating whom.
Sammy Finkelman (3723f2) — 9/4/2017 @ 6:43 amIn lieu of Russia substitute Germany:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-netanyahu-chief-of-staff-named-as-aide-arrested-in-submarine-probe/
narciso (d1f714) — 9/4/2017 @ 6:49 amThings that make you hmm
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/267751/why-homeland-security-funding-anti-israel-terror-daniel-greenfield
narciso (d1f714) — 9/4/2017 @ 6:58 am166,you cant spell one without the letters of the other.
urbanleftbehind (2895f9) — 9/4/2017 @ 7:03 am172. NJRob:
I voted for Trump to keep Texas blue, so who is the one spouting nonsense?
DRJ (15874d) — 9/4/2017 @ 7:16 amI agree with nk 163.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/4/2017 @ 7:19 amI also commend President Trump for proclaiming September 3, 2017, as a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey and for our National Response and Recovery Efforts. It is good to look to God for answers and I’m grateful Trump realizes that.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/4/2017 @ 7:31 amFrom a post on the Maryles blog:
I don’t think it’s quite exactly like that.
I do think people are afraid of being lied to.
Sammy Finkelman (33d055) — 9/4/2017 @ 10:47 am181. I think you mean to keep Texas from going blue.
Sammy Finkelman (33d055) — 9/4/2017 @ 10:49 amWasn’t Trump involved in casinos once upon a time?
“Deal” has a very different meaning in that context.
JP (f1742c) — 9/5/2017 @ 7:57 am‘Melania married for money, SO WHAT?
“So?” Is the intellectual defense of all things Trumpy.
Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 9/5/2017 @ 8:01 amSCOTUS pick was enough for me.
SamIowa (f966d2) — 9/5/2017 @ 11:35 amTexas going blue is canceled by Minnesota waking up and Indian summer in New Hampshire.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 9/5/2017 @ 12:03 pmWow! You mean even an a$$hole like David Duke is smarter than you? It’s sad that the worst of the white supremacists is still smarter than the best leftist. Kinda says something about your species.
Rev.Hoagie® (630eca) — 9/5/2017 @ 12:32 pmBarack Obama’s letter left for Donald Trump January 20, 2017: (said to be his ast communicationwith him so far)
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 9/5/2017 @ 12:42 pmSo heartfelt and honest, Sammeh. Especially given the 8 execrable years of his reign.
Colonel Haiku (28a3f0) — 9/5/2017 @ 12:44 pmIt says something about you, too, that you would praise a neo-Nazi who thanked for the president for calling a mob of torch-carrying racists chanting “Blood and Soil” and “Jews will not replace us” very fine people.
Oh, and I’m not a leftist. You are, for supporting a man who said Hillary Clinton would make a great president and who bankrolled Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, Kerry, Carter, Rangel and Weiner. Try to keep up.
Dave (445e97) — 9/5/2017 @ 12:58 pm@187. “So?” Is the intellectual defense of all things Trumpy.
And so Cheneyesque, too.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/5/2017 @ 12:59 pmA conservative judge appointed to the Supreme Court. If I get nothing else out of President Trump but conservative judges, I will be happy and feel that my vote was worth it.
ROCHF (877dba) — 9/5/2017 @ 3:36 pm