Another Review of “Fire and Fury”: An Unreliable But Entertaining Portrait of a Trump We Already Know
I read “Fire and Fury” over the weekend. Joe Cunningham has his review of the book here. My reaction is a little different, so I thought I’d offer mine as a counterbalance.
The Good Conservative Take on this is that author Michael Wolff is not to be trusted, therefore literally 100% of the book can be discounted. The latest criticism of Trump dismissed, we can dust off our hands and move on to praising the grand conservative accomplishments of Donald Trump’s administration, including no ObamaCare repeal, adding to our $20 trillion debt, and slightly less regulation. #MAGA!
The liberal take is that the book demonstrates Trump to be unstable and functionally illiterate, with no adults in charge in the White House.
My take is that it’s always dangerous to give too much credence to insider stories in politics, and especially to a book with as many obvious errors as this one has. That said, the book is not bad, and offers some insight into the Trump White House, as long as you take it all with shakerfuls of salt.
Let’s discuss the errors. The book was obviously rushed to print a few days early, but that doesn’t excuse the wretched editing and mistakes. These range from an appalling number of typos, some embarrassing, to sentences missing verbs, to outright and obvious factual errors. Many of these have been pointed out. A reporter is said to have attended a meal at the Four Seasons when he has never been; it turns out that another man with the same name actually attended. The word “pubic” instead of “public” appears twice, leading to embarrassments like this:
The editing in this Wolff book is bad. *Really* bad. pic.twitter.com/BRNrS5ozc1
— Patterico (@Patterico) January 7, 2018
Heh.
Putting the errors aside, there is the issue of unreliable narrators. In a book about palace intrigue, everyone is jockeying for position. Those still in power are looking to preserve and extend their influence. Those on the outs are looking to preserve their legacy. In politics, the personalities are nastier and more backbiting than in other stories.
That said, we do have a public Trump with which to assess Wolff’s portrait of private Trump — and frankly, it’s the same guy. Early on, one of the most devastating parts of the book, and one that had me laughing out loud, was simply Wolff quoting verbatim Trump’s speech to the CIA shortly after his inauguration. Were it not a public (not pubic, Wolff!) speech, and were you unfamiliar with Donald Trump, you’d read these words and be baffled that they could come from a U.S. President. But the speech is on YouTube. Wolff didn’t make it up.
The book is full of interesting anecdotes that are wholly compatible with what we know about public Trump, but still shed some insight into the workings of the White House. You’ve already read many of the passages. Some you may not have.
I enjoyed reading about how, when Priebus resigned, Priebus and Trump were on Air Force One discussing the timing of the announcement. Trump told Priebus: “You tell me what works for you. Let’s make it good.” When Priebus stepped onto the tarmac, an alert on his phone informed him that Trump had tweeted that Priebus was out, and Kelly was in. Nobody had told Kelly.
Much has been made of the nasty and self-serving things that Steve Bannon says in the book, and there are plenty of them. But I was surprised to find myself liking him at one point in the book, as the sole voice against bombing Syria. I know bombings are popular, and that wars are popular, and this is not a popular thing to say on a conservative blog. So be it. I’m highly skeptical of war and military action and so is Steve Bannon. And after he lost the fight about the bombing, due to Trump being shown pictures of children harmed by Assad’s chemical attacks, Bannon attended the “for-posterity” photo op. The book records that “Bannon glowered from his seat at the table, revolted by the stagecraft and the ‘phoniness of the f*cking thing.'” Another vignette shows Bannon refusing makeup for his CPAC appearance, contrasting with Priebus, who got pancaked up. For all his faults, Bannon comes across as the Holden Caulfield of the White House. And I kinda liked Holden Caulfield.
In another hilarious story, Wolff relates how Bannon learned about that famous Scaramucci interview with the New Yorker when fact checkers called Bannon “for comment about Scaramucci’s accusation that he sucked his own c*ck.”
Overall, it’s a wildly entertaining book. You just can’t take it as reliable history. Neither can you entirely discount it 100%. There’s too much there. I’d credit something like 60% to 90% of what I read.
Go ahead and blow $15 on the Kindle version. If you’re a political nut, you’ll enjoy it.
[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]
it’s kinda like those allegations of Ted Cruz making sexy on all those not-Heidis
you know he way bad wants to bang a not-Heidi (just look at her ugh), so it seems truthy, but you can’t take it as a reliable history
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:17 amThe snippet i did catch poorly explained the immigration pause which bannon was supposedly in charge of, like I say it like a rushed term paper, but those are the demands of fake news
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:24 amthe question readers should ask is
does this book pass perverted Mitt Romney’s “no proof no problem” standard?
I think the critical-minded thinker would have to say yes, yes it does
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:25 amYour fired was his signature line, yes you have to look at that speech in light of what Brendan, price haddad were doing at the time.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:26 amPsh. Stable geniuses don’t read books.
*unmutes The Gorilla Channel*
Dave (99999e) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:29 amin retrospect wasn’t sloppy steve wrong about Syria?
i wasn’t a huge fan of the bombing either at the time but looking back it seems like a measured and effective way to have signaled that the food stamp era of appeasement was over
it was like pressing one of them reset button thingers
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:30 amBack in the real world:
https://www.truthrevolt.org/news/major-networks-covering-more-about-trump-gossipfest-iran-protests
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:30 amI haven’t (and won’t) read it, but since it seems to confirm everything I already think about Trump, it must be true! Confirmation bias FTW.
Can you still steal the book for free on Wikileaks?
A.S. (23bc66) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:31 amI question your judgment, as well as your taste, in regards to Heidi Cruz, Mr. happyfeet. I’d bid double the amount for her on the auction block in Marrakesh than I would bid for Melania.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:31 amSome times I think we are already living in ready player one:
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/unemployment-dropped-2017-workers-all-educational-levels
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:33 amIn a book about palace intrigue, everyone is jockeying for position… That said, we do have a public Trump with which to assess Wolff’s portrait of private Trump — and frankly, it’s the same guy.
So this would be $15 toward Woolf’s retirement home on Martha’s Vineyard, eh? No thanks. It’as already yesterday’s news and should be stale in a week– and in the bargain book bins by Easter.
The Big Eye’s already moving on, sizing up Oprah/2020. And how do you compete w/celebrity candidates? With celebrity candidates; paging Mark Cuban and Tom Selleck.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:34 amRush limbaugh said on his radip show taht he realized today somethinbgh about the book taht he deoesn’t think anybody else said, or at least he ddin’t read it.
The book tries to sell two contradictory propositions!
On the one hand, Trump colluded with the Russians.
And, on the other hand, he didn’t want to be president.
If so, why would he try to get the Russians to help him become president?
Rush goes into a whole theory as to why the book was published now. He says (it was supposed to be about Trump’s first hundred days, and the book shoudl have been out six months ago, or in September, but they were waiting to see how the Russia investigation turned out. He reasons
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:36 amWolff was afraid that would spoil the collusion story. Now that that’s dying, they’re going back to Trump is incompetent etc.
I question your judgment, as well as your taste, in regards to Heidi Cruz, Mr. happyfeet.
i thought she was ok enough until i saw this viral tweet what juxtaposed her with Melania and her face was all contorted and unattractive whereas Melania was the epitome of beauty
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:43 amWhen Paul Rand, who is no particular friend of Trump, calls it a Kitty Kelley book on national media ….
Anyway, I got the complete collection of Continental Op stories as a Christmas present, and I also need to catch up with my CLE, so I’ll probably wait for the movie.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:55 amit’s an important marker of the zeigeist Mr. nk
nevertrump’s all in now with perverted Mitt Romney and the idea that the narrative is of greater significance than truth and evidence
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:00 amwhat’s interesting is how eager monkeys like CNN fake news propaganda slut Jake Tapper have been to align themselves with Michael Wolff’s journalistic standards
they’re almost maniacally excited about their newfound freedom to do CNN lies all up in it with not just impunity, but with no concern at all for news value or journalistic integrity
one wonders though if they’ve thought this all the way through
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:04 am“Fake but accurate” rears its head again.
Meanwhile, since Pat likes to LOL even more than I do, I hope he gets a few chuckles out of this:
“Matt Pearce 🦅
@mattdpearce
The LA Times union election is tomorrow! Our top editors just sent the newsroom an email urging us to protect their “independence” — their independence to fire us as they please and not give us any raises”
https://mobile.twitter.com/mattdpearce/status/948611933325860864
harkin (a76a32) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:06 am“The book tries to sell two contradictory propositions!
On the one hand, Trump colluded with the Russians.
And, on the other hand, he didn’t want to be president.”
Saw this on at least five different conservative blogs last week but never once considered in the msm.
harkin (a76a32) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:09 amHow sure are you that the reference to Bannon making a “pubic appearance” is a typo?
Beldar (fa637a) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:12 amThe book tries to sell two contradictory propositions!
i disagree i think the reason the CNN Jake Tapper fake news propaganda sluts have seized on the book is because they’re all in lockstep trying to sell the “25th Amendment” narrative
they’re only trying to sell one proposition really: that President Trump is mentally unfit for the office
and perverted Mitt Romney has given them his blessing to make their case without recourse to facts or evidence
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:19 amRE; two contradictory propositions
It’s hard to realize this, because both assertions are false. If you think X is untrue and Y is untrue, it’s hard to realize that X and Y virtually contradict each other.
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:25 amReview by Barton Swam in the Wall Street Journal (mostly behind a paywall but I got it via aGoogle search without signing in – found on page A15 of today’s (Monday January 8, 2018) print edition.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-fire-and-fury-in-the-trump-white-house-1515369576
He first notes the disclaimer:
The review later states:
Here we already know something/ According to Karl Rove, a 1978 law pretty much manadated Sessions recuse himself. Swaim ignoresd all of that, and makes it emotional anmd not based on any legal reasoning/
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:36 amThere is a foolish consistency which reveals a rigidity like steel. That’s a two-edged sword as hardness sometimes makes it brittle, even to shatter. Sessions seems hard but brittle. One’s World view under threat predispose one to enhance the hardness. Nixon shattered for many reasons, but this rigidity was essential to that wnd.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:47 amWhat I find hilarious is the Trumpkin refrain that “Wolff picked his own version of events!!1!!”
What it basically fails to acknowledge is the inevitability of having to select one version of events when attempting to write a book based on the accounts a large group of pathologically vicious liar, backstabbers, and self-promoters – the inner circle of the Trump Administration, for instance.
If they could settle on one version of events, Wolff would have neither the need nor the opportunity to select his own.
Leviticus (efada1) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:52 am“Mr. Wolff often writes as if he were the omniscient narrator of a novel.”
That’s the polite way of saying “I think Wolff made most of this sh!t up”, Sammy.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 10:52 amDamn honest of you Patterico to state what you did about Bannon after how he treated you.
mg (8cbc69) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:10 amIt is finally time to delete Patterico’s link
william elbel (fd5d32) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:18 amMeanwhile…..
“LAS VEGAS — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, his two sons and a militia member will not face a retrial on charges that they led an armed rebellion against federal agents in 2014.
A federal judge on Monday said the federal prosecutors’ conduct was “outrageous” and “violated due process rights” of the defendants.
U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed the charges against the four men “with prejudice,” meaning they cannot face trial again. She said a new trial would not be sufficient to address the problems in the case and would provide the prosecution with an unfair advantage going forward.
As the courtroom doors opened after Navarro’s ruling, a huge cheer went up from the crowd of spectators gathered outside.”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/01/08/breaking-federal-judge-throws-out-case-against-cliven-bundy-with-prejudice-gross-prosecutorial-misconduct/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Hoping the Liberals here will join Libertarians and Conservatives in celebrating this setback for Team Obama’s weaponized govt.
harkin (a76a32) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:31 amswaim was a speechwriter for mark ‘Appalachian trail’ Sanford, if you recall, yes switching from first to third person, is a tipoff, it breaks the fourth wall
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:44 amI feel sorry for the prosecutors after the judge’s gross miscarriage of justice. I’m sure the local barf association will send the prosecutors a sympathy note hoping for better luck next time.
Richard Aubrey (10ef71) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:46 amTo not be snarky, is there any way a prosecutor could be disbarred for this sort of thing? Clearly, when evidence is withheld, it’s because the prosecutor knows that, if it were in front of the court, he wouldn’t have a case. But, if he doesn’t have a case, he’s not supposed to pursue it. Isn’t that, like, a Very Bad Lawyer Thing? It means, without any possibility of quibbling, that the prosecutor is trying to put a man known to be innocent into prison. IANAL, but this doesn’t seem like what lawyers are always going on about?
So, if you’re on a jury, what do you think about the possibility the prosecutor is screwing the pooch this time? How would you know he isn’t?
Trump has his legion faults-inability to focus, thin skin, going off on tangents. If he gets the big things right, fine. If not, different story.
But would again note the nancified GOPe failing to address the very real and legitimate concerns of real Americans pretty much since the day Reagan went home. The Bushes, the McCains, the Romneys, Paul Ryan, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell and their ilk worried more about K Street and the CoC than us. Their BS literally fertilized the soil. If you spend 2 generations ignoring your customers’ needs, understand at some point your customers are going to seek another product. Trump, warts and all, is a better product. Simply picture Bush Sr. selling NAFTA, Bush jr. pushing “comprehensive immigration reform” or either starting another endless pointless ME war. And that is infuriating. Trump did not have to be here at all had at any time since 1989 these …people…done their jobs.
Bugg (36f328) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:50 amRe: contradictory narratives
I usually think the worst of Trump, but I never really thought he wanted to lose.
I think (and there is a lot of evidence to support it) that he was unwilling to do what was required to conduct a traditional presidential campaign. Like educating himself on the issues, building a solid national organization, raising money. Priebus and the RNC eventually did the organization and fundraising for him.
On the other hand, I don’t believe for a second that the guy would have refused (if it were possible) to be appointed to the presidency, or handed the office on a silver platter. Recruiting the Russian intelligence services was a step in that direction. No inconsistency – it required no effort or sacrifice on his part.
The man is lazy as hell. He’s not willing to do what it takes to govern, either. He did absolutely nothing to sell either the Obamacare repeal or the tax plan to the general public. All he does is watch TV, golf, and troll Twitter. Everything else has to be done for him, if it’s done at all.
Dave (99999e) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:01 pmSo it rates about as accurately as the FBI five star review of the Steele Dossier.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:03 pmIt all fits, Sammy: if you accept the premise Trump colluded with the Russians while also believing he didn’t want to be President, that proves that he’s mentally incapacitated.
Does 60-90% truth (seasoned with copious shakers of salt) support Wolff’s conclusions beyond a reasonable doubt? Would a credentialed historian reference this book in his/her work?
Lenny (5ea732) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:04 pm“I know bombings are popular, and that wars are popular, and this is not a popular thing to say on a conservative blog.”
You need to say it more often.
Lenny (5ea732) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:06 pmHeidi is a confirmed flight risk, Mr nk. You need to cut her soup rations in half. But she is pretty in most pictures.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:07 pmReality check.
NAFTA was a huge win for American businesses and consumers.
Dubya’s comprehensive immigration reform was tougher than Trump’s plan to deport and immediately readmit the illegals.
We are much safer with Saddam Hussein pushing up daisies.
Dave (99999e) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:07 pmThe problem with a “60-90%” grade is the same problem you have with a polygraph exam — you don’t know what 10-40% is false. If you can’t discern the truth from falsity, then the entire enterprise is useless.
His explanation about how he got all this info is too much of a fabulist for me. Yes, I’m sure Bannon and a couple other disgruntled folks who were asked to leave the Admin early sat down and gave him on the record stuff to use. But several who he cites on the record deny their statements.
So again you are at a point of having to ask which on the record sources are cited accurately and which are not — and why would there be any on-the-record sources cited inaccurately.
Door stop. Nothing more.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:08 pmAnd with regard to your formulation that the Trump defined in the book is the same Trump seen in public, my response would be “Duh” — the Trump seen at the WH is the same Trump who emerged in NYC in the 1980s, right on through to his TV career, and his political career.
He’s always been exactly who he appears to be. The book is no real revelation in that regard.
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:09 pmfake news is an international problem
https://twitter.com/Samueltadros/status/950418106916188160
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:11 pmPrimary Colors is fake but accurate because: Arkancide. That pretty First Lady had poor balance and took a spill. Too bad she put her life in Canadian Socialist health care.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:11 pm*hands.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:11 pm@30- I have it on good authority the prosecutors will be disgraced and possibly even disbarred.
I’m not going to hold my breath though.
TheBas (8d01aa) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:12 pmAnd I don’t think the “popularity” of war is as strong as you might think amongst conservatives. There has been a strain of isolationism in conservatism going back to the 1920s. It has not flourished in the past few decades yet I think it hasn’t been extinguished either and may still become prominent again.
Lenny (5ea732) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:13 pmDid pervy Harry Reid get the book on Audible or did he hear something from a guy?
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:14 pmsloppy steve never explained why it took him forever to ahem correct the record
(or why piss-stained breitbart.com hyped his sleazy and disloyal comments so enthusiastically)
i wonder if he was drunk when it all went down
like drunk out of his sloppy mind
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:15 pmremember how miss plame was warbling right before the iran deal was cancelled
https://www.conservativereview.com/articles/truth-shady-new-group-iran-nuke-deal-experts/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:15 pm36, but I do wonder if Heidi C. fled for the same reasons as Mrs. Mitch Daniels. I call her The Understudy (another gratuitous Seinfeld reference).
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:22 pmAh. Are we sure about that? The last time we saw a poll about American voters’ general support for bombing it emerged that a key premise in the poll was somewhat flawed.
JP (aa4555) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:23 pmMr. Patterico you’re endorsing what you clearly acknowledge to be a dishonest book – 10% to 40% of this book is not to be credited.
and yet yesterday you said this
this does not make sense
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:26 pm@23
Your Russian Collusion Narrative keeps folding and it’s not getting any stronger.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:27 pmLet’s recap:
* Book about a man who has a tenuous grasp on the truth.
* Many quotes from former backers (with similar respect for truth) who are now grinding axes.
* Book written by man who either has a tenuous grasp on truth, or simply realizes that “salacious” trumps “truth” in this kind of tell-all book.
It seems like an ideal gift for those that hate Trump and want to believe everything bad said about him. Besides that? Maybe the next administration can take it to the FISA Court as evidence.
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:28 pmAbout the Cliven Bundy dismissal, the judge cited six areas where the prosecutors withheld evidence:
• Records about surveillance at the Bundy ranch
• Maps about government surveillance
• Records about the presence of government snipers
• FBI logs about activity at the ranch in the days leading up to standoff
• Law-enforcement assessments dating to 2012 that found the Bundys posed no threat
• Internal affairs reports about misconduct by Bureau of Land Management agents
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/01/08/cliven-bundy-ranch-case-dismissed/1013685001
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:31 pmthe corrupt FISA rubber stamp court isn’t too picky that’s for sure
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:31 pm51
Where did you get such a foolish notion?
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:32 pmIf you actually read my words you would know I’ve never grasped that collusion straw because money-laundering makes more sense for human unprincipled glutton whose only true love is his lunch..
It’s been folded and hammered for eight months and it’s no more authentic than a fifty dollar eBay katana.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:33 pmIt may seem that way now but you better gird yer loins. Gonna get worse before it gets better.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:37 pmIt’s been folded and hammered for eight months and it’s no more authentic than a fifty dollar eBay katana.
What does that say about my $5 eBay katana?
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:40 pmFair enough. Russian Collusion Is just the pretext to release the tax forms, etc. To get Mueller’s nose inside the tent. But he’s more of an exhibition camel than a War camel. He needs to bring the tent down to hide FBI criminality.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:43 pmKevin M.
Richard Aubrey (10ef71) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:43 pmI’d like to see how closely associated to this whole nonsense the LaVoy Finicum case is.
As ugly, awful and embarrassing as the Trump White House is, it is fun to note that the POLICIES the GOP is promoting seem to be working. They stand in stark contrast to the Lost Decade just past.
If the Best & Brightest Democrats cannot do as well as the Worst & Stupidest Republicans, why do so many cling so bitterly to the Left’s dying memes?
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:43 pmwhy do so many cling so bitterly to the Left’s dying memes?
If irony were in your vernacular I would suggest bottle eye-glasses because around here in Myopia where a blind man is King, you could be Emperor
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:46 pmEmperor of Myopia has a ring to it.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:47 pmStart with the conclusions firmly established, reference cooked opinion polls for a veneer to hide behind, add incendiary quotes from anonymous sources to slime the target, print phony interviews with imaginary ‘insiders’ who whisper and hint of dark and disqualifying secrets – now put them all together and solemnly opine your bogus book will bring the president down. Electoral democracy be damned.
ropelight (3ebc5d) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:48 pmElectoral democracy be damned.
Seconded!
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:49 pmIf the shipping costs more than the weapon,hang it on the wall and keep a nice $500 gun on your night table.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:52 pmFive Dollar Katana! Me cut you long time, solja boi!
Local pickup only
Okinawa.
Pinandpuller (9db722) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:58 pm60-90% truth
Patterico want’s his Cali govt pension. He needs his Cali govt pension. And he won’t do anything to jeopardize it.
Jack (e5af45) — 1/8/2018 @ 12:58 pmThis sounds like the formulation of someone who did not read the book. It does not try to sell the notion that Trump collided with the Russians.
Other objections to my post are what I expected, from the people I expected. Those who are eager to dismiss it will find their reasons.
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:04 pmDo you realize how much you sound like a lunatic?
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:05 pmBUHbye
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:06 pmIf you think that’s what my post says, you might be suffering from confirmation bias yourself.
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:07 pmKitty kelleyisms
EPWJ (4dc563) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:10 pm# 53
I’m shocked, shocked that the Feds undertook a political prosecution.
AZ Bob (72146f) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:11 pmThose who are eager to dismiss [this post] will find their reasons.
I’m eager to dismiss it because it has overtones of ridicule and disdain directed at our president, President Trump.
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:14 pm#68
You have no idea what he does.
AZ Bob (72146f) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:16 pmHOA demands homeowners keep garages open — or pay $200
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/8/2018 @ 1:32 pmI got as far as this part:
IN MAY 2016 Trump was the Republican nominee. Cruz and Kasich had both been eliminated. By winning the Indiana primary (May 3rd) TRUMP had crushed the final hope of a contested convention.
The only race in doubt was on the Democrat side because of the, by that point, unsurprising Bernie Sanders trouncing of CNN’s favorite hag, Clinton.
For someone to think it unimaginable that TRUMP could be the President, that person would have to be a deluded fool.
Nice of Mike Wolff to identify himself so concisely in the Author’s notes.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 2:20 pmWinfrey’s ‘show’ has had a better run across the land than Trump’s. If Oprah runs for President- she will win. You heard it here first.
Because Americans don’t want to be governed; they wish to be entertained.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 2:21 pmI don’t have the time to read something that is “60% to 90%” credible, so I appreciate the review.
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 2:48 pmI hesitated to mention that potential candidate springing out of METOOERS! DC.
They haven’t gotten over MOOCHELLE yet.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 2:50 pmOprah is just a celebrity with no political experience.
AZ Bob (b8722e) — 1/8/2018 @ 2:50 pmWhen the vote for equal under the Law was debated the negro with a vote was slightly less acrimonious than the female voter.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 2:53 pm@81. Oprah ‘OWN’ a network ;-).
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:00 pm@82. Great strategy; go w/it!
Thus proving F.A. Hayek right … AGAIN!
;p
Dave (445e97) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:04 pmI went into a Barnes and Noble store today, but they did not have the book.
I can’t imagine they could have sold out, so it must not have made its way through the meat-space distribution network yet.
(I wasn’t really *that* keen to buy it, so I didn’t inquire)
Dave (445e97) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:10 pmNew Trump book “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff. Full PDF: https://t.co/sf7vj4IYAx
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 7, 2018
Free. {still overpriced}
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:22 pmphantom of the oprah has zero chance of winning. Only 3% of America is gay.
mg (8cbc69) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:28 pmKiss another GOP House seat good-bye in November
Thanks Donald!
Dave (445e97) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:38 pmThat dude Rep. Ed Royce of the 39th district isn’t retiring, he’s surrendering prior to having his [edit] handed to him due to gerrymander in
California’s 39th district https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California%27s_39th_congressional_district
Pre gerry in 2012 Voted overwhelmingly for Romney. Post gerry 2016 voted overwhemingly for Hildabeast
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:53 pmDon’t thank Trump. Thank the Dems District sniffer 2000 (powered by Intel).
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 3:57 pmIn others news:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/08/doj-official-who-concealed-meetings-with-trump-dossier-figures-loses-another-job-title.html
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:03 pmAnd in important news, the attempted show trial of Cliven Bundy and his family was dismissed with prejudice.
NJRob (88c4bb) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:04 pmAnd in awkward counterpoint:
https://www.dailywire.com/news/25532/flashback-harvey-weinstein-accuser-says-he-used-emily-zanotti#
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:06 pmDo you realize how much you sound like a lunatic?
Not ‘judgmental’ at all on this at all, but speaking strictly from my sis-in-law POV, the bennies have been swell and the CA pension system can be a sweet deal– as a research attorney for judges she’s hanging on ’til ’65 retiring w/full pay, bennies, etc. Seniority is nice. After a few glasses of wine over the holidays she said that hustling it as an attorney in the private sector, which she did for a year or two early in her career and as her husband still does, simply stinks; chasing clients, chasing down payment and so forth. From a family POV it’s been a good deal but from a taxpayer’s perspective it can rankle some.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:06 pmCan someone please explain the affection for Bundy, or is it like Trumplandia?
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:08 pmJust saw that, NJRob. Nice job, Feds – for all your bloviating about your operational superiority, you earn yourselves a mistrial with the most elementary brand of f*ckup.
Fine by me, though. The Nevada “offenses” should never have been prosecuted in the first place. Plenty of other ways to skin a hat.
Leviticus (db57dc) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:08 pmIs it Islamic in design…?
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
So many overlaps in Christian/Muslim traditions.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:12 pmLike the misguided affection for Capone or Billy the Kid?
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:13 pmWith blue state propensity to stay away from high performance assets is a problem, their crushing taxation also inhibits job creation, as with white elephant projects like high speed rail.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/368003-fbi-agents-text-messages-spur-congressional-probe-into-possible-news-leaks
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:14 pm@94. The black truth of the GGs was the hypocrisy on display to the world.
Everybody in the industry there and not there: a. was well aware of Weinstein’s antics for years and years; b. went along to get along in their careers– many owing their success to him; c. a year ago would not have thought twice about doing a Weinstein project. And the biggest hypocrite of all is Meryl Streep.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:16 pmTheir land was stolen from them, like lee van kleef did on the spaghetti wesrerns
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:20 pmIn 2016, he ran 23% ahead of Trump and won re-election by more than 14%.
Dave (445e97) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:23 pmThat new brIntrust up thread in ciricione of the echo chamber, Gary sick of the October surprise, and wrong way Paul pillar
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:25 pmWas Oprah smirking when she belted There’s a new day on the Horizon?
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:25 pm90, too bad it’s Doug Ose and not Royce as the late entrant for Gov. Actually ran a tight and responsive district office, ad I heard from relatives and aquaintances.
urbanleftbehind (1d75fb) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:26 pmBetter buy a cup guys…
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:26 pmNot coffee..
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:27 pmIt’s kind of pyrric if a Den majority is all districts in CA and the NE…doesnt do Jack for the Senate and gives Trump the chance to “run against Congress” in 2020. The beta male variation of that campaign will be Rauner in IL
urbanleftbehind (1d75fb) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:30 pmVictory urban?
More like scorched Earth
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:38 pmLOL. Well, if Trump wants to give the Speaker’s gavel back to his dear friend Nancy (will he donate to her campaign again this year?), he’s doing everything right.
Dave (445e97) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:40 pmI would suggest that if you decide to download a bootleg copy of
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:41 pmSwords of Covfefeahem Fire and Fury, or anything else for that matter, from a site which routinely hacks government computers, that youdo it with a computer that contains nothing that you want to keep secret and to be even safer through someone else’s WiFiare an idiot.Respect your rancher, motha —-er.
mg (8cbc69) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:43 pmI’m glad that wikileaks is getting these important, hidden government documents out there.
Davethulhu (fab944) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:43 pmIts almost as if they aren’t serious at all:
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/05/new-study-shows-past-research-on-rising-ocean-temps-built-on-faulty-science
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:50 pmYou’re paranoid. Besides I have an insurance policy. No secrets.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:51 pmWell well, what have we here:
http://dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5233467/Huma-Abedin-backed-emails-Anthony-Weiners-laptop.html
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:52 pm@92: “Bruce Ohr, as the head of OCDETF, was directly involved with Project Cassandra, the interagency investigation spearheaded by the DEA that tracked a massive international drug and money laundering scheme allegedly run by Hezbollah. ”
I thought this was an important news tidbit, until I found out CNN is ignoring it.
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:53 pmThus proving F.A. Hayek right … AGAIN!
That blondes have more fun? That was Shirley Polykoff.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 4:57 pmSince I was watching thunderball in in lieu of the gigs:
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:01 pmhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0658885/?ref_=tt_cl_t4
Weinstein accusers weren’t invited to Golden Globes
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/285414/
As your hero of the hour says, “If it rings true…”
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:25 pmSo strxok and page were leaking to the journal, throwing other officials under the bus, like Robert capers who actually cared about the law.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:26 pmAnother “thumbs up, sort of, I think, but don’t quote me” review for the Michael Moore of literature.
WTG Wolfie.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:29 pmSounds like something out of the hand maids tale, now strahowski replacing faye dunaway is an upgrade. But Elizabeth moss replacing natasha richardson was definitely a downgrade.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:38 pmOur resident arc was making much of these findings, about two weeks ago:
http://cnn.com/2018/01/08/politics/bannon-mercers-trump-document-2015/index.html
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:52 pmTo be fair, roger stone, trips over so e trash cans and someone uncovered rubios tie to tabraue, AMD fed it Ann Marie bardach. The Medici has a whole host of flags going back to the 80s
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 5:57 pmDave@86
I was in B&N today, and heard the clerks calling people to pick up pre-order copies of F&F.
The distribution problem makes sense if you remember that the original publication date was today or tomorrow. The publisher probably pushed out just enough copies to Amazon and a few select physical stores in Friday to justify Friday as the publication date.
BTW, another new release was something called Trumpocalpse (sp?), which claims to read Trump into the Book of Revelations. I just read the jacket cover, so I don’t know if Trump was the Great Beast, the Antichrist, or Jesus returning in glory.
Second BTW Ivanka’s book was 50% off.
Kishnevi (4cdbcb) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:05 pmIt’s contradictory only if you leave out the Democratic claim about why Trump was running in the first place: he wanted to start an anti-Hillary network of his own with him as the star.
On that hypothesis, he was looking for dirt to use against her after the election.
I don’t accept that hypothesis, just to be clear. But there is nothing self contradictory about it.
Kishnevi (4cdbcb) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:13 pmGood, good. The $20 that they give to Barnes & Noble is $20 that they won’t give to some Democrat’s campaign.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:14 pmMakes sense.
I spent like $120 on four other (almost certainly more edifying) books, so my book budget is tapped out for the foreseeable future.
Dave (445e97) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:18 pmI spent my budget last month on Civil War books. All I got tonight was next year’s Christmas cards.
I want to read Chernow on Grant and Isaacson on Leonardo, but I will read those via the public library once the waiting list goes down.
Has anyone read 12 Strong aka Horse Soldiers?
Kishnevi (4cdbcb) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:32 pmTapper the leftist hack (according to people here) blasts Wolff:
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:34 pmBut will a fight for the last copy at a store end up on World Star Hip Hop?
urbanleftbehind (1d75fb) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:34 pmMr. Google has two Trumpocalypses. One pro-Trump and one anti-Trump. I weep for the trees which were killed.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:37 pmHe’s no hack.
AZ Bob (f60c80) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:37 pmSounds like a misfire after targeting walker:
https://www.thenation.com/article/horsemen-of-the-trumpocalypse/
Wasnt that long ago, that miller rightfully roasted acosta, now has png.
Its like watching the may day parade in 1934-5.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:44 pmI agree, AZ Bob, but that is an increasingly unpopular opinion around here.
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:46 pmTapper the leftist hack (according to people here) blasts Wolff
“Trump’s relationship with the facts is tenuous at best.”
That’s true, but also true of just about every single President in recent memory. If Tapper said anything similar regarding other presidents he’s covered, then I’m totally with your sarcasm.
Otherwise, yes he’s a leftist hack.
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:48 pmTrump has told more lies in a year than any other President told in their lifetime.
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:52 pmThere are ways to defend Trump that are non-laughable.
“He doesn’t lie more than anyone else” is NOT one of them.
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 6:53 pmTrump has told more lies in a year than any other President told in their lifetime.
I’m not keeping a tally, because beyond a certain point I don’t care. And a tally has nothing to do with the snarky tack that Tapper took in that piece. I condemn any president for lies, which means I condemn them all — as opposed to being okay with some lies, apparently.
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:02 pm“Can someone please explain the cheering on of the feds for breaking the rules to persecute Bundy?”
How many millions were wasted on this witch hunt? Oh that’s right, doesn’t matter, on to the next horror show!
harkin (a76a32) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:06 pmWho is doing cheering on of the feds?
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:12 pmShe’s a prevezon front person, so long is on her nature:
dailycaller.com/2017/12/05/russian-lawyer-who-met-don-jr-submits-senate-testimony-theres-just-one-problem
But might that be considered perjury, good luck keeping her here
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:13 pmThere are ways to defend Trump that are non-laughable.
“He doesn’t lie more than anyone else” is NOT one of them.
There are non-laughable ways to defend presidents other than Trump.
Saying they lie less is NOT one of them.
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:14 pm“They’re not Trump” is probably the best.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:16 pmHe is no President to be proud of. The best that can be said about him is that he is not a disaster. Yet.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:17 pmLOL we know who the hack is now
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:22 pmSeriously, if you can’t admit that Trump lies more than other presidents, just stop talking to me. You’re a hack and not worth my time.
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:24 pmBut enough about the Benghazi hearings.
Davethulhu (99cc74) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:27 pmWe have a president who is simultaneously less bad than any potential Democrat president on offer, and less than ideal in many ways the we can put in a large cardboard box marked “IMPERFECT”.
vin (9314fe) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:28 pmWe wish to retain our self-respect, and very much want our country to succeed. Let’a find a way to make this work despite the cardboard box that won’t go away. We need an effective president.
Seriously, if you can’t admit that Trump lies more than other presidents, just stop talking to me. You’re a hack and not worth my time.
You missed my point, though I could’ve expressed it better. My fault.
Trump lies more than other presidents. There, I said it.
My point was that you seem to be saying lies by a president are acceptable up to a certain point. I don’t agree with that. So, defending other presidents by saying they lie less is laughable.
What is an acceptable level of lies in a president to you?
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:30 pmLess than Mueller has spent now by a factor of 3, seriously is weak tea, indeed, its not even really creative figments
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:32 pmNope.
Trace it back to where it started. Tapper suggested Trump lies. You said so do other presidents. I rejected the attempt at equivalence by pointing out that Trump lies a lot more. Pretending that means I am excusing lies by other presidents is so nonsensical that you’re either trolling or very poor at logic and abstract thought.
Here is an analogy. Committing crimes is wrong. If someone said the Vegas gunman is hardly a law-abiding citizen, and you replied by saying that is true of everyone in prison, I would likely reply that the Vegas gunman was a far worse criminal than virtually anyone alive. If you responded by saying I am trying to say a certain level of crime is acceptable, I would pronounce you very poor at logic and abstract thought.
Patterico (115b1f) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:43 pmHave any of Trump’s lies been as big as you can keep your doctor? Or we need to help moderate mullahs? Or it was a YouTube video?
Sure, we can dispute whether he is a very stable genius or the size of the crowd at his inaugural.
AZ Bob (f60c80) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:46 pmSo human abedin any consequences, the skydragon priests of course lied, the head of the otganzied crime section covered a drug smuggling plot that ran from caracas to ivory coast to plague to Kiev, the same players who ran interference for the Iran deal, ate at it again, and we’re talking about this ouvno?
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:50 pmHow about “Iran has WMDs.” That’s probably a better example.
Davethulhu (99cc74) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:50 pmOf course theybdid, cm shivers pointed it out. How many shelled you think were needed at halabja?
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:53 pmOK. Agreed, so I’ll state it another way. A certain level of lies by a president rises to level of being subject to snark. What level of lies is that? What severity of lies?
I think the lies about the ACA, the Iran nuclear deal, and the various incidents that gave rise to BLM are worse than anything Trump has lied about. Do you agree? Or, No?
I don’t think Tapper/CNN ever directed similar snark to the prior president for those lies.
As for a tally? Don’t really care. Probably Trump outpaces them all, but I don’t care if Sanders actually baked the pecan pie.
random viking (616c92) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:57 pmSo you are saying Trump tells a Clinton or two.
It’s not his defining characteristic.
When he’s bragging and it upsets you, your upset doesn’t negate the fact that he indeed does have a Trump Force One and that it is magnificent. [html]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Force_One With it’s own Wiki page.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 7:59 pmYeah, those numbers were deficit government spending. Trump halved the deficit spending his first year in office as compared to Obama’s deficit from the year before.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:04 pmI think we’ve hit our quota of flimflam for the month, and there are still three weeks to go
https://www.dailywire.com/news/25540/juanita-broaddrick-oprah-funny-ive-never-heard-you-hank-berrien
The Iran deal ended up personally enriching khamenei (what happened to thevpritests three, crickets) just like the Castro deal empowered just the sort who would tien anmen on El malecon.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:07 pmWhat is “deficit government spending?”
Davethulhu (99cc74) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:09 pmEven when you have a program you can’t tell the players
https://babalublog.com/2018/01/08/yet-more-evidence-that-libertarian-and-reason-magazine-golden-boy-jeff-flake-works-as-unregistered-agent-for-terror-sponsoring-castro-regime/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:10 pmThe amount of spending the government took out a loan to cover.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:11 pm152
What is an acceptable level of lies in a president to you?
I want a President to lie if lying will substantially benefit the country. If the President can avoid a nuclear war with Russia by telling a lie I don’t want him getting all fastidious about his personal honor.
Putting that sort of lie aside the fewer the better. But like bugs in computer software some lies are inevitable. However some are more annoying them others. So when comparing two candidates I will prefer the one who tells the less annoying lies. For example I found Jimmy Carter’s repeated “I’ll never lie to you” lie especially annoying.
James B. Shearer (951d11) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:15 pmNot that there is anything wrong with that:
narciso (d1f714) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:16 pmhttps://mobile.twitter.com/PoliticalShort/status/950541977556103168?p=v
Reporters should be treated like poo flinging monkeys. I don’t think Tapper has the first clue about his true station in life. It’s good to remind him.
Otherwise he’d end up a Matt Lauer or a Bill O’Reilly, making way more money that he is worth, running rough shod over any and all that cross his path.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:16 pm@165
I think that you, or whoever is pushing these numbers, is trying to be sneaky about something. Deficit numbers seem to be wildly variable, perhaps based on when debt is issued, and probably can’t be used to draw any particular conclusion on a year-to-year basis.
https://www.thebalance.com/us-deficit-by-year-3306306
Davethulhu (99cc74) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:26 pmThe point is moot now that Trump is President. He uses the actual Air Force One.
Of course he has had Air Force One modified [YouTube] to be more in line with a person of his stature.
Not like he’s just some regular civil service worker.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:33 pmThere is no airplane big enough — or button, or inauguration crowd, or popular vote — to cure Trump’s insecurity caused by the size of his ahem hands which has haunted him all his life.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:38 pmWhich ahem hand size likely also explains Obama’s supreme confidence not to say arrogance. You know what they say about the ahem hand size of black men. Also see Bob.
nk (dbc370) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:44 pmI punched in “national debt by year”.
Here’s the numbers I’m using.
papertiger (c8116c) — 1/8/2018 @ 8:45 pmhttp://www.polidiotic.com/by-the-numbers/us-national-debt-by-year/
Wouldn’t it be great to see Huma roll over on Hillary?
AZ Bob (f60c80) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:05 pmTrump has told more lies in a year than any other President told in their lifetime.
All presidents lie– LBJ’s needless maimed and slaughtered tens of thousands; RMN’s as well- and eventually drove him from office. But it’s a safe assertion that no president has consistently embellished, exaggerated, enhanced his lying in such an entertaining fashion with the level of hype and zest as our Captain.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:16 pm155.Have any of Trump’s lies been as big as you can keep your doctor?
Mexico was supposed to pay for that wall– now he’s asking Congress for $18 billion to fund it. That’s fairly big.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:19 pmDon’t tell me you expected Mexico to pay. I got a bridge.
AZ Bob (f60c80) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:21 pm“3 Million illegal votes” is pretty bad.
Davethulhu (99cc74) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:22 pmMexico was supposed to pay for that wall– now he’s asking Congress for $18 billion to fund it. That’s fairly big.
Yes, but my family will eat today regardless. Obamacare screwed us badly.
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:29 pmFree. {still overpriced}
Would you like it azw3, epub or mobi? The “DRM” on ebooks is so trivial it can be stripped by “drag and drop.” Just google “strip ebook drm” — google provides a nice highlight box for the method.
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:34 pm@177. Don’t tell me you expected Mexico to pay.
No, Donald Trump did.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:36 pmSpeaking of lies —-
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/01/09/report-chairman-devin-nunes-has-received-fbi-and-doj-fisa-application-and-steele-dossier-documents/
Lenny (5ea732) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:38 pmBest media bias of the day- ESPN: “He clutched! He clutched!”
No. He slipped.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:38 pm@179. Yes, but my family will eat today regardless. Obamacare screwed us badly.
But you’ll still eat. Taco Bell– make a run for the border! No wall.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:40 pm132 — I thought you said the book was worth reading?
You now disagreeing with Tapper?
shipwreckedcrew (56b591) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:52 pmTaco Bell
I live in LA. Nobody, this side of Demolition Man, eats at “Taco Bell.”
Kevin M (752a26) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:57 pmThe biggest most hurtful lie of any president is that fu33ing lying sack of dung Obama with and I quote ” You like your doctor you can keep your doctor”. This mutha fu33er made my doctor disappear after 22 years. And he insurance I had. This puke of a x president should be …………………..
mg (8cbc69) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:28 pmthe.
mg (8cbc69) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:29 pm174-Arizona Bob
mg (8cbc69) — 1/8/2018 @ 11:32 pmThat is one awful lesbian image.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/25527/james-woods-slams-oprah-winfrey-using-these-3-ryan-saavedra
mg (8cbc69) — 1/9/2018 @ 12:05 amsuch a coin slot.
Numbers on that site are based on the debt as of September 30 of a given year. So almost half of FY2017 period you call “Trump” is actually “Obama”.
Also, it is susceptible to fluctuations in exactly when money is borrowed or when the debt limit extended.
In this case, the numbers are affected by the fact that the debt ceiling was suspended as of September 30, 2017 and the debt jumped by over $100B on the next business day, October 2 (which is counted as FY2018). The large 2016 number is, in part, because in 2015 the debt ceiling increase didn’t take effect until October 30, 2015, and the next day the debt increased by $340B.
Obama’s FY2015 number, for instance, is less than half of the 2017 number you so proudly cite:
FY2015: $326,546,285,750.51
FY2016: $1,241,086,361,182.79
FY2017: $671,455,302,116.72
tldr; from year-to-year, the raw debt numbers do not give an accurate picture of who spent how much money, or when.
According to the White House website, the budget deficit in 2017 was (slightly) larger than in 2016.
Dave (445e97) — 1/9/2018 @ 3:26 amThis is the guy that the White House decided it should allow to roam the halls of the West Wing and document everything happening there. Wolff apparently just sat there day after day talking to all of these upper level staffers. How does this happen?
He says “chaos”. There was so much chaos that nobody thought to find him a concern. Now, I am guessing that the main floor of the West Wing may only be a little over a hundred feet by a hundred feet in size. I believe it includes the Oval Office as well as offices for the Vice President, Chief of Staff and the Press Secretary. How is it possible that they just let this guy sit there for months?
The President says he gave him “zero access” and then said “look at this guy’s past”. Right. Those were both good ideas.
noel (b4d580) — 1/9/2018 @ 4:07 amSpeaking of contradictory propositions…‘
Dave (445e97) — 1/9/2018 @ 6:07 amAm I? It seemed to me he said a lot of things I said. Did he say it’s not worth reading?
No response on the point about him not being a leftist hack, I see.
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/9/2018 @ 6:20 amI’ll grant you that although we both called Wolff unreliable and we both pointed out numerous errors and sloppiness on the part of Wolff, it’s probably fair to say Tapper’s tone is more negative than mine. In that sense I suppose I might mildly disagree because I still see some value to the book, but it’s a very mild difference.
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/9/2018 @ 6:29 amSo is he still a leftist hack after this broadside?
Patterico (fcc13e) — 1/9/2018 @ 6:30 amPretty much, because this a Barbara streissand story compared to the real news out there, from operation cassandra on, whose principal which the new York times covered last year when they pretended we were outraged by Ali fayyads failure to be extradited.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 6:34 amIn the sense that he equates the Constitutionally-elected President of the United States with a second-rate scribbler of semi-fictional gossip when discussing their respective credibility, Tapper is demonstrating a hyper-egalitarianism which can be called leftist. Of course, it can be argued that it is not Wolff who aspires to a height he does not merit but, instead, it is Trump who has descended into the mud permitting the comparison.
nk (dbc370) — 1/9/2018 @ 6:43 amYou can keep your LIAR!
(for a few more months)
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:10 amhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-government-shutdown-would-be-a-total-disaster/2018/01/08/0be4fa12-f4cf-11e7-b34a-b85626af34ef_story.html?utm_term=.84f1fd92fc18
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:12 amThis is for nk. I think You might enjoy it.
DRJ (15874d) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:12 am
Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:17 amIf being a life-long leftist democrat and Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN does not qualify one as a “leftist hack” what would? He’s the reason people ask:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zoFxFPHQdVM/WN5Ogo7CVOI/AAAAAAABH-o/L7mwFw7IZw4D7Gw715mm-1mPNOijPU9fwCLcB/s640/C5sUUw9UoAA8JTL.jpg
Every morning begins with an artificial L.E.D. sunrise, all teal and goldenrod, like an orange-juice carton come to life. The camera starts on the bottom floor of Fox News’ lavish main studio, then glides upward—past a translucent staircase, past thirty-foot windows overlooking a still dark Sixth Avenue, past innumerable video screens—until it locates the three co-hosts, perched on their signature white “curvy couch.”
“C’mon in!” Steve Doocy said recently, beckoning viewers with one arm. Doocy, who has hosted “Fox & Friends” since its inception, in 1998, is the show’s jovial, distant dad, greeting all comers with a bemused rictus. His name sounds like a gentle pejorative that would describe him perfectly. In addition to being unflappable, he is tall and blond. These appear to be his only job qualifications
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/15/how-fox-and-friends-rewrites-trumps-reality?currentPage=all
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:22 amIt’s truly challenging when everybody is on your left.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:24 amDoocy doesn’t flap?
Is he s hack?
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:25 amRight-wringers..please compare/contrast Doocy and Jake the Rapper.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (b3d5ab) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:29 amEven more selective audience:
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:29 amhttp://variety.com/2018/tv/news/golden-globes-ratings-2018-1202656292
In somewhat more entertaining news the magicians are back.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:39 amThank you, DRJ. This is old stuff. The FBI was going through people’s garbage in the ’60s and at least one reporter, Jack Anderson, reciprocated by going through J. Edgar Hoover’s garbage (or so he said).
nk (dbc370) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:44 amI enjoyed how the mayor and the police chief got their knickers twisted, but the DA took it good-humoredly. Lawyers are the least uptight people.
nk (dbc370) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:47 amPortland is like a whole other country, like zenda or freetopia:
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2018/01/i-sometimes-wonder-if-invisible-white.html
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:48 amIvanka praises Oprah’s Golden Globes speech…is she angling for a spot on the ticket??
Dave (445e97) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:52 amWhere a fritata is safe from Cultural appropriation, but a knife wielding Bernie bro, you’re on your own.
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 7:54 amDave, W.w. 1 took place amongst nations helmed by cousins and we had our brother v. brother war before that, so why the hell not?
urbanleftbehind (1d75fb) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:17 amThere was even an Indian alqueda cell, with ties to the kla, which operated there undisturbed for many years
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:22 amThe new White House euphemism for watching TV and trolling Twitter: “Executive Time”
He typically shows up at the office at 11am, and ends his official day around 4pm, usually with more “Executive Time” sessions thrown in between.
Dave (445e97) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:28 amNo after-lunch nap?
nk (dbc370) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:31 amA Clinton Interogatory then Depositions publicly conducted on radio and internet would be a sort of justice..
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (7ae6f5) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:43 amhttps://apnews.com/86666ff31ca343f7a6aecd270db7557e
Do you have some sort of problem with the way Trump schedules his day? Perhaps he should run his toilet times past you for approval too.
You guys have gone so far down the rabbit hole of anti Trump psychosis you’re painful to read.
Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:43 amOrange Floyd meets Pink..
https://www.axios.com/scoop-trumps-the-wall-moment-1515411901-56516556-3824-49b9-9cd5-3e3dba7d5e26.html
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (7ae6f5) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:45 amSHRUMP never stops working his long hours of dedicated narcissism.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (7ae6f5) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:46 amI definitely want to hear answers about blowjobs and mictoration with urinary excerpts.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (7ae6f5) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:49 amWe need a whole new word than chutzpah:
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:51 amthehill.com/homenews/administration/368061-former-un-ambassador-most-of-trumps-crises-are-of-his-own-making
Victor David Hansen
Rather, no sane president should ever have let a writer with Wolff’s dubious and often discredited background into the White House. That such a rogue was even allowed through the door raises the question of administration sobriety.
https://amgreatness.com/2018/01/08/trump-really-crazy/
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (7ae6f5) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:52 amWhen you start losing VDH…
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:55 amBut it speaks more to left/Dem incompetence that they wasted a great “Get yo’ hand out my pocket” opportunity.
The double-speak has been brilliant for manipulating the schtoopit though. It’s their forte.
Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (7ae6f5) — 1/9/2018 @ 8:57 amNorth Carolina will be the new Ohio – and the old one is about to get fickle again, if they are down to this dude:
http://www.axios.com/hillbilly-1515500132-156f60de-5cf4-4c32-b57c-a2b5bb81bedc.html
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:01 amVDH seems to have forgotten capitalism exists. Apparently he thinks that Obama did not intentionally use his intellect to undermine capitalism, and that Trump single-handedly made capitalism work again. Surely he realizes capitalism works without central planning?
The good news is that by undoing some of what Obama did, Trump has done enough to unleash capitalist markets and the economy. I give Trump credit for that. The better news is that any Republican President willing to roll back regulations could have done it.
DRJ (15874d) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:18 amBut it is ironic to see the Trump Administration invite a reporter into the White House, and that his name is Wolf(f) is even funnier. I guess Trump doesn’t fear the media as much as he pretends.
DRJ (15874d) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:20 amif you hear the same chatter all the time, you might believe it,
https://twitter.com/JordanSchachtel/status/950749339760103424
this is what that braintrust up above was hiding,
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:44 amHowever, the truth is that no other president either republican or democrat since Reagan has. Therefore the really great news is we finally have a President in Trump who is willing to do what the other phony’s weren’t.
Since he’s MAGA it’s time for the commies among us to resort once again to their old stand by: Mental Health.
I therefore nominate Comrade Ben! to be Commandant of The Progressive Peoples Psikhushka #1. Assuming it does not detract from his services at Tractor Barn #7.
Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:44 amit’s like deng Zhao pings comments about ideology
http://freebeacon.com/blog/cnn-has-lost-it/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:46 amfocusing on real threats not phantoms,
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/cia-director-seeks-stronger-counterintelligence-spies-leakers/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:47 amfor the designated two minute hate:
https://amgreatness.com/2018/01/08/chutzpah-black-golden-globes-points-finger-wrong-way/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:54 amWhat regulation that Trump repealed would you say had the greatest benefit to the economy?
Davethulhu (fab944) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:58 amI phrased that poorly. I mean, of course, which repeal had the most benefit.
Davethulhu (fab944) — 1/9/2018 @ 9:59 am224. Bannon probably vouched for Wolff.
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/9/2018 @ 10:20 am177. AZ Bob (f60c80) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:21 pm
181. DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/8/2018 @ 9:36 pm
He said he did.
And he still maintains he expects that to happen, one way or another.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/367754-trump-reiterates-mexico-will-pay-for-the-wall-after-18b-request-to
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/9/2018 @ 10:28 amhttps://www.c-span.org/video/?439420-1/president-trump-calls-michael-wolff-book-work-fiction
or
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-donald-trump-vice-president-mike-pence-senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-house-speaker-paul-ryan-congressional-republican-leadership-retreat
Next t last qeuestion from the end:
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/9/2018 @ 10:33 amPut the stink out with Bannon rolled-on.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/9/2018 @ 1:44 pmHugh Hewitt said he didn’t read the book because he didn’t want his mind contaminated by any of the assertions in the book. (he used other words)
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 1/10/2018 @ 12:40 pm