Politics Trump - What has he done now???

Rumour is John Kelly fired him to prove that he's the one running the show.

Guys, the irony. It's delicious.

In other news, Lindsey Graham of all people has warned that there will be "holy hell to pay" if Jeff Sessions is fired. So there's a Senate republican basically yanking Trump's chain. Wonder if he'll take the bait?

Of course, Senator Graham can say whatever he pleases but unless McConnell and Ryan are on board it doesn't really mean anything. Still, it could be a sign of cracks forming between congress and the white house. I imagine they didn't take too kindly to Priebus being sacked. I have a sneaking suspicion that they thought Trump would be more controllable than he's proven to actually be.

 

He technically hadn't even started the job yet

 

I think Trump rarely jokes. I think people thought the outrageous things he was saying were jokes because they were to outrageous to be things he actually believed. But I think he's already given the lie to that idea a dozen times over.

I certainly have no trouble accepting that Donald Trump believes in authoritariansim. His whole administration has been about it. He doesn't understand why he can't just say (or tweet, as the case may be) something and have it immediately become law. He doesn't think laws apply to him. His attitude is that he's president and therefore everyone has to do what he says without question. His actions have proven it, time and again.

So no, I don't think it's a joke. I think he was entirely serious, and I think attempts to suggest anything to the contrary are just trying to downplay how unhinged he truly is.

 

Opinion | Why the most dishonest president in history can’t fool us about what matters

YOU LIE!!
It's actually appropriate now.
Unfortunately, most aren't saying it publicly or privately TO HIM

Sad state of affairs.
Two good things that come of this.
Power - Powers for the President will be reined back in. States will gain more power.
Decision making - people are actually discussion ethics and what's appropriate for our leaders...and how much their vote counts...and that it's important, not just about feelings.

 

A followup on the power statement above...
Analysis | The Daily 202: Trump stumbles are undercutting executive power, which may be healthy for America long-term

Only problem is, Congress can often screw up, be bogged down and be inane.
Oh well, at least we have the Judicial branch.

 

2 words - Grand Jury...

 

Shrug. They still can't prosecute a sitting president. Apparently they've issued subpoenas relating to Don Jr's meetings with Russian officials, so he could be facing indictment at some point. If he's actually charged his dad will pardon him. It's not like Trump has any problem abusing his powers for the benefit of his family.

 

They said the same thing about the Grand Jury that started on the Nixon/Watergate situation.
A variety of people went to jail...Nixon didn't pardon them. I got wider and wider...
Nixon finally resigned 2 years later...hell, he even got reelected in between. (at the start of the even, 50% of the people didn't even know about it)
Trump is not as smart as Nixon.
Nor as experienced

That was just a relatively small crime and a cover-up.
The Republicans wanted to support Nixon.

This is a connection with a foreign government, our biggest and classic opposition, the Russians.
There's a lot of old-school people who do not like this...many are GOP, big-time wrap the flag around themselves conservatives.
McConnell has lost major face, not passing Repeal & Replace, so he cannot help.
And Trump has pissed off a lot in Congress and his own underlying Administration, they're starting to ignore him and the WH.

Nixon was smarter, more cunning and had a better hand for less.
Trump is not smart, not govt-wise and the situations is MUCH more significant.

It's going to be a slow burn.
But it IS expanding.

The question isn't what it's moving to.
The question is what radical steps Trump is going to do to stop it. (he doesn't play by the same rules as others...even Nixon)

It's going to get weird.

BTW...I'm not one for conspiracy, never have...and I'm just as cynical as you are.
But I do see trends...this is slowly building.

Strange, I never thought I be seeing something that I originally have read as history occurring in my life.
Shows you it isn't as clean as the plot laid out in the books.
Fog of War and all that...

 

FYI - As a followup, here' s fair writeup on what a Grand Jury means
It's really neutral and straight-forward.
Bob Mueller Is Using a Grand Jury. Here’s What It Means.

I'm thankful for pieces like these, they are factual and give input without coming to conclusions or giving opinion.

 

This is entirely untrue. McConnell is still the senate majority leader. Not only can he help Trump, impeaching Trump is currently impossible without his support. Same goes for Paul Ryan. It doesn't matter if Trump alienates every last rank and file Republican in the land, without those two either on board or replaced there is no path forward. Nixon was not indicted as part of the Watergate investigation specifically because Jaworski didn't want to invite the shitstorm that would result from attempting to prosecute a sitting president, and it's not very likely ol' Bobby Mueller will be any more willing to wade into those untested legal waters. Trump remains, as of now, untouchable, and McConnell is a big part of the reason why.

I think you're still thinking that Mitch gives the slightest shit about decorum or tradition, but his utter refusal to allow a hearing for Merrick Garland proved the lie of that.

Nixon, for all his faults, was a skilled politician. He knew how to play the game, whereas I'm not at all convinced Trump knows how to play chutes and ladders. This is why comparisons to Watergate don't really apply. Trump will not resign, and he will not go along willingly with any part of a process to remove him. He will spin any attempts to prosecute him or his team as a witch hunt by the establishment/deep state that hates him for being so noble and honest. His followers will eat that shit right up, too. I don't think he has any real loyalty to any part of his team apart from his family, but I also have zero problem believing he will use and abuse his powers as needed to see that nobody in his family faces consequences of what's happening. He was talking about pardons before the grand jury was convened, and he's already proven a dozen times over that he's willing to follow through on the things he talks about.

I think Mueller is extremely smart, capable, and experienced. I want to believe he has a long-term strategy going here. I'm interested to see what his next move is going to be, but I would be extremely hesitant to attach a lot of significance to anything coming this early. I guess once the indictment(s) come out we'll see how it's going to go; he certainly wouldn't have taken the step of impaneling a grand jury if he didn't think he could get someone on something, but I remain highly skeptical that it's anything to do with Trump directly.

The Politico piece is good in that it points out that the grand jury is a procedural step and it's basically impossible to say anything meaningful as a result of it at this point. This doesn't mean what people seem to think it means. Patience is required.

 

@martian we're basically saying the same thing.
I know McConnell had no compunction about what he does, hasn't from the start, he also has an agenda to side with Trump because his wife is a part of the administration.
Yet losing is weaker in Washington. The more he loses, the less he can help and control. Senators go their own way.
True, Trump will go down kicking and screaming, pushing the envelope and using whatever power, whatever thing he can get away with.
Yet, even he has his limits...as we saw this week when he didn't veto the sanctions bill.

And I agree, patience is required.
This is going to a be political death by a thousand cuts. (Ironically, the same Hillary suffered)
It comes from all sides...and in this case, much of his own.

The surprises will not only be what Trump will do...which may be almost anything (although, we have not seen murder or violence from him yet...as we've seen at times in other countries)
But also what he does NOT do...sometimes I'm surprised on what he backs down on. (same goes with McConnell)
This President is unprecedented

Watergate is only a prequel
...this reboot will have even bigger effects and plot twists. (Hollywood just gets bigger as time moves on...I guess Washington does too)

 

More like, WTF is he doing???

Right now...threatening Best Korea
And supposedly negotiating with the Dems for Tax Reform
And having a lower approval rating than Ford after he pardoned Nixon
And finishing a 17 day "working" vacation at a, wait for it...golf course

So hey, he's multitasking

 

Now we're talking NUKES!
Trump warns N. Korea: U.S. nuclear arsenal is ‘more powerful than ever before’

 

ROFLMAO
Giant inflatable chicken with Trump’s hairdo lands near White House