Tonight, Donald Trump triggered himself with the word "momentum" and told Boy Scouts this five-minute story. Just read it. pic.twitter.com/B0NENfPSMF
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 25, 2017
Via TIME:
… I’ll tell you a story that’s very interesting for me. When I was young there was a man named William Levitt. You have some here. You have some in different states. Anybody ever hear of Levittown?…
And he was a very successful man, became unbelievable — he was a home builder, became an unbelievable success, and got more and more successful. And he’d build homes, and at night he’d go to these major sites with teams of people, and he’d scour the sites for nails, and sawdust and small pieces of wood, and they cleaned the site, so when the workers came in the next morning, the sites would be spotless and clean, and he did it properly. And he did this for 20 years, and then he was offered a lot of money for his company, and he sold his company, for a tremendous amount of money, at the time especially. This is a long time ago. Sold his company for a tremendous amount of money.
And he went out and bought a big yacht, and he had a very interesting life. I won’t go any more than that, because you’re Boy Scouts so I’m not going to tell you what he did…
So look at you. Who would think this is the Boy Scouts, right? So he had a very, very interesting life, and the company that bought his company was a big conglomerate, and they didn’t know anything about building homes, and they didn’t know anything about picking up the nails and the sawdust and selling it, and the scraps of wood. This was a big conglomerate based in New York City.
And after about a 10-year period, they were losing a lot with it. It didn’t mean anything to them. And they couldn’t sell it. So they called William Levitt up, and they said, would you like to buy back your company, and he said, yes, I would. He so badly wanted it. He got bored with this life of yachts, and sailing, and all of the things he did in the south of France and other places. You won’t get bored, right? You know, truthfully, you’re workers. You’ll get bored too, believe me. Of course having a few good years like that isn’t so bad.
But what happened is he bought back his company, and he bought back a lot of empty land, and he worked hard at getting zoning, and he worked hard on starting to develop, and in the end he failed, and he failed badly, lost all of his money. He went personally bankrupt, and he was now much older. And I saw him at a cocktail party. And it was very sad because the hottest people in New York were at this party. It was the party of Steve Ross — Steve Ross, who was one of the great people. He came up and discovered, really founded Time Warner, and he was a great guy. He had a lot of successful people at the party.
And I was doing well, so I got invited to the party. I was very young. And I go in, but I’m in the real estate business, and I see a hundred people, some of whom I recognize, and they’re big in the entertainment business.
And I see sitting in the corner was a little old man who was all by himself. Nobody was talking to him. I immediately recognized that that man was the once great William Levitt, of Levittown, and I immediately went over. I wanted to talk to him more than the Hollywood, show business, communications people.
So I went over and talked to him, and I said, “Mr. Levitt, I’m Donald Trump.” He said, “I know.” I said, “Mr. Levitt, how are you doing?” He goes, “Not well, not well at all.” And I knew that. But he said, “Not well at all.” And he explained what was happening and how bad it’s been and how hard it’s been. And I said, “What exactly happened? Why did this happen to you? You’re one of the greats ever in our industry. Why did this happen to you?”
And he said, “Donald, I lost my momentum. I lost my momentum.” A word you never hear when you’re talking about success when some of these guys that never made 10 cents, they’re on television giving you things about how you’re going to be successful, and the only thing they ever did was a book and a tape. But I tell you — I’ll tell you, it was very sad, and I never forgot that moment.
And I thought about it, and it’s exactly true. He lost his momentum, meaning he took this period of time off, long, years, and then when he got back, he didn’t have that same momentum.
In life, I always tell this to people, you have to know whether or not you continue to have the momentum. And if you don’t have it, that’s OK. Because you’re going to go on, and you’re going to learn and you’re going to do things that are great. But you have to know about the word “momentum.”…
It’s the James-O’Keefe-style sex boat hints that got attention last night, but Trump’s whole meandering old-white-man-rap is seriously weird. Momentum — he’s afraid he’s losing it, taking long years off, has lost it, but that’s okay he’s going to go on… I’ve said it before, will no doubt be forced to say it again: If Grampa started rambling in this vein, his adult kids would be hiding his car keys and checkbook.
We need to get hecklers following the Trump Fools’ Flotilla around to yell “LOSING YOUR MOMENTUM, DONNY!”
Don’t lean too hard on the organization, they’re as stuck as the rest of us…
5/ And then he talked politics anyway. This is a pattern of behavior for Trump. Did same thing earlier this week at the USS Gerald Ford.
— Zach Wahls (@ZachWahls) July 25, 2017
9/ Rather than talking about leadership or Scout values—which he knows little about—Trump did his usual campaign rally shtick. Not normal.
— Zach Wahls (@ZachWahls) July 25, 2017
Not to mention all those teenage boys…
Any scout who chose not to attend was permitted. His choice was to sit, supervised, at his campsite, with no activities for the entire time.
— ReallyRandy (@RandyCromwell) July 25, 2017
Yep. In fact, all activities for the day — from 10:00 a.m. forward were cancelled… for a speech that started at 6:00 p.m.
— ReallyRandy (@RandyCromwell) July 25, 2017
khead
“Let me tell you about this guy who kept out the blacks and the Jews”…. MAGA!
Timurid
His speech tonight was even more tilted…
Doug R
“Grandpa, are you sitting on the pie?”
“I hope it’s the pie”
NotMax
He also (by implication) stated he was “more presidential” than George Washington.
This is not normal behavior.
This is not close to normal behavior.
This is not in the same galaxy as normal behavior.
Old Dan and Little Anne
Colbert’s opening skit just now involved a Boy Scout camp fire with a scary story about a pumpkin man with doll hands. It made my night.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@khead:
Hitler just wanted to make Germany great again! Too bad those Allies cucks got in the way! The holocaust was fake news made up by the globalist media and political correct pussies who got triggered by Hitler’s manly mustache!
I need a shower now
Major Major Major Major
Thanks, Republicans!
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Timurid:
My local news (Youngstown) is fucking useless. Take a look at this page:
http://wkbn.com/category/news/local-news/
oldgold
From tonight’s putrid performance:
“With the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that’s ever held this office.”
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
Terry Tate Makes America Great Again:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aMqhoYjY2X0
oldgold
David Axelrod had a great response.
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
-The late, great Abraham Lincoln
sharl
Sweet jeebus…
Another Scott
@NotMax: That was my thought, too. Someone should ask him, “Hey Donnie, do you really think you’re more Presidential than Washington? Jefferson? Roosevelt (either one)?…” Of course, since he only answers a handful of questions whenever he lets the press ask him anything at a press conference, maybe it’s not worth the effort.
His mental illness has been obvious for 18 months or more. It’s just getting worse.
I can’t seen him going on another 3.5 years this way…
Cheers,
Scott.
dmsilev
@oldgold: And in theory, pigs can fly, but don’t bet on it.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@oldgold:
He wouldn’t be fit to shine Abe’s shoes. And what about George Washington? Or FDR?
This guy has real potential to be even worse than Buchanan
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
Wouldn’t be surprised if the youth body’s objections to the orangutan are more of degree than kind. I went to FL Boys State four years ago and it was fairly conservative (Pam Bondi was the camp’s “It” girl).
dmsilev
Also, is he saying that he’s more Presidential than Ronald Reagan? Because I’m pretty sure that’s heresy for the Republican Orthodoxy.
NotMax
@Another Scott
Approaching the point when a certain major fast food company will be forced to change its name because what follows the ‘Mc’ is too toxic.
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
@oldgold: Whoa, David’s really back from the dead? And if so, why isn’t he working on an avant-garde collabo with Scott Walker?
@sharl: Is he ultimately smarter or dumber than Ben Carson? I got the vibe from Ben that he was just trolling Don’s campaign after he dropped out.
NotMax
@Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
Titillating pin-ups of Phyllis Schlalfly and Michele Bachmann adorning the walls?
Eyewash is on aisle nine. :)
Raven Onthill
Me, blogging on the chaos in the Senate:
japa21
He was not saying he is more presidential, but that he could be. But being president is harder than being presidential. Being presidential is easy. It really made no sense.
John Revolta
@sharl: All together now………………
OOOOPS!!!!
Another Scott
Andy Slavitt stream on what’s ahead (he ran CMS for Obama):
I think he’s right that that’s the plan. I think the House is going to try to ram whatever passes the Senate through as quickly as possible. The clock is ticking. They don’t want this dragging out any longer in a Conference and having opposition continue to build. They want to pass something (and as the old saying goes, “this is something, so we must pass it!”) so they can get on to gutting the tax code and giving Donnie his tax cuts by gutting the AMT and all the rest.
We have to keep fighting. It’s not a sure thing that they will lose – they will keep trying, and we have to fight them every single day.
Cheers,
Scott.
Major Major Major Major
@Another Scott: Hm, that makes more sense than the “nobody has any idea what the fuck is going on” vibe I’m getting from all this.
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
@NotMax: No – the event was at FSU, and I’m not even sure pinups were ever brought, much less allowed.
sharl
@Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD):
Among the people I follow who know Texas politics, the consensus seems to be that Rick Perry really is dumb (though this incident could have been a staff screw-up, I suppose). Ben “Gifted Hands” Carson is a bit more inscrutable to me; outside of his talent as a neurosurgeon, he seems more of a space cadet, kind of floating outside of the smart-dumb continuum.
Yarrow
@japa21: He showed everyone during the campaign what “being presidential” was like. He was at a rally, he moved away from he podium, then walked back in with his chin up, looked and nodded left and right. The crowd went wild. Apparently that’s “being presidential.” He said it was easy.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Another Scott:
Do they see themselves as authoritarians?
I think Raven up above has it. The USA is now an authoritarian state
M. Bouffant
@Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD): That’s nothing. Texas Boys State voted to secede this yr.
Turns out “Boys State” (B.S. for short) is some plot of the fucking American Legion, all of whose members should have been dead a decade ago.
Lizzy L
From The Guardian today:
How is this different from the incitement of the Rwandan government against the Tutsis, or Hitler’s fantasies about Jews?
Adam L Silverman
@sharl: I told Secretary Perry not to take his glasses off when he’s on the phone!
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
@sharl: Carson brings to mind Damon Wayans’ Minister Farrakhan, and to a lesser extent Oswald Bates. (For casting purposes, you could sub in Nas or Pras Michel’s nonexistent acting skills in a pinch).
Yarrow
@Lizzy L:
Remember, everything with Trump is projection.
Adam L Silverman
@Lizzy L: Not to much different.
MisterForkbeard
@Lizzy L: Jesus H. Christ – that bit about the knives and slicing is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever read. What the fuck is wrong with him?
Major Major Major Major
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
Oh, hell yes they do. This is their entire worldview. It’s borne out in polling and studies and such. And obvious to a casual observer of course.
Lizzy L
@MisterForkbeard: This is from a speech he gave at a “rally” in Youngstown OH. And yeah, it is disgusting.
NotMax
If you’re around, Adam, thought you might find some interest in this.
david spikes
Sickened by the sight of McCain getting a standing ovation-democrats joining in-and Wilmer just whirling him around in transports of joy.
Jeebuz, Democrats, the man came to Washington to take away millions of people’s health care. And then gave a speech which is going into the dictionary to illustrate hypocrisy.
No wonder Trump thinks he can roll the country-he;s got the example of John McCain.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@M. Bouffant:
As much as I would feel sorry for minorities and others in Texas if it succeeded would that be the worst thing I the world? Without looking at a EC map, wouldn’t that be a major blow to Republicans at the national level?
And really, the “Republic” of Texas would become a dystopic failed state in a matter of a few decades anyway
The Lodger
@dmsilev: With enough thrust, pigs fly just fine.
Wapiti
@sharl:
I don’t see how it isn’t. Secretary Perry’s time is valuable. Every call to the man, during office hours, should be coming through his chief of staff or admin assistant. His direct subordinates, and maybe some of their direct underlings, might be able to call short notice, but anybody else? The calls should be planned ahead of time. And given the Russian broohaha with the White House, he shouldn’t be talking to foreigners. Now, Perry is responsible for getting a competent CoS, but after that, he needs to let his staff shield him from random cranks and timewasters..
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Major Major Major Major:
They share a lot of characteristics with the Confederate elite. Anti-democratic, aristocrats who believe they’re the true Americans with pretensions towards liberty and democracy but only for themselves
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
@Another Scott: And Walnuts still voted for the BCRA.
I’m still not fully sold on the “painful death” part, but he deserves to have the least dignified way out possible. You know, an obituary that’s impossible to not laugh at.
Adam L Silverman
@NotMax: Thanks. That guy is doing the Deity’s, someone’s Deity’s, anyone’s Deity’s, or if you’re an atheist – no one’s Deity’s work on this stuff. It is absolutely amazing the amount of waste that Operation Enduring Freedom and it’s follow on missions in Afghanistan have generated.
NotoriousJRT
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
I’ve thought for months that somewhere in the either Warren G. Harding is high-fiving and fist bumping with James Buchanon.
Mnemosyne
@Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD):
McCain has a glioblastoma. The manner of his exit is no longer up to him anyway.
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
@NotoriousJRT: Pierce and the two Andrews, at least, were significantly worse than Harding; I’ve always seen Harding as more an example in how bad non-malicious stupidity can advance in the country.
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne:
I actually wish this weren’t true, but you know me, I’m mister bodily autonomy and mercy over here.
sharl
@Wapiti:
Yeah, that would be normal, and at the very least I would assume some subordinate put the call through. With all the unfilled senior executive positions in this Administration, not to mention various political hacks and sycophants brought on board, and the needle-pegging level of chaos among this lot, I could see Perry’s office being susceptible to all manner of shenanigans, missed deadlines, etc. I feel like I’m being Gish-Galloped (so to speak) by all the madness coming from this crew, so there are probably stories about the state of affairs at DoE that have flown under my news radar.
It’s a funny story, just the same, although I hope Perry didn’t reveal any sensitive information. If he did, we probably won’t know until Putin tells us.
Mnemosyne
@Major Major Major Major:
As I keep saying, I am unable to say that he “deserves” cancer because nobody fucking deserves that, but I’m fine with contemplating him facing the consequences of his beliefs, like his family putting him on a ventilator against his wishes because they’re “pro-life.”
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne: I wish he had the right to pick the time and manner of his passing, but he doesn’t. Thanks to people like him. I’m also fine with that.
SFAW
@dmsilev:
They just need Harold to show them how. And think of the enormous commercial possibilities should he succeed!
Amir Khalid
Lazada Malaysia have emailed to let me know that a butterscotch-blond Squier Telecaster and a Fender Champion 20 amp are now in transit, and could arrive as early as tomorrow.
My plan for world fame as a guitar god continues apace.
Ksmiami
For the republic to live The GOP must die
Major Major Major Major
@Amir Khalid:
Will you have enough bottles of wee?
brendancalling
@Timurid: holy fuck. is that real?
Lizzy L
This is difficult.
I spent the last four years as caregiver to a dear friend with major medical issues. In December 2016 she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, a type of glioma. Surgery was not an option. She spent 6 weeks going through radiation therapy. She completed her last treatment the morning of May 25th 2017. That afternoon she went to bed, unable to eat or drink. I signed her into hospice care that night. She died June 1. I am as angry as any of you at McCain’s political positions and his vote, but I find the vitriol directed his way and the ugly, vengeful scenarios involving his eventual death from cancer to be unacceptable and personally unbearable.
I will take some time off from BJ. I hope when I return the community will have moved on.
Adam L Silverman
@brendancalling: Yes it is. It was a wee bit off plumb.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
Colorful crowds gather to see the president in downtown Youngstown
My local rag, the Vindicator everyone! Colorful! Jesus Christ! Useless fluffing Nd no mention of the disgusting fascist shit about 16 year old girls getting dismembered by knives. “Rousing rhetoric”. Yeah, I guess Adolf had some rousing rhetoric too when he talked about how the Jews were all thieves who fucked over Germany and needed to be “relocated”.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
Hey Adam could you get my previous post out of spam or something? It won’t post
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: It looks like he ad-libbed that bit. So at least his speechwriter isn’t clinically insane.
Yay?
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
Amir Khalid
@Major Major Major Major:
Of course. When I am a guitar god, I shall have as much of anything as I want.
Another Scott
@Lizzy L: I’m sorry about your friend. :-( Four years is a long time, and I’m sure it is still very painful for you to have lost her.
Too many people, here and elsewhere, treat politics like a blood sport. It’s not. It’s our best hope for creating a system in which we can live together in something resembling peace.
Unfortunately, for our own sanity, we have to limit what we read. The implementation of the “pie filter” here is very good. Consider giving it a try.
Hang in there. We’ll see you when you return.
Cheers,
Scott.
Major Major Major Major
@Amir Khalid: Ah, yes, obviously, sorry.
mai naem mobile
Dolt 45 is just completely unhinged. I don’t know how you do this but he needs to be ignored. Even if he gets Fox, the other networks need to ignore the mofo’s childish stuff. Pay attention to Congress. To the Courts. To the different departments but not the WH. He’s an attention whore and the only way to affect his behavior is to ignore him.
PatrickG
I was at Fort AP Hill in 93. Age 13. It was horrible. Can’t even imagine what it is like now.
Also: fuck Lee Greenwood.
Forgive brevity, sent from device. Otherwise I’d describe the flag/authority worship in more detail.
Mnemosyne
@Lizzy L:
Believe it or not, I was getting raked over the coals here by some people last night for saying that no one, even McCain, deserves to get cancer.
I’m sorry that my words inadvertently added to your pain over the loss of your friend. Please take a break and come back when we’re all a little more sane here.
Anne Laurie
@Amir Khalid:
Heck, when you get that far, I’ll even join Twitter/Facebook/Whateversnext to help pad your ‘fandom’ stats!
Adam L Silverman
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: It is free. It, along with three copies of it and one repost, went into the trash folder for some reason.
Major Major Major Major
@Anne Laurie: You aren’t on Whateversnext yet??? Weirdo.
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: His speech writer is, often, Stephen Miller. So you may want to rethink that.
Anne Laurie
@Adam L Silverman: Saying it One.More.Time: FYWP doesn’t like really long extracts in the comments section.
If you guys don’t want to rely on us front-pagers’ mercies, learn to paraphrase & link.
Mnemosyne
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
I feel I called it on the outdoor “crowd.” They supposedly had 20,000 ticket requests for a 7,000-seat venue and only 100 people showed up to watch it on the big screen?
(Edited for clarity)
Major Major Major Major
@Anne Laurie:
It’s not just a good idea–it’s the law!
Another Scott
@Anne Laurie: I think it’s far more likely that it was a FYWP word rather than the length.
E.g.
Worky?
Cheers,
Scott.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@Adam L Silverman:
Thanks!@Mnemosyne:
Yeah, that made feel somewhat better. Still, a full-house in the Covelli Centre was disturbing enough.
I wrote a comment criticising them for this fluff piece, still pending
Luthe
All this talk of momentum reminds me of Miles Vorkosigan, only Miles had the brains (and mercenary fleet) to back up whatever bullshit he was spewing.
M. Bouffant
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I’m w/ you. I’ve been wondering if there’s a way to force certain states to get the hell out of our once glorious union.
Anne Laurie
@Another Scott: Dude, it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s the length, or just that any lengthy quote is more likely to hide a ‘forbidden’ word, overlong comments = straight to trash. I assume it’s easier for commentors to paraphrase & link than to comb through their copypasta for the “magic” word, sending version after version of their comment straight into the FYWP filter.
Starfish
Can we talk about how the only person to show leadership in the face of Trump was the pastor in Flint, MI during the campaign? Is she gonna run for public office?
lowtechcyclist
@Starfish:
She should.
But speaking of momentum, if Trump ever pulled that handshake trick on me, I’d use my momentum to head-butt his nose.
More seriously about momentum, life’s a funny thing. Sometimes it seems you’re swimming against the tide, you’re trying everything to get yourself out of a rut, and nothing is working. Then for no apparent reason, the wind is at your back, and everything is breaking right and falling into place. And then a bit later, things shift again and life feels like you’re hiking through molasses. Momentum comes and goes, for no discernable reason.
We try to turn life into a morality play, but it’s a bad fit.
Barney
I think the scouts could have listened to ‘Dogs’ by Pink Floyd, and got the same message about how grasping narcissists can’t stop trying to screw everyone else, however bad it is for themselves as well, but without the unreliable narrator involved …
https://play.google.com/music/preview/Ttx5kd2mhdjau6vna4k3bclp32m?lyrics=1
…
And after a while, you can work on points for style
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You’ll get the chance to put the knife in
You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder
You know it’s going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you get older
And in the end you’ll pack up and fly down south
Hide your head in the sand,
Just another sad old man
All alone and dying of cancer
And when you loose control, you’ll reap the harvest you have sown
And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone
And it’s too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around
So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone
Dragged down by the stone
…
Antonius
“Don’t you think he’s lost… momentum?”
Dr. Ronnie James, D.O.
That’s MEEEE!!!!! in the corner
That’s MEEEE!!!!! in the spotlight
Losing my momentum
Oh no I said too much
etc.
different-church-lady
@mai naem mobile: The problem is Congress is also unhinged.
NorthLeft12
@Yarrow:
Shudder. Deadbeat Donald’s fixation on gruesome violence against women and children, is tremendously disturbing.
What I find even more disturbing is the lack of response it receives from the media and his supporters. It’s as if he is not really saying these things.
And also, they are pretty much all factually incorrect/fantasies.
Help me out here Juicers from the US, WTF?
karensky
@mai naem mobile: thanks for posting this. Every time someone brings up 45 in conversation I want to scream and sometimes I do!
randy khan
The Levitt story is, as they say, not exactly right. Among many other things, the main cause of Levitt not being as rich as he had been was that ITT stock declined precipitously.
Read the obit
JGabriel
@Another Scott:
Honestly, I don’t see how this can go on for another 3.5 years either. On the other hand, though, I suppose it’s always important to keep this snippet of wisdom from Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in mind:
sharl
@randy khan:
Yep, that also came out in a 2013 New York Magazine piece on his widow, who I found more interesting than him from a human-interest (not business) perspective.