Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The current Supreme Court is a rogue court. Very dangerous.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

The jury literally has a bell they can ring to force Trump to show up on command. Greatest thing ever!

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

Let there be snark.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Hail to the Hairpiece / Open Thread: The Dim-Witted, Angry, Acting-Out Madness of “King” Donald

Open Thread: The Dim-Witted, Angry, Acting-Out Madness of “King” Donald

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President Trump has told confidants that a government shutdown could be good for him politically and is focusing on his hard-line immigration stance as a way to win back supporters unhappy with his outreach to Democrats this fall, according to people who have spoken with him recently.

Over the past 10 days, the president has also told advisers that it is important that he is seen as tough on immigration and getting money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to two people who have spoken with him. He has asked friends about how a shutdown would affect him politically and has told several people he would put the blame on Democrats.

Trump’s mixed messages on a partial government shutdown could hamper the ability of congressional Republicans to negotiate with Democrats, whose support they need to pass spending legislation in coming weeks. Many Republicans said this week that a shutdown is a possibility they hope to avoid. Even inside the White House, aides fret about the possibility, saying it would not poll well…

.

THIS IS FINE, Repubs reply.

President Donald Trump over the summer repeatedly urged senior Senate Republicans, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to end the panel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, according to a half-dozen lawmakers and aides. Trump’s requests were a highly unusual intervention from a president into a legislative inquiry involving his family and close aides.

Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the intelligence committee chairman, said in an interview this week that Trump told him that he was eager to see an investigation that has overshadowed much of the first year of his presidency come to an end.

“It was something along the lines of, ‘I hope you can conclude this as quickly as possible,’” Burr said. He said he replied to Trump that “when we have exhausted everybody we need to talk to, we will finish.”

In addition, according to lawmakers and aides, Trump told Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican leader, and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of the intelligence committee, to end the investigation swiftly…

Trump’s requests of lawmakers to end the Senate investigation came during a period in the summer when the president was particularly consumed with Russia and openly raging at his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from any inquiries into Russian meddling in the election. Trump often vented to his own aides and even declared his innocence to virtual strangers he came across on his New Jersey golf course.

In this same period, the president complained frequently to McConnell about not doing enough to bring the investigation to an end, a Republican official close to the leader said.

Republicans downplayed Trump’s appeals, describing them as the actions of a political newcomer unfamiliar with what is appropriate presidential conduct…

During this time, Trump made several calls to senators without senior staff present, according to one West Wing official. According to senators and other Republicans familiar with the conversations, Trump would begin the talks on a different topic but eventually drift toward the Russia investigation.

In conversations with McConnell and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Trump voiced sharp anger that congressional Republicans were not helping lift the cloud of suspicion over Russia, the senators told political allies. The Times reported in August that the president had complained to McConnell that he was failing to shield Trump from an ongoing Senate inquiry…


Reader Interactions

22Comments

  1. 1.

    scottinnj

    I guess Trump didn’t see Hamilton so he isn’t aware it isn’t a good idea to tick off someone whose last name is Burr.

  2. 2.

    kd bart

    Red meat for the rubes to keep them distracted. Rewards for the donor class to keep the campaign cash flowing..

  3. 3.

    Ben Cisco

    Republicans downplayed Trump’s appeals, describing them as the actions of a political newcomer unfamiliar with what is appropriate presidential conduct…

    They don’t seem to realize (or maybe just don’t care) that: 1) This indicates that they DO recognize inappropriate presidential conduct and 2) they’re eagerly rolling with it to get them sweet sweet tax cuts and black/brown/women/lgbtq/olds/poor punching.

  4. 4.

    NorthLeft12

    That “blame the Dems” excuse has to be getting old. I was gonna say that I am surprised that is still working with the media and even his hardcore supporters……but then I’m not.

    Although I do have to say that there seems to be a growing level of pushback from a lot of media outlets not normally identified as “liberal”. I wonder if the Dems came out very strong regarding Deadbeat Donald’s paranoia, delusion, irrationality, and angry outbursts and how his instability was putting the country in danger whether that might actually derail whatever the hell the Repubs are doing?

  6. 6.

    Yoda Dog

    I wonder if the Dems came out very strong regarding Deadbeat Donald’s paranoia, delusion, irrationality, and angry outbursts and how his instability was putting the country in danger whether that might actually derail whatever the hell the Repubs are doing?

    It will not. But let’s do it anyway. I do think Donald saying out loud he’s going to do “X” and then blame the democrats for “X” is really fucking stupid even by his standards.

    We’re going to kick their asses next year.

    Good morning, all.

  8. 8.

    NorthLeft12

    @Jumbo76: That was a very odd story. Of course it is no surprise that the Border Patrol and Republicans are pushing the narrative to an attack on the brave defenders of the border.

    Since I have an unofficial Internet Sleuth Certificate [Second Class] I feel qualified to solve this crime from the safety of my keyboard up here in Canada. Based on information not shared by the FBI and the article provided, I have determined that the two agents in question were involved in an altercation with each other. Not sure whether it was a case of mistaken identity, incompetence, personal grudge, or other reasons too scandalous to contemplate.
    I could use $25K [American!] right now.

  10. 10.

    debbie

    This could be one of the clearest contrasts between Trump and Obama. Obama’s initial reaction would be to reach out and work toward a solution. Trump’s is to figure out how to blame someone else.

  11. 11.

    La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes)

    Is it wrong of me to wish that the Dems in Congress refuse to support any budget and/or debt ceiling lift if the GOP passes this monstrosity of a tax bill? After all, why should we keep enabling the GOP and trying to protect their voters when they are actively targeting ours?

  12. 12.

    chopper

    Trump “even declared his innocence to virtual strangers he came across on his NJ golf course.

    the man doth protest too much, methinks.

  13. 13.

    chopper

    @NorthLeft12:

    it is pretty ballsy. the GOP has been responsible for every shutdown in decades and the media has, to their credit, never fallen for GOP attempts to flip the blame onto the dems. what makes trump think this time will be different when he himself says he wants to shut it down?

  15. 15.

    FlipYrWhig

    @chopper:

    what makes trump think this time will be different when he himself says he wants to shut it down?

    Stupidity? He’s an unpopular fucking idiot who thinks he’s an adored fucking genius.

  19. 19.

    d58826

    What follows is a very depressing and downbeat post. So sue me.
    American democracy died on Jan. 20th 2009. It was the day Yrtle decided, that rather than being the loyal opposition, he would run a campaign of sabotage of everything that Obama and the voters wanted. Since Obama was popular, occupied the bully pulpit and had a veto pen, Yrtle had to exercise some degree of discretion over the next 8 years. Now that the axis of evil fully controls all levers of power in Washington the need for discretion has disappeared, So we now see the courts being packed with incompetent right wing hacks,. plans to expand the number of judges so they can overwhelm any remaining Obama judges, the Obamacare repeal show and now the tax cut show. Any pretense of adhering to the democratic norms that have guided this country since 1787 are out the window. It is now government of the oligarchs, by the oligarchs and for the oligarchs (sorry Abe).. A victory by Moore on the 12th will demonstrate that a significant portion of the public is entirely satisfied with being kicked to the curb as long as the gays and POC are kicked into the gutter.

    At 71 I have mine and will live out the remained of my life in the middle class comfort that we remember from the 1950’s. I just grieve for my 30 something nieces and their kids ranging in age fro 9 months to 18. They will bear the brunt of the poison fruit that the axis of evil is continuing to plant

  20. 20.

    ET

    I don’t think Trump understands that there are 3 branches of government and the president isn’t the boss of the other two.

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