Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

T R E 4 5 O N

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

The revolution will be supervised.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / A Bargain at Twice the Price

A Bargain at Twice the Price

by | 80 Comments

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We may never know exactly how much Putin spent on troll farms, etc., to sleaze Donald Trump into office. Likely a lot of the work was done with government assets (Fancy Bear) and volunteer ratfuckers (Stone, Assange, etc.). But even if it was billions, the ROI has got to be off the charts. Via NASDAQ.com:

The trade relations between the U.S. and the European Union took a turn for the worse last week, after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the EU.

While these trade tariffs are deteriorating the relations between the United States and its European allies, trade in one particular energy commodity—natural gas—between the EU and Russia is strong, and Vladimir Putin and Russia’s gas giant Gazprom aim to boost (even more) energy trade with the EU.

The U.S. alienation of EU allies on trade is a welcome boost for Russia-EU energy ties, some analysts say.

“Trump is forcing the Europeans closer to the Russians,” Stefan Meister, Russia expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “This is playing right into Putin’s hands.”

Putin is laughing all the way to the bank. The Post:

MOSCOW — As he watches Europe’s confrontation with President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be enjoying an “I told you so” moment.

European leaders long ignored his warnings about the dangers of a world dominated by the United States, Putin said Thursday during his nationally broadcast annual call-in show . With Trump’s new metals tariffs, Putin said, Europeans are now finally getting their comeuppance for showing excessive deference to Washington — and getting a taste of the way the United States had long treated Russia…

There were no questions about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, but Putin brought up the subject. One of the hosts asked him to tell a joke. Putin mentioned seeing a German news headline declaring, “Donald Trump pushes Europe into Putin’s arms.”

“So, we influenced the U.S. elections, and he gifted us Europe in return?” he asked. “Utter idiocy. You can’t describe this as anything other than a joke.”

Seconds later, Putin was asked what piece of advice from his father would he like to pass on to his grandchildren.

“Don’t lie,” the Russian president said.

So much winning! And no matter how obvious it becomes that Trump has been had — and in turn that his monumental stupidity has screwed not only the citizens of the United States but the entire Western world — he and his cult followers will go to their graves denying it.

Reader Interactions

80Comments

  1. 1.

    cain

    he and his cult followers will go to their graves blaming liberals

    Fixed that for you.

  2. 2.

    cain

    Trump is planning on shaking down every leader at the G8 summit. You can also bet that U.S. is going to leave the UN. We will be very isolationist by the time we are done. Hurrah.

  4. 4.

    Corner Stone

    @cain: We’re going to hear about more than one shouting match coming out of the G6 + 1.
    I hope Merkel pimp slaps Trump.

  5. 5.

    Baud

    Say what you will about Putin, he’s not a traitor. Unlike some other people I could name.

  6. 6.

    Corner Stone

    “So, we influenced the U.S. elections, and he gifted us Europe in return?” he asked.

    “Pretty much as I wrote it up, actually”, Putin replied.

  8. 8.

    waspuppet

    @Corner Stone: As we speak, Trump’s staff/geriatric nurses are hiding his phone from him so he can’t tweet “See? Russia didn’t influence the election! Putin says so!”

  10. 10.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud:

    Yes, I’d say he is a traitor. He has betrayed his own people for the sake of his personal fortune and power.

  11. 11.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Anyone who supports Trump, at any level, is supporting Russia against America.

    They are traitors.

  12. 12.

    ruemara

    I sincerely hope Putin trips & falls into a woodchipper. Head first. And anyone working with him.

  13. 13.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Dorothy Winsor: He hates anything multilateral, because he’s totally out of his one on one “Alpha Male” comfort zone, where he can browbeat.

    He is a pathetic, tiny man, with a tiny dick and short fingers.

  14. 14.

    noncarborundum

    @cain:
    After all you liberals made us all hurt and resentful by looking down on our religion and and guns and stuff, we really had no other choice but to vote for Trump, now did we?

    Oh, and by the way, f**k your feelings.

  16. 16.

    Rand Careaga

    I’ve seen the 2016 Russian ratfucking described elsewhere as “the most consequential political covert operation since the Germans put Lenin aboard a sealed train to Petrograd in 1917.”

  17. 17.

    Mike in DC

    Destroying Putin and Oligarchic Russia is a 30 year project, and we need to get started no later than 1/20/21.

  18. 18.

    TenguPhule

    he and his cult followers will go to their graves denying it.

    May that day come soon and with all due haste.

  19. 19.

    Mike in NC

    Trump’s last ride should be in the electric chair, with his kids wearing orange jumpsuits all looking on.

  20. 20.

    TenguPhule

    @Mike in NC:

    Trump’s last ride should be in the electric chair, with his kids wearing orange jumpsuits all looking on.

    Sufficient Quantities of Blubber can inhibit the electron juice from finishing the job.

    Tumbrels are the only way to make sure.

  22. 22.

    Doug R

    @Mike in DC:

    Destroying Putin and Oligarchic Russia is a 30 year project, and we need to get started no later than 1/20/21 1/03/19.

    FIFY

  23. 23.

    Amir Khalid

    Before his candidacy I had considered Donald Trump merely a man of wealth but not taste, and a wildly overrated business executive. During the campaign I learned he was also a bully, a crook, and a sexual predator. Now I am watching him, who campaigned on making America great again, devote his presidency to making America small. There is only one thing in which he has big ambitions for America: he aims to make an entire nation the object of the biggest bust-out operation in human history.

  25. 25.

    Mandalay

    There are plenty of good cops out there, and some bad cops, but this guy has to be among the worst of the worst:

    The leader of a rogue Baltimore police unit sobbed as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a corruption scandal prosecutors called “breathtaking”. Ex-police sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins apologised in court for the crimes he committed while heading an elite squad called the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF)…

    He was arrested along with almost every member of the unit in March 2017…

    He was convicted on multiple counts including racketeering, robbery and falsification of records. Jenkins pleaded guilty in January and admitted taking part in at least 10 robberies of Baltimore citizens, planting drugs on innocent people and re-selling drugs he stole from suspects on an almost daily basis, including heroin, cocaine and prescription painkillers.

    At least they got him and his cronies in the end, but the harm and misery they must have caused to so many people on so many different levels must be huge. I think he’ll be doing a lot more sobbing over the next 25 years (if he lasts that long).

  26. 26.

    Ruckus

    @Mandalay:
    Baltimore was one port that I never even bothered to set foot on the pier. It just didn’t seem worth it. And usually I couldn’t wait to get off the ship. 40+ yrs hasn’t changed my mind.

  27. 27.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mandalay:

    Gosh, I can’t imagine why people of color in Baltimore don’t trust the police. It’s a total mystery! Freddie Gray’s death was a fluke!

  28. 28.

    Gbbalto

    @Mandalay: Well, they did us Baltimorons proud. We also excel in unsolved homicides! As always they are concentrated in poorer neighborhoods with minimal impact on gentrified ones. We need more cops but not like him.

  29. 29.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Twitler is telling his followers to

    Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers. The EU trade surplus with the U.S. is $151 Billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out. Look forward to seeing them tomorrow.

    Because somehow twitlers fans will be able to pick up the phone and contact the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of France to do twitlers bidding before twitler gets there tomorrow. What the f**k is this moron on? I can’t even, oh well I am now safely domiciled in the UK, thank the FSM.

  31. 31.

    Mike in NC

    @Mandalay:

    Ex-police sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins apologised in court for the crimes he committed while heading an elite squad called the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF)…

    The names “Wayne” and “Earl” say all you need to know. I blame the parents.

  32. 32.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @Amir Khalid: Trump is someone who we would refer to as “all fur coat and no knickers” I believe the American term is “all hat and no cattle”. The fact that Trump painted his entire Trump Tower in gold paint somehow made him rich is like me going to B&Q and investing $100 in gold spray paint and having a photo shoot that shows my “wealth”. The man hasn’t got a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out of, he is owned down to his last dime by the banks, and at some point they are going to call in the markers.

  36. 36.

    dmsilev

    Shifting to one of the mini-Trumps, apparently Scott Pruitt has a hankering for expensive moisturizer from the Ritz-Carlton and (of course) he uses his security detail as gofers.

    The never-ending series of scandals swirling around Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has developed an amusing new dimension with the revelation from the Washington Post’s team of Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey, and Brady Dennis that Pruitt has been using his security detail to, among other things, go shopping for a special moisturizer available at Ritz-Carlton hotels.
    […]
    What’s the deal with this lotion?
    I can’t say for sure, never having tried it personally. But Ritz-Carlton does proudly sell the Ritz-Carlton Moisturizer on its online store for $27.20 a bottle. Those who are really committed to keeping their hands soft can even save $90 with an annual subscription. The lotion is said to feature “sweet notes of ylang ylang, jasmine and uplifting bergamot,” and no, I do not know what ylang ylang is.

  37. 37.

    dmsilev

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Neither PM Trudeau nor President Macron strikes me as being an idiot, so I’m sure they know much much (…) much more about international trade balances and so forth than Trump does.

  38. 38.

    brendancalling

    @Ruckus: there are some nice parts of Baltimore, I’ve heard. I myself have not seen them.

    That said, I’m imagining the cop’s voice and I’ll bet the accent is hilariously thick. “Um SEW sorey two Bawtymore, God nays…”

  39. 39.

    laura

    @Mandalay: A follow up The Wire would be nice.
    I hope I live long enough for a truth and reconcilliation project for the sins and woes and human wreckage of the war on some people on drugs.

  40. 40.

    ruemara

    @dmsilev: He acts like an executive with an office of assistants. I don’t understand why folks are surprised. This is exactly what CEOs get underlings to do. Why? Because they’re used to Lord of the Manor treatment. You put one in charge of a government office, you get this type of abuse.

  41. 41.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Patton’s Darker Younger Brother

    Matt Oswalt @ MattOswaltVA
    someone should remind Giuliani if it wasn’t for women who fuck for money Donald Trump would still be a virgin

  42. 42.

    geg6

    @Ruckus:

    I like Charm City. The cops there are horrific but Baltimore is a great town if you give it a chance. I’d live there.

  45. 45.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Mike in NC:

    The names “Wayne” and “Earl” say all you need to know. I blame the parents.

    They didn’t screw up completely. If “Wayne” was the middle name he’d be a serial killer.

  48. 48.

    geg6

    Got very bad news at the end of my work day. One of my student vets committed suicide today. So, so sad. He was the nicest, humblest guy and an excellent student. Just one semester shy of graduation. He served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He was in his early thirties. Fuck these goddamned wars! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  52. 52.

    TenguPhule

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers.

    Because Microdick called them a security threat and imposed tariffs on them first.

    Trump lies about every fucking thing. EVERY. FUCKING. THING.

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @PJ: There’s oodles of it available to vets, but there’s also a stigma attached to using it, it’s part of military culture that must be changed. This is the result.

    Condolences, geg6.

  56. 56.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @geg6:

    I like Baltimore too, what I’ve seen of it. The Little Italy section has some nice restaurants and bakeries. I had an unforgettable lunch at Amicci’s one time. Nothing unusual, just a standard Italian dish (pasta primavera) done perfectly, with great sides and great service.

  59. 59.

    Amir Khalid

    @dmsilev:
    I didn’t know what ylang ylang is either, so I looked up Wikipedia. It is the essential oil obtained from the flower of the kenanga tree (Cananga odorata), used as a scent in perfumes and suchlike. Kenanga flowers were traditionally used here to scent clothing and homes. Per Wikipedia, Apparently, in Madagascar it is also used to flavour ice cream.

  63. 63.

    cain

    @Corner Stone:

    @cain: We’re going to hear about more than one shouting match coming out of the G6 + 1.
    I hope Merkel pimp slaps Trump.

    He’ll be grabbed by the pussy. Which is fucked up becuase we know he’s a dick.

  64. 64.

    Steve in the ATL

    @geg6: that is awful. We really need to work on mental health in this country. Step 1: no more wars of choice.

  66. 66.

    boatboy_srq

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Do tell how that Indefinite Leave to Remain thingy is accomplished. There’s a few more here who would be interested in doing something similar. (hint hint)

    Although, that said, I did see how RO was made by the EU to recognize One of their citizens’ SSM. So even the most backward are getting dragged into 21C.

  67. 67.

    boatboy_srq

    @dmsilev: Pruitt is the country grifter to Lord Dampnut’s city grifter; the Peter Pettigrew to his He That Must Not Be Elected President Named.

  73. 73.

    Sm*t Cl*de

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    someone should remind Giuliani if it wasn’t for women who fuck for money Donald Trump would still be a virgin

    Giuliani didn’t exactly ingratiate himself with the FLOTUS when he impugned the integrity of w.w.f.f.m.

  74. 74.

    Viva BrisVegas

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    The US runs an $18 billion surplus with Australia.

    China runs a $21 billion deficit with Australia.

    Does the Moron-in-Chief think it’s a good idea for Australia to put up trade barriers because the US is “cheating” Australia? Or is Australia “cheating” China?

    Trade in, trade out. It’s all a mystery, who knows how it actually works?

  75. 75.

    Sm*t Cl*de

    @Viva BrisVegas:
    “Trade surplus with China” means “We buy more stuff from China than they buy from us” means “They are stealing our moneys!!!”
    “Trade surplus with Australia” means “Aussies buy more stuff from us than we buy from them” means “They are stealing our stuff!!!”

  76. 76.

    Tehanu

    @ruemara:

    I sincerely hope Putin trips & falls into a woodchipper. Head first. And anyone working with him.

    Putin is a bad guy, a KGB agent at heart, a murderous dictator — but in his own way he’s a Russian patriot. Dump on the other hand is a greedy, grasping ignoramus and a traitor. No question in my mind which one is worse.

    @geg6: So very sorry. Wish I could give you more comfort than just a condolence.

  77. 77.

    Corner Stone

    @Tehanu:

    Putin is a bad guy, a KGB agent at heart, a murderous dictator — but in his own way he’s a Russian patriot.

    I will wait while you square this circle.

  78. 78.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Ruckus: Probably because you knew we’d’ve kicked your sorry saggy arse back on board the minute you set foot on the pier, you holier-than-thou octogenarian POS.

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