Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

White supremacy is terrorism.

In my day, never was longer.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Second rate reporter says what?

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Bark louder, little dog.

No one could have predicted…

You are here: Home / Open Threads / More Projection Than Carmike

More Projection Than Carmike

by | 197 Comments

This post is in: , , , , ,

“Mommmmm! Make him stop! He’s embarrassing me in front of Luxembourg!”

Look at the reaction of the people around the bloviating block of Velveeta. Kelly is a slimy villain, of course, but he’s not a blithering idiot, so he knows this rant is shamefully stupid. I’d love to know what Kelly is scribbling on that napkin during Trump’s foolish soliloquy. “I hereby resign my position as White House Chief of Staff, effective immediately”? Or perhaps, “Note to Self: Explain to Trump how NATO works — for the 500th goddamned fucking time [frowny face-frowny face]”?

Putin must have a perma-smirk as he revels in his complete and utter triumph — and prepares Q3 and Q4 objectives for his employee’s upcoming performance review in Helsinki.

Reader Interactions

197Comments

  1. 1.

    bjacques

    Putin’s gonna have to update Trump’s Performance Agreement; Donnie satisfied his KPIs ahead of schedule. A certain orange buffoon is about be Employee Of The Month!

  2. 2.

    Patricia Kayden

    WTH? No Idiot. Everyone knows that you’re Putin’s Puppet. Stop lying and embarrassing your dang self.

  3. 3.

    tobie

    I gather from comments on TPM that this line is now being pushed by bots on twitter. Trump must have gotten the green light for this latest salvo from Vlad. No doubt FOX will repeat it 24/7 over the next few days.

  6. 6.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Trump actually memorized some facts and numbers for this rant. You can see him struggling a bit at one point, but he can at least memorize. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Ambassador to NATO), who put out a statement of support for NATO yesterday, manages to control her face. Pompeo tries, but doesn’t quite make it.

    I wish Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO across the table at whom this rant was aimed, had told Trump he was just wrong, but this is how Trump throws people off and destroys dialog. There is a problem with Germany’s participation in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. But this is devisive. Nord Stream should be dealt with behind the scenes, not in public. So now any discussion of Nord Stream will be divisive. Come to think of it, that would benefit Putin by allowing it to be built, although under divisive circumstances.

    Also, Trump is complaining about somebody else being under Russia’s influence? REALLY?????

  7. 7.

    Viva BrisVegas

    From that ABC article:

    NATO’s website lists three purposes for its creation: “deterring Soviet expansionism, forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, and encouraging European political integration.”

    This is why Trump hates NATO. It stands for everything he does not.

  8. 8.

    jimmiraybob

    Wow. Talk about capitalizing on your performance bonuses. But won’t Russia need the pipeline income to pay out the bonuses. Very confusing.

  9. 9.

    Patricia Kayden

    To be honest, NATO members should tell Trump that he is free to leave the organization if he’s so concerned that other members aren’t paying their dues. They need to stop letting him talk all that mess without pushing back.

  10. 10.

    gene108

    As half of Germany was actually controlled by Russia, from 1945 to 1990, and Angela Merkel grew up in that half of Germany, it is extra insulting.

  11. 11.

    Cheryl Rofer

    But she is on the defensive, which benefits Trump.

  13. 13.

    NobodySpecial

    Kelly is writing down future search terms for YouTube videos. His list of keywords includes “pogroms”, “Mexican children jail”, and “Russian domination”.

  15. 15.

    SFAW

    Every day, someone (as in, as many persons as possible) should write/e-mail/call various non-Fox media outlets, Congresspersons, and anyone else in a position of power, and ask:

    Are you investigating Shitgibbon’s actions in the context of Russia now controlling what the Oval Office Occupant says and does? If not, why not? Do you not feel it’s worth your time to investigate traitorous behavior by this Maladminstration?

    I mean, I know what Pinche Sulzberger, ZEGS, Traitor Turtle, and the rest of the Rethugs will answer, but maybe the rest will do something.

    I recently got a robo-call, inviting me to a “meet the candidate” thing for someone trying to win my (retiring) Congresswoman’s) seat. I’m thinking of going, and asking questions similar to above. Hilarity should ensue.

  16. 16.

    MattF

    It takes some effort to adjust to the counter-factual things Trump is saying. So you spend time and energy thinking of how to establish a counter-counter-factual rather than doing anything about the damage Trump is wreaking.

  17. 17.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Hmm, Trump face, that’s not human flesh, did they layer make up on him?

  21. 21.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    Bob Corker said yesterday that what would be awful is a bad NATO meeting followed by a sit down with Trump’s handler in which he gave away all kinds of shit. Well, we’ve had the bad NATO meeting, and it seems to me that it’s up to Corker, et al., to do something beyond stern words and furrowed brows. This is their fucking shit show. They are the ones who have stood around like cigar store indians while this clown fucks everything up. The time for frowns and stern words is behind us now. I don’t think any of them are going to step up, but this isn’t something the Democrats can do. It’s out of our hands. We warned everybody about this, we did our best to head it off, and we’ve been screaming about it without stopping for a year and a half now. It’s time for these guys to earn their keep.

  23. 23.

    Chyron HR

    @SFAW:

    “We have heard your complaints and taken them to heart. Henceforth we will devote the entirety of our reporting might to exposing Angela Merkel’s collusion with Russia. You’re welcome.”

  24. 24.

    Viva BrisVegas

    Did Trump really mean that Germany is controlled by Russia, or just German banks?

    After all, the only thing Trump really knows about Germany is that were the only suckers left willing to lend him money when he backrupted yet again.

    Who better than Trump would know the links between Putin and Deutsche Bank.

  25. 25.

    jimmiraybob

    If “Germany is totally controlled by Russia” because of construction of a pipeline and importing oil from Russia, then what does that say about Canada’s pipelines coming into the US? Are we losing national sovereignty? Is Justin and the gang invading us? Will we have a military response to this aggression? Shouldn’t we stop new pipeline construction and northern aggression as a matter of national security? USA! USA! USA!

  28. 28.

    Bruce K

    I haven’t seen projection that powerful since the last time I was in an IMAX theater.

  30. 30.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Cheryl Rofer: The same Senate which voted overwhelmingly for sanctions against Russia which Trump signed and then ignored? Alrighty then.

  32. 32.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Also, is Trumpy McTrump face that stupid he doesn’t get why there is a US army sitting in Germany? I know the Pervert in Chief just says crap to say crap but this twat is dumb enough to not understand history.

  33. 33.

    Platonailedit

    The traitorous thug’s usual attack dog tactics using projection so that the opponent doesn’t / can’t bring up his treason.

    Making enemies across borders and across oceans while lickng the ass of your country’s worst enemy. Magaing is going great.

  34. 34.

    germy

    Grenn Greenwald: “I’m going on Tucker Carlson’s show to discuss how the all-powerful deep state is out to get President Trump!”

    Also Grenn Gleenwald: “Odious Dem shill Neera Tanden sure is unhinged for saying that Trump-Kennedy stuff looks odd! Amirite, NRO editors???”

    — Regina W ? (@regwag2003) July 11, 2018

    GG: Read this powerful article by Mollie Hemingway with an open mind.

    Also GG: HAHAHA the #nevertrumpers have a conservative view. Oh boy you stupid libs sure look silly for ever having listened to them.. BOOM!

    — Centrism Fan Acct ? (@Wilson__Valdez) July 11, 2018

  35. 35.

    MattF

    @Bruce K: Karl Rove used to do that all the time– accuse Democrats of doing exactly what he was doing. It’s not projection– it’s a rhetorical strategy to madden your opponents.

  41. 41.

    But her emails!!!

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Albright is far more qualified than me to be speaking on this matter, but it seems she’s being a bit naive here. Trump’s actively been taking a wrecking ball to NATO and more importantly to it’s foundations since his election. In response, the Senate has done little more than issue boiler plate. Pushing back against Trump’s efforts would have required consistent, determined effort on the Senate’s part from the beginning.

  47. 47.

    rikyrah

    they STOLE THEIR CHILDREN.
    Now, THEY have to pay for the DNA test?
    PHUCK.OUTTA.HERE.
    This is but another obstacle to put up, because…
    THEY NEVER HAD ANY INTENTIONS OF RETURNING THESE CHILDREN.
    THEY DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
    It’s a stalling tactic – period.

    ……………………………………

    WE BROKE IT, YOU BUY IT
    Government Told Immigrant Parents to Pay for DNA Tests to Get Kids Back, Advocate Says

    Authorities separated families and took their documents, leaving genetic tests as the only way to verify who they are. And a secret contractor is doing the work.
    JUSTIN GLAWE
    ADAM RAWNSLEY
    07.10.18 8:00 PM ET

    DALLAS—U.S. government officials recently told four immigrant women that they must pay for DNA tests in order to be reunited with their children, according to the shelter that housed the women.

    The tests are the latest ad hoc effort by the Trump administration to reunite families it had separated—in some cases because authorities took documents from adults proving they are related to their children. The tests are being administered by a private contractor on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the care and housing of children. HHS has refused to name the contractor, which may be a violation of federal law.

    “None of them have the money [for the tests], so it’s going to fall back on us to push back on that,” said Ruben Garcia, the director of Annunciation House, an immigrant shelter in El Paso where the women are staying.

  54. 54.

    Quinerly

    @rikyrah: it gave me hope. I’m a pretty dark place most mornings. Awake since 3:30 AM listening to BBC’s coverage of NATO.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    @JPL: I don’t understand, he obviously didn’t join them. (I assume the one missing vote is McCain).

  58. 58.

    JPL

    @Baud: lol It was just my indication of distrust and nothing he did would surprise me. The missing vote is McCain.

  59. 59.

    MattF

    @rikyrah: Also, a marriage license, a driver’s license, a passport, a paycheck stub, a recitation (in English, please!) of the second and third stanzas of the Star-Spangled Banner and OMB Form 350984023.

  60. 60.

    JPL

    @Quinerly: Same! The problem for me is that they continue supporting the administration and at some point they should take a stand. Looking horrified does nothing without action. imo

  61. 61.

    Quinerly

    @Steve in the ATL: actually, I listen. The panel was rather good… Ignatius and Meechem (sp?) discussing Trump’s neediness and mysoginy. Never was a MJ fan until recently. Joe gives me the creeps but the last few weeks, I listen to it about an hr after BBC goes off.

  62. 62.

    Quinerly

    I guess we can’t edit our comments anymore? Apologies for typos. “damn you, tiny keyboard.”

  63. 63.

    Hellbastard

    IS there some diplomatic protocol that requires the other NATO members to sit there like school kids being lectured at by their teacher? Not sure why they tolerate his BS.

  65. 65.

    rikyrah

    BMW says it will build more of its SUVs overseas and NOT IN SOUTH CAROLINA because of China’s retaliation on US autos in response to Trump’s tariffs
    https://t.co/wUSfwyji3X

    — Chad P. Bown (@ChadBown) July 10, 2018

    Suck it up.
    Pull yourselves by those bootstraps.
    You’re just MAGA, Bytches.
    Join the rest of Greer at those low paying jobs, cause you know the BMW plant was THE best paying job in the area for someone without a college degree.
    They’ll be lucky if their next non-BMW job pays 40% of what they were earning at BMW. Let alone the benefits….

  66. 66.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Hellbastard: They are behaving as they would at a normal NATO meeting. I think it is time that they start lecturing him. Although that would not be a good look either. This is what Trump is good at – putting people in a situation where they’re damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.

  68. 68.

    jonas

    @rikyrah:

    BMW says it will build more of its SUVs overseas and NOT IN SOUTH CAROLINA because of China’s retaliation on US autos in response to Trump’s tariffs

    Nobody in South Carolina cares and their support of Trump is undiminished. It. Was. Never. About. Jobs.

  72. 72.

    Quinerly

    @Betty Cracker: I’m on overload. Picked a lousy time to retire from the practice of law. My little construction project gets my mind off of these dark times and away from the news a few hours a day but my “Salle Roche” is almost done. Poco and I are going on a little road trip to NC in August. I’m hoping that helps me. Happy ex inner city street dog romping on the Outer Banks always brings me joy. ??❤️

  74. 74.

    satby

    There must have been a massive disturbance in the force, I also woke up at 3. Went back to sleep after a 1/2 hour or so.

  75. 75.

    Aleta

    ‘A tiny bit of hope’

    “We had a little bit of hope that they might still be alive but we had to do it, we just had to move forward,” Rear Adm Arpakorn Yuukongkaew said. “There was only a tiny bit of hope, but that’s all we had to work with.”

    Head of the Thai Navy Seals, quoted by the BBC

  76. 76.

    MomSense

    @Betty Cracker: @Quinerly:

    Awake at 3 am again this morning. I call it my trumpsomnia. I too stream BBC and try to just relax. This morning I finished up a little vest I designed for an infant. It’s cotton and has cables and crayon colored buttons. I was thinking about little sailing sweaters, nautical pennants, high hopes, and warm welcomes. I may list the pattern free on ravelry and ask knitters to donate to RAICES, ACLU, or Border Angels.

  78. 78.

    Ridnik Chrome

    …bloviating block of Velveeta…

    (Imagining this in a Dr. Zachary Smith voice)

  81. 81.

    germy

    *RED ALERT* Senate votes Wed July 11 to confirm Benczkowski to head DOJ-Criminal Div. If he's in, then Trump WILL fire Rosenstein. Benczkowski is next in line & will shut down Mueller. This guy has never tried a case & has ties to Alpha Bank investigation-exonerated them. CALL ? https://t.co/qoUl87d0pz
    — Helen Armstrong (@HelenArmstrong5) July 11, 2018

    Here’s what puzzles me: I read that Rosenstein wants this guy appointed, or did I misread? Headlines say he supports Benczkowski.

  83. 83.

    germy

    @Aleta: Musk’s mini-submarine totally woulda worked! Just needed a few months or years to work out the glitches…

  84. 84.

    NotMax

    Patting self on back.

    The problem: Landlady is so short she cannot reach high enough to grab hold of the tailgate of her Subaru Forester when it is open in order to lower it (plus it is heavy and requires some heft to pull down).

    Cobbled together a solution. There are pre-existing metal U-hooks in the roof of the rear cabin. Attached a length of small link decorator (white vinyl coated) chain to one of those with a carabiner, the other end held in place by one of the existing bolts of the tailgate latch assembly. Slack hangs down sufficient for her to reach it in order to grab on and pull the door down enough that she can then slam it shut. Not the most elegant nor attractive contraption, but it works.

  85. 85.

    Aleta

    I keep reminding myself, he works hard at crushing the people who oppose, and he wastes a lot of energy on that. So the first way I can defeat him is to not be crushed and repeat that step every day. All I’ve got today.

  86. 86.

    grandpa john

    @rikyrah: BMW has plans to add to the existing plant for the purpose of building a new line of autos, as an upstate SC resident, I have watched the boosting of the entire upstate economy with new industries and satellite plants. A recent headline in one of our local news papers announced that the economist say the tariffs could cost our states economy 3 billion, yes the b is right, 3 billion dollars . This move by BMW is just one of the first steps, while the majority of our white population of political morons still rabidly support the supreme traitorous lunatic as he burns down or states economy.
    I taught many of these in high school, kids that I thought were bright and showed then that they had ability to logically think and reason.Many of them still do except for any understanding of politics , we are a religious church going area and yet most of them seem to have no understanding of what Jesus teachings were as if they had never heard of or read the New Tesrtament

  87. 87.

    Baud

    @germy:

    Rosenstein is a higher ranking official at DOJ than this guy would be. I’m not sure what the basis for the tweet is.

  88. 88.

    rikyrah

    @jonas:

    Nobody in South Carolina cares and their support of Trump is undiminished. It. Was. Never. About. Jobs.

    oh, I know that. I just take satisfaction in knocking away that lie and forcing them to admit what it REALLY has been all about.

  90. 90.

    Brachiator

    Trump in Europe is like a bad dream. Or, I should say, another bad dream.

    Getting my morning coffee, I overheard a guy say to his buddy, “I don’t usually talk about politics, but did you see Trump this morning? Ridiculous. And he’s humping Putin’s leg.”

    This crap is bigly sad.

  91. 91.

    grandpa john

    @jonas: It probably will cause some of them to notice when the projected loss of 3 BILLION dollars to the state economy due to the new tariffs hits

  92. 92.

    NotMax

    @grandpa john

    Why read it when there’s a legion of charismatic preachers lined up to spoon feed them selected passages filtered through their prejudices?

  93. 93.

    danielx

    @NotMax:

    If it looks stupid but it works, it’s not stupid.

    Also too…I cringe every time Trump goes on an overseas trip. It’s bad enough when he does a rally here and emits unhinged verbal diarrhea based on “facts” that he pulls out of his ass. It’s worse when his ignorance and oafishness are indecently exposed to the world at large. You can hear the question “how is it that ANY Americans actually voted for this arschloch?”.

    Loudly.

  95. 95.

    Aleta

    @germy: Even if it did work, his sub would have carried one at a time. The pumps failed soon after the last 5 got out, and the final rescuers barely made it out after that. To take offense bc a Thai leader said the sub didn’t fit what was needed … and try to insinuate he was working with the real leader … he defeated himself at the end with his churlishness. Directing the timing of a crowd of manual labor whose hearts are committed is an amazing creation. As an engineer maybe he could have shown more respect for that ancient engineering skill.

  97. 97.

    jimmiraybob

    Malcolm Nance has tweeted:

    “Right out of the box he [trump] shows the world how stupid he is.”

    As Sun Tzu would say, thank you for the timely information.

  99. 99.

    Betty Cracker

    @NotMax: Kudos! We had to rig a similar workaround for my mother-in-law, who is a tiny little thing. She was having to jump up to reach it before, and while she’s spry for a lady in her late 70s, jumping wasn’t…optimal.

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: At the very least, this scandal should scuttle Jordan’s bid for (minority, please FSM) House leader. On the other hand, a leering degenerate is POTUS, so who knows?

  100. 100.

    gene108

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Trump is half German. His paternal grandparents were born and raised in Germany. He probably still has second cousins living there (and first cousins in Scotland, via his Scottish mother), but they probably want nothing to do with him.

    Contrast this to how proud Obama’s extended family was when he became President.

  102. 102.

    trollhattan

    @gene108:
    Compare and contrast with Barry O’Bama being feted in Ireland.

    On second thought, it’s kinda depressing how far we’ve not come.

  104. 104.

    trollhattan

    @rikyrah:
    Manafort’s trickery lasts as long as his bank account balance, those fancypants lawyers won’t be interested in being paid with Trump bucks.

  106. 106.

    danielx

    I loves me some J.K. Rowling. Written in regard to ongoing Brexit clusterfuck:

    This is what happens when you have men in government who’ve been raised from birth to believe it’s someone else’s job to clean up after them. They throw tantrums when they finally make a mess no-one can fix. #Brexit
    — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 9, 2018

    Perhaps Trump can get together with that doucherocket Boris Johnson while he’s over there; they seem to be kindred souls.

  112. 112.

    rikyrah

    Soon the Senate will vote on the confirmation of Brian Benczkowski to lead DOJ Criminal Division. 3 things to know about him:
    1. He’s never tried a case
    2. He’s worked for the Russian Alfa Bank
    3. He was a top aide to Jeff Sessions

    All reasons to vote NO. pic.twitter.com/jaeJqLBWvo

    — Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) July 11, 2018

  113. 113.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Julia Ioffe @ juliaioffe
    Ran into an old source from Moscow here in Brussels and asked him how Moscow sees Trump. “As a total idiot, a useful battering ram who goes after the American elite and NATO.”

  118. 118.

    Barbara

    @Cheryl Rofer: Who were the two senators who voted against this resolution? I want to be sure to donate to anyone who runs against them in any future election.

    ETA: I see, it was Rand Paul and Mike Lee showing themselves to be Russian stooges. I’ll still donate, just on principle alone.

  119. 119.

    rikyrah

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’ve been awake since 3 AM too. Existential dread — it’s the new alarm clock!

    I hope for 4 am. I’m ok with that – don’t like it, but I can deal with it. Some days I can get back to sleep. Sometimes I can’t.
    Anything earlier than that, and my whole day is shot.

  120. 120.

    J R in WV

    “Germany is totally controlled by Russia,” Pres. Trump tells NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg

    Says the well known to be a Russian pawn, President* Trump, who is totally controlled by Putin, and who needs permission from Putin to take an unscheduled restroom break.

    What a TOOL!

  121. 121.

    Mnemosyne

    Folks who are consistently waking up early in the morning and are unable to fall back asleep should be aware that early morning insomnia is a common but not well-known symptom of depression. If it’s been a regular thing for more than a couple of weeks, PLEASE talk to your doctor. There is no such thing as a “minor” depression. My depression was “minor” but I let it go untreated for so long that it took 7 years of medication and therapy to shake it.

  122. 122.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Barbara: Lee and Rand Paul

    @sukabi: Boris Johnson? Yeah, he quit. Speculation that it was to run against May, hoping I guess as an incumbent she’d prove more unpopular than he is

    (Dear MSNBC, we know trump’s base loves his buffoonery, this is neither news nor something you have to report in breathless tones as if you’e just made a great, important and nuanced discovery)

  124. 124.

    rikyrah

    Renter believes he was racially profiled after being confronted at apartment pool, asked to leave
    11 JUL 2018 AT 10:46 ET

    An Indianapolis man said a woman confronted him at an apartment pool in a case of racial profiling.

    Shane Holland was sitting at the pool Friday at River Crossing Apartments, where he lives, when a white woman demanded to know where he lives and asked him to leave, reported WRTV-TV.

    “She didn’t introduce herself, she didn’t say hello,” said Holland, who is black. “She says, ‘Do you live here?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, I live here, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t live here.’”

    The woman — who Holland later learned was an off-duty police officer — wasn’t satisfied and demanded to know exactly where he lives.

    “I’m like, ‘I live over there, but if you’re asking me for my address, I mean, I don’t feel comfortable giving you my entire address without knowing who you are,’” Holland said.

    Holland showed the woman his key fab, which he used to enter the pool area, and she grabbed it from his hand.

    The property manager eventually came outside and recognized Holland, but still asked him to leave the pool area.

    HE pays his rent…
    BUT, WAS ASKED TO LEAVE ANYWAY?

    DA PHUQ?

  125. 125.

    Immanentize

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Boris Johnson? Yeah, he quit. Speculation that it was to run against May

    There is no way that Johnson has enough support in the Conservative party to win any type of leadership fight. May was not “elected” prime minister, her party chose her to lead them when they got a majority (then a lesser majority with UKIP added). Johnson is no conservative favorite. More like the Rand Paul of the Conservatives. But Andrew Sullivan went to University with him!

    ETA Actually May became PM after the former conservative PM quit because of how bad he fucked up Brexit. All conservatives fail up.

  126. 126.

    Alain the site fixer

    @J R in WV: they get 9% of their energy from Russia. Earlier I looked up the trade deficit with Russia. We import over 2x what they import from us. And yet, crickets.

    I don’t understand how, on one hand, Russia is awesome and needs business and yet Germany doing business with them is bad, and on the other, fair trade between countries is of paramount importance, and Russia is having its way with us.

    Changing the way we think and perceive reality is a big tool in the authoritarian leader takeover. I hates it.

  127. 127.

    MomSense

    @rikyrah:

    It was inherited yarn (from a woman who immigrated to US as a teen) and I’m doing it for therapy so I’d send it free to a good home! Just want to take some photos first. I only had one skein of the white cotton so it is a 0-3 month size.

  128. 128.

    Gravenstone

    @Cheryl Rofer: Just once I wish one of his subordinates would backhand him when he says something this patently stupid in public. A career ending decision, but that should just add to the attraction.

  129. 129.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @tobie: I g

    ather from comments on TPM that this line is now being pushed by bots on twitter. Trump must have gotten the green light for this latest salvo from Vlad. No doubt FOX will repeat it 24/7 over the next few days.

    Why do these bots need Russia? Trump is the kind of douche who would have a sockpuppet army to praise himself just so he fells wubbed and he has the money to pay for it. That would explain why President Spanky is such a twitter fan.

  130. 130.

    Teddys Person

    Trump changes tone in Merkel meeting after earlier slamming Germany

    “We’re having a great meeting. We’re discussing military expenditure … talking about trade,” Trump told reporters who were allowed in to the meeting room.

    “We have a very, very good relationship with the chancellor. We have a tremendous relationship with Germany,” he added, saying he had raised his concerns about a new gas pipeline planned from Russia to Germany.

  133. 133.

    Gravenstone

    @Viva BrisVegas: Only public source of loans after his serial bankruptcies. Imagine there have been lots of ‘private ‘ loans from well intentioned Russian oligarchs, who now have all sorts of IOUs waiting to be called in.

  135. 135.

    Ruckus

    @But her emails!!!:
    People talk about Congress members taking a stand. I think we”d be far better off realizing that most of the conservative members aren’t much if any smarter than drumpf and/or are as compromised as he is. The only thing that most of them have going for them is that they aren’t as narcissistic.

  136. 136.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Ruckus: I would bet that at least half of each caucus, House and Senate, is praying the Mueller finds something so damning that the matter is taken out of their hands, and they can call on President Pence to lead the nation in bipartisan healing and moving forward and not looking back. Or at least for those cheeseburgers dipped in mayonnaise to take effect.

  140. 140.

    rikyrah

    LMAO

    (CNN) Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin lashed out at the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, claiming he tricked her into an interview for his upcoming TV show.

    Palin said she was lured in under the auspices of doing an interview for what she thought was a legitimate historical documentary for a US TV network, Showtime. She sat for a long interview with someone she “presumes” to have been Cohen — disguised as a disabled U.S. military veteran.
    “I join a long list of American public personalities who have fallen victim to the evil, exploitive, sick ‘humor’ of the British ‘comedian’ Sacha Baron Cohen,” Palin wrote in a Facebook post.

  142. 142.

    oatler.

    Reposted Guardian UK comment:
    “A reminder to non-Americans:

    America believes and has – as part of its internal narrative – the notion that the US forced the USSR to spend money it didn’t have on weapons. And that this spending is what destroyed the USSR.

    In other words spending the USSR to death.

    Now a US President is demanding countries to more than DOUBLE defence spending.

    I wonder who might most want the EU to go bankrupt?”

  144. 144.

    Teddys Person

    Mitch McConnell is a vile motherfucker (but you all knew that already)

    Leader McConnell
    @SenateMajLdr

    Our Democratic colleagues cry wolf whenever a Republican president nominates anyone to the Supreme Court. No matter their qualifications. No matter their record. No matter their reputation. It’s the same hyperbole. The same accusations. The same old story. #SCOTUSnominee

    1:30 PM – Jul 9, 2018

  145. 145.

    B.B.A.

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Mueller finds something so damning that the matter is taken out of their hands

    How? No matter what Mueller turns up he won’t resign. He’ll call it a witch hunt and fake news and go back to cheating at golf and screaming at his underlings that they aren’t terrorizing children quickly enough. Which means the matter is still in their hands, whether they like it or not.

  146. 146.

    Spanky

    @Teddys Person: And now the WaPo reports:

    BRUSSELS — President Trump called here Wednesday for NATO leaders to increase their countries’ defense spending commitments to 4 percent of gross domestic product, according to senior U.S. and European officials, hours after he delivered a blistering tirade against Germany and other allies.

  148. 148.

    J R in WV

    Yeah, I’ve been waking up at 3 or 4 am, in spite of the meds my doc prescribed to help me sleep. Mostly I can go back to bed with wife and the dogs after 30-45 minutes reading. Sometimes that doesn’t work and I’m just up.

    I can usually take a nap when needed as I retired some time back… but I feel sorry for those of us who need to be alert at work all day after a restless night worrying about Trump’s malignant works.

  149. 149.

    Yarrow

    Any Florida people here? Any thoughts on the Bill Nelson vs Rick Scott Senate race? I keep reading hints here or there that Bill Nelson may be in trouble. Apparently Rick Scott leads Nelson with Puerto Ricans, even the ones displaced by the hurricane.

  150. 150.

    zhena gogolia

    @J R in WV:

    Since Nov. 6, 2016, I have an ironclad rule: If I’m in bed trying to sleep, I do not allow myself to think about Trump or anything connected with him. If I did, I would never sleep. I spend enough time on that traitor when I’m awake.

  151. 151.

    Immanentize

    @Spanky: Of course, we don’t spend that much on the military — we “only” spend about 3.5 of GDP on the military….

  152. 152.

    p.a.

    I’m now (as of yesterday) getting small popup video ads here. Never have before. Anyone else? Haven’t touched my browser (Safari) settings in forever.

  153. 153.

    Mnemosyne

    @p.a.:

    I’m getting them on my iPhone. They’re easily dismissed if you hit the white X, but they come back every time I refresh a thread. ?

  154. 154.

    Jager

    @J R in WV:

    I went to bed at 10 PDT last night, wide awake a 1:50. Went back to bed about 4 and woke up at 6:15. I hate sleeping in shifts.

  155. 155.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @p.a.:

    Yes, they’re new and they’re awful. Often hard for me to hit the X at the very edge of the screen with my fat finger.

    And they’re in both the mobile and desktop versions of the site. WTF. I see them on my tablet, which uses the desktop version but doesn’t have an ad blocker.

  156. 156.

    trollhattan

    @Betty Cracker:
    My kid successfully sleeps through her iphone alarm, which is essentially a klaxon-y fire alarm. Not generally an issue at home with her bedroom a couple rooms down the hall but last week in our hotel I incorporated it into my dream and came bolt awake thinking a. it was real and b. why the hell did I not scout our 23rd floor hallway for the stairwell exits?

    Believe you me I did not go back to sleep.

  158. 158.

    Yarrow

    @p.a.: @Mnemosyne: @Steeplejack (phone):
    They are awful. Started yesterday for me. I could not get rid of one this morning. I was tapping the X and it wouldn’t close. Then I started tapping all over the damn thing and must have hit the volume because then it started playing. I refreshed the screen and had the same problem so I had to shut down the browser and restart it.

  160. 160.

    p.a.

    yes, iPad, not on sammy s5 chrome. yet. haven’t been on laptop (Win) in a while. my ‘x’ targeting is at approx 30% on these small ones.

  161. 161.

    Mike in DC

    @Spanky:
    Only the US, UK and maybe one other NATO member ever spent 4% or more…during the height of the Cold War in the 80s. Canada would have to triple its defense outlays, up to about 60 billion a year. Maybe they can build a big beautiful wall.

  162. 162.

    Mnemosyne

    @Teddys Person:

    He didn’t change his tone. He’s gaslighting. It’s the classic narcissist tactic of slamming someone in one place and then praising them soon after so the target doesn’t know what to think.

    Also gives him plausible deniability: Oh, I was just joking when I said all of that stuff about you being in Russia’s pocket. Can’t you take a joke?

  163. 163.

    Baud

    @Mnemosyne: I get confused why our side continues to take anything Trump says seriously. I mean, he’ll definitely do bad things, but there’s no way to predict it based on what he says.

  164. 164.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @p.a.:

    I’m getting them too, as of this morning. If — and it’s a big “if” — I can manage to hit the X, the ad will go away, but it’s hard to see and even harder to hit.

  165. 165.

    rikyrah

    h/t-TPV

    After Miscarriages, Couple Starts Throwing Massive Birthday Parties for Homeless Kids Instead
    By Good News Network – Jul 5, 2018

    Children from homeless families are already deprived of so many things that privileged families take for granted – like having birthday parties.

    But one Los Angeles-based charity is ensuring that even homeless kids can enjoy the birthday celebrations that they deserve.

    Worthy of Love is a nonprofit that throws massive rooftop birthday parties for kids living on Skid Row.

    It was started by Mary Davis and her husband Ari Kadin as a means of emotionally recovering from two miscarriages.

    “So many children in Skid Row needed to feel important and loved,” Davis told CBS News. “We didn’t realize how much joy they were going to bring us, and that was so healing for me.”

    When they first started throwing parties six years ago, there were maybe only fifteen people in attendance – now there are roughly 200 guests per celebration.

    Though Davis and Kadin finally managed to have a child of their own, they say that they don’t plan on stopping their mission of love any time soon.

  166. 166.

    Gravenstone

    @trollhattan: I visited a friend in college some years ago, and ended up crashing in his dorm room overnight. Next morning his alarm goes off, and I’m bolt upright and halfway out of bed looking for my clothes … when I realize it’s his fucking clock radio alarm. That sounded just like the fire klaxons in the dorms. Ingrained responses are fun!

  168. 168.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: I’m not even sure it’s that complicated. He goes in and accuses Germany of being a russian stooge, and then lies about how NATO works (again).

    Then he talks about how great their relationship is and lies about the conversation he just had. He’s not fooling or confusing anyone in the room – it’s just so Fox can talk about how great he’s doing, and also claim that Trump isn’t eroding our alliances.

    It’s a performance less aimed at Europe than keeping his base back home happy.

  169. 169.

    Teddys Person

    @Mnemosyne: I have to thank you and another commenter (whose nym escapes me) for providing insight into narcissists’ behavoir. Luckily, I’ve never had to deal with a narcississt in my personal or professional life. I’ve probably run across them but in settings where I could just ignore or disengage. Your insights have helped me make a little sense out of what’s happening in the orange one’s administration. Don’t get me wrong, I still go WTF on a regular basis but then I remember, he’s a narcissist and I’ll never understand him.

  170. 170.

    Mnemosyne

    @MisterForkbeard:

    It’s not even that complicated — it’s what a narcissist does. He says whatever he feels like saying in the moment, even if it completely contradicts what he said the moment before. Because the outside world doesn’t really exist for a narcissist, only what he feels internally. That’s why a narcissist gets mad if you point out the contradictions and lies — he doesn’t consider them lies or contradictions because it was true to how he felt in that moment.

    That’s why narcs are so fucking hard to deal with — they are incapable of understanding that what goes on inside their heads is not necessarily reality.

  171. 171.

    The Thin Black Duke

    @Mnemosyne: Thing is, Trump isn’t fooling Merkle or anyone else in the EU, as a matter of fact. While Trump spews his bullshit, they’re discussing amongst themselves a future where the United States has become a minor player on the world stage. The only people who are buying into Trump’s infantile games are Americans.

  173. 173.

    Mnemosyne

    @Teddys Person:

    The person who goes by The Hoarse Whisperer on Twitter is really knowledgeable about narcissists, and she seems to have both personal and professional experience. (I’m just an amateur who’s read some stuff.)

    At base, their programming is actually very simple and easy to predict once you know to look for the patterns, but most people are reluctant to accept that that’s all there is. They’re kind of like Terminators — they can only do what they can do and have very little ability to learn or grow, especially from their mistakes. They are inherently shallow people whose primary drive is to avoid being shamed or embarrassed. That’s it.

  174. 174.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: Oh, I agree. I think where we disagree is that this isn’t really gaslighting – or if it is, it’s not working. But Trump clearly falls into the narc category.

  175. 175.

    Mnemosyne

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Trump is now our Abusive Daddy. It’s been instructive (if horrifying) to see all of the dynamics of an abusive relationship playing out on the world stage. The minimization, the excuse-making, the victim-blaming, the lying and exaggeration … ugh.

    The EU and NATO are going to do the only thing you can do when an Abusive Daddy is surrounded by sycophants and enablers — cut him out of their lives. They have to do it for their own protection, which sucks for the US.

  176. 176.

    Teddys Person

    @Mnemosyne:

    They are inherently shallow people whose primary drive is to avoid being shamed or embarrassed.

    It seems the tricky part is what they are willing do to avoid these things. I would think this is what varies from narcissist to narcissist.

  177. 177.

    Mnemosyne

    @MisterForkbeard:

    I think it’s gaslighting that isn’t working, because it’s the classic whiplash technique of saying bad things about the person in one place and nice things in another.

    One of the best portrayals of a narcissist in popular culture is Mother Gothel, the villain in Tangled. She hits every note as she ping-pongs between no one will ever love you because you’re a terrible person and I’m the only one who really cares about you.

  178. 178.

    MagdaInBlack

    @MisterForkbeard:
    The “gaslighting” factor is the constant barrage of contradictory statements…………known as lies.
    It also involves convincing the other person/people that they did not hear or were not told what they KNOW they were told. THEY, not the “gaslighter” are the liars…..always > (fake news )
    Living with that behavior makes one question ones own sanity. You spend half your time defending yourself and the other half trying to clear your head.
    Once you recognize whats going on…..you realize theyre the ones with questionable sanity.
    It also takes a lot of time to recover from this.
    Take it from someone who lived it.

  180. 180.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Mnemosyne:Narcissists also do that when they realize they went to far and the target is now out for blood. Wonder what Merkle said to him. Having delt with German men I can’t picture Merkle as being the gentle, patient sort,…And there is that G7 picture of Merkle looming over Trump while Trump is in a defensive posture.

  181. 181.

    Mnemosyne

    @Teddys Person:

    Actually, it’s more what they have the resources to do, because they’re willing to do just about anything. Never underestimate a narcissist’s willingness to do completely awful things to try and fill up the empty hole where their self-worth should be.

    That’s why I keep telling people that Trump will throw Ivanka under the bus if he feels it’s necessary. She may be the last to go because she’s his favorite, but he will not hesitate for a second to sacrifice her if it protects him.

  183. 183.

    Teddys Person

    @Mnemosyne: Again, thanks for your insights. I now know more about narcissists than I ever wanted to but these days it’s necessary civic education.

  184. 184.

    trollhattan

    Tisk, tisk, naughty, naughty Paulie.

    Mueller’s team also notified the court that Manafort has apparently developed a “workaround” for sending emails from jail, which is forbidden at Warsaw, by reading and drafting messages on a separate laptop transported in and out of jail by his lawyers.

    Gosh, I wonder what the judge will have to say.

  185. 185.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Yahoo has a picture of the NATO meeting that is just amazing – three of them have Trump surrounded, all these men are in fight postures and Trump is staggering back like he was smacked in the face.

  186. 186.

    Teddys Person

    @Mnemosyne:

    They are inherently shallow people whose primary drive is to avoid being shamed or embarrassed.

    I’ve always thought this but your insights have helped fill in the backstory of why.

    Edit: I ment to include your comment about Ivanka

  187. 187.

    Teddys Person

    @trollhattan: JFC, the hubris is stunning. These guys are so used to working in the shadows that they don’t know how to act when they’re under the spotlight. This is the big flaw in their plan of elevating Trump. They never imagined that people would see (or care about) the shady shit they’re doing cause they’ve been getting away with it for years.

  188. 188.

    Marcopolo

    Hey folks. Just a general comment towards BJers who are having problems sleeping, focusing, finding joy & all that good stuff due to the current situation. The best thing you can do is take care of yourself—that starts with limiting the amount of news you consume! I’m a news junkie & love watching the MSNBC block from Hayes thru O’Donnell but a couple months ago I just put a limit of 2 hours on consuming political news. It pretty much worked. I don’t spend as much time here either. And it isn’t because I don’t like the company but I find spending my time now working to elect people allows me to feel like I am contributing to trying to make things better or at least not worse. Though I like making & reading comments (engaging in a conversation as it were) with folks here about the current disaster it doesn’t give me the same feeling of accomplishment. So maybe also find a way to be active for a candidate or issue in this years’ election.

    Anyways, my two cents—and, of course, make sure you are mostly eating well & exercising.

  190. 190.

    trollhattan

    @Teddys Person:
    You sum it up perfectly. “Rules are for little people” has never been more apt or on display.

    “He’s just doing what he promised.” as uttered by millions of every Trump supporter is technically accurate, because Trump said so time and time again during the campaign.

  191. 191.

    Mnemosyne

    @MagdaInBlack:

    All of this. You’re one of the people who’s had to actually live with this shit. I’m just seeing the effects on my family.

  192. 192.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    I get confused why our side continues to take anything Trump says seriously. I mean, he’ll definitely do bad things, but there’s no way to predict it based on what he says.

    Because people don’t know what to do, so they do the things that have worked before- like taking statements at face value and responding to them.

    The longer this goes on the more I appreciate how really difficult it is to deal with the barrage of lies.

    I think we have to admit that the old methods are insufficient to this challenge in order to make room for someone to figure out new ways.

    The whole “call it a lie!” discussion really brought it home to me. People were sort of grasping at that word – as if the word would save us. It won’t.

    Call Trump Administration people “liars” and they just throw it back. They’ll launch a multi-city tour to call everyone else liars.

    New approaches are needed. I think people get this on some level- it’s why we’ve seen the individuals challenging these people personally, face to face.

  193. 193.

    Immanentize

    @trollhattan:

    messages on a separate laptop transported in and out of jail by his lawyers

    This is the part that really pisses me right off. Those lawyers know they are in big trouble — or they should be. A pretty good defense attorney (OK, a little crazy) went to jail for passing messages for her client — Lynn Stewart. Attorneys suck when they represent the rich and powerful. I am embarrassed sometimes to create them.

  194. 194.

    Immanentize

    @trollhattan:
    Also, Paul is one stupid idiot. Everyone in jail knows every phone conversation from jail is listened to — often including lawyer calls which they are NOT supposed to do. Now, desperate folks will forget that, but this error by Paulie just seems like hubris.

  195. 195.

    Immanentize

    @Marcopolo: I agree, thank you. I have been doing just that — taking a step back. In prior years, I would have been all over every detail of a supreme cout nomination. Right now, I am just letting it flow over me. I might see if I can get some quality smack to help ease my pain :-) only half joking…. Good wine instead.

  196. 196.

    Seanly

    Ahhhh, all this stupidity about NATO spending pisses me off. We don’t even spend 4% of our GDP on defense. Even if you apportion some amount of what we spend in Europe for our bases and service members in Europe, it probably isn’t the 2%. Plus we get an intangible benefit from our alliance with Europe.
    At least Trump seems to have gotten the memo that no one owes us money like this is some mob protection scam.

  197. 197.

    Jeremy

    GAH! Why do people just let him talk when he lies like that?! Yell back loudly “you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Angela!

Comments are closed.