Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

This really is a full service blog.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Donald Jessica Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

“woke” is the new caravan.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

“Joe Biden deserved better than he got from some folks in his own party.”

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45 / Throwing Chaff At the Media Open Thread (Golf Simulator Edition)

Throwing Chaff At the Media Open Thread (Golf Simulator Edition)

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Oh, look, McConnell says the Oval Office Occupant is gonna declare a NATIONAL EMERGENCY!!! — and just incidentally (h/t commentor DAW) some further information trickles out on the annual physical. Per USAToday:

President Donald Trump weighed in at 243 pounds during his physical last week, an increase of four pounds from last year that makes him technically obese, according to a report released Thursday by the White House….

The administration released the report in the midst of a busy news cycle, just minutes after officials announced that Trump would declare a “national emergency” at the border in a bid to obtain funding for a border wall.

Trump – who once described his exercise regimen as “I walk, I this, I that” – has long faced questions about his health. Last year, he was weighed at 239 pounds, giving the 6-foot-3 president a body mass index of 29.9, just under the level of 30 that is considered obese.

After the release of details from his latest physical, doctors on social media noted that Trump’s height and weight give him a BMI of 30.4, just over the line of obesity.

When even USAToday is publicly suspicious about the timing / truthfulness of the “President’s” (physical) fitness, well… maybe they’ve wired up the “executive time” TV walls so that that Dear Leader can’t access his favorite Fox News screamers unless he at least stands up and swings his club?

… That system replaced an older, less sophisticated simulator that had been installed under President Barack Obama, according to two people with knowledge of the previous system.

Trump’s system cost about $50,000, and was put in during the last few weeks in a room in his personal quarters, a White House official said.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the president’s private residence, said that Trump had paid for the new system and the installation personally…

Suuure he did. Well, had his aides say he did. Or at least charged Treasury for it, and promised vaguely to pay it back ‘eventually’.

The White House official said that Trump has not used his new golf simulator during executive time — or at all since it was put in.

Trump has played golf — the traditional kind, on an outdoor course — about 139 times as president, largely at his own golf clubs, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. There is no way to have an exact count because he usually does not acknowledge having played.

But this winter, as Trump’s demand for a border wall triggered a month-long partial government shutdown, Trump stayed off the golf course for about 69 days, the longest such period of his presidency. Trump broke the streak on Feb. 2, playing with golf legends Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus at Trump’s course in Jupiter, Fla.

Trump complained to friends during the shutdown that he missed Mar-a-Lago and being at his Florida course…

Yeah, probably not as much fun indoors, without a bunch of Secret Service agents to inconvenience and a few sycophants to lie about how good Lord Smallgloves is (at golf and everything else).

Reader Interactions

160Comments

  1. 1.

    Brachiator

    Is this golf simulator thing like the Star Trek holodeck? Trump could create a Wall simulator and save the nation a lot of time, money and trouble.

  3. 3.

    Martin

    How about we build a Teen Miss America dressing room simulator so we never need to see the asshole again?

  5. 5.

    Brent Wilson

    No idea why anyone would bother to lie about it but that dude is obviously not under 250 pounds. I mean, he obviously doesn’t have a lot of muscle, but still, that dude hasn’t seen 243 pounds on a scale for a very long time.

  7. 7.

    dexwood

    The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the president’s private residence, said that Trump had paid for the new system and the installation personally…

    Damn. I’m surprised he’s not telling us Mexico paid for it.

  8. 8.

    Roger Moore

    @Brent Wilson:
    Yeah, I’m an inch shorter and a couple pounds heavier than Trump’s claims, and my gut and ass are much smaller than his. The measuring equipment used on Trump needs a trip to NIST for recalibration.

  9. 9.

    tomtofa

    From pictures of him standing next to others, I’d say 6’1″ is a more accurate height.
    Maybe he was 6’3″ in his younger days . . .

  12. 12.

    Brachiator

    Elsewhere, Trump’s Congressional allies are scrambling to try to deal with the awful reaction to the new tax law:

    House Democratic tax writers have asked the IRS and Treasury for an update on lower refunds expected during the 2019 tax filing season. However, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) is urging taxpayers to disregard “misinformation” on 2019 tax filing season refunds….

    Following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Treasury and the IRS released updated federal tax withholding tables in 2018. House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman John Lewis, D-Ga., and member Judy Chu, D-Calif., have expressed concerns that as a “result” of the TCJA, millions of taxpayers underpaid taxes in 2018 while relying on these tables and are expected to receive a lower refund this year than anticipated….

    Likewise, SFC ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has criticized the TCJA for resulting in underpayment of taxes during the 2018 tax year. However, SFC Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is urging taxpayers not to believe the “myths and misinformation” surrounding refunds received this filing season.

    “No withholding table will ever be perfect. If they were, there would be no need for tax refunds,” Grassley said from the Senate floor on February 13. “The size of one’s refund tells you nothing about whether a specific taxpayer benefitted under the TCJA or not,” he added.

    Grassley encouraged taxpayers to understand that the best way to see how tax reform affected their “bottom-line” is to compare this year’s and last year’s tax returns, rather than the amount a refund. “The size of a refund tells you nothing beyond the degree to which a taxpayer has overpaid their taxes over the course of the year.”

    The Republicans have lost big time on this one. While Trump’s true believers will hurt themselves trying to rationalize this bullshit, most people will react to the simple reality that many of them have less money in their pockets after getting their refunds. And the fault will lie solely with the GOP and their magic disappearing tax cuts.

    ETA: refunds with the earned income credit and child tax credit will not be released by the IRS until around February 28, so this picture will change a bit after that. In the meantime, the Democrats should have fun blasting the Republicans for their clumsiness. That’s how politics works.

  14. 14.

    khead

    NATION simulator? I’d be happy if I could get politicians to build a decent city in SimCity 4 or Cities:Skylines.

  15. 15.

    SRW1

    @dexwood:

    Damn. I’m surprised he’s not telling us Mexico paid for it.

    Well, Trump almost got there with Neto. But when Trump asked to throw in a wall to close the deal, the Messicans balked.

  16. 16.

    Ukko

    Ok, speaking as a gentleman of a certain girth. I am 6’ 3” and my ass is not as big as his. There is no way he is less than 300.

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    TCM – well, not an alert but more of an advisory – that Friday at 8 in the a.m. they’ll be airing the rarely shown Little Fugitive. Synopsis/history of the film on the TCM site worth the time it takes for a read through.

    Aside from being a quasi-groundbreaking filmic novelty and influence it now is also a time capsule of what once was Coney Island for Noo Yawkahs (or the NY-curious) past or present.

  24. 24.

    Mike in NC

    @chopper: Many people claim he wears lifts. No surprise there. Refuses to wear reading glasses but seldom reads to begin with. Hard of hearing but refuses to wear a hearing aid. Just the picture of orange-tinted health.

  28. 28.

    ThresherK

    @NotMax: Good link. I was expecting something like Terror of Tiny Town (which I saw, before it was internet famous), and am glad to be wrong.

  29. 29.

    NotMax

    Living in a place with more than its share of people 300 pounds and up to judge by, I’d peg Dolt 45 somewhere around a minimum of 260.

  32. 32.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Brickley Paiste: I figured Ryan would get me-too’d sooner or later, based on my perception of his personal life – but yikes, what a creep.

    At least he’s just a musician.

  36. 36.

    Baud

    @Yarrow:

    From the article.

    Chicago police have concluded that the alleged attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was staged, according to two local media reports.

    The Chicago Police Department pushed back on the reporting, saying the notion that the attack was a hoax was “unconfirmed by case detectives.”

    If it was staged, he’ll lose everything.

  41. 41.

    Amir Khalid

    @chopper:
    He can’t credibly claim that. Obama only claims a height of 6ft1 or 6ft2, and in the few photos of them together Trump looks at least 2in shorter.
    On second thought, I suppose Trump doesn’t need a credible claim, just one that sounds sweet in the ears of his base.

  43. 43.

    sukabi

    @tomtofa: he needs to claim 6‘3” so his BMI doesn’t peg him as obese. Add a couple of inches in height and subtract 50lbs for clothes and accessories and you still have 300lbs of bullshit in a suit

  45. 45.

    Yarrow

    @Baud: I saw the article and I also looked at some Chicago local media about it. My impression is that they’re saying it’s unconfirmed rather than they’re saying it’s untrue. You are correct that if it’s staged he’s going to lose everything.

  46. 46.

    Yarrow

    @Baud: He’s too Wilmer-friendly. I’ve followed some of his comments on Twitter as well and he’s either incredibly obtuse or actively being part of the problem.

  47. 47.

    Trabb's Boy

    Can you all shut up about Trump’s weight? Jesus. Least important thing he’s lied about, and makes those of us in the obese category an unnecessary dose of fat people are gross and lazy.

  51. 51.

    kindness

    I’m not offended by Trump putting a pricey golf simulator in. I’m offended by the rank hypocrisy wrt how much shit Trump gave Obama over golf. I should have gotten used to rankness & naked hypocrisy by now but I’m not.

    Just as a thought exercise, if you were President, what would you add to the White House? (no need to mention class, intelligence or beauty, I know this group has more in it’s little toenail than Trump)

  52. 52.

    Amir Khalid

    @sukabi:
    And at that, 50lbs is a very generous allowance for his duds and doodads. It’s more than the allowance for checked-in baggage when you fly.

  54. 54.

    Jeffro

    I don’t give an F about the golf simulator, I am having a FIELD. DAY. with my RWNJ dad, brother, and FB acquaintances.

    Guess how they are answering the following:

    The Senate overwhelmingly passed a massive budget and border security deal Thursday, after President Trump committed to signing the legislation but said he’d also declare a national emergency to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border

    Ok, so just asking for a little insight into “conservative” “logic” here…let me know if I’m missing anything:
    – Declaring a ‘national emergency’ when you don’t get your way in Congressional budget negotiations is ok
    – Forcing a government shutdown for 30+ days and then waiting around for 20+ additional days = clear sign of an urgent national crisis that must be addressed immediately, um, except for those 50+ days
    – It’s ok for the executive branch to declare a national emergency and then re-route X amount of Congressionally-appropriated funds to whatever the executive branch desires
    – It’s ok for the executive branch to divert the military (both personnel and budget) for infrastructure projects it desires and/or whatever it feels is necessary to deal with the “emergency”

    Please answer carefully, and think of all the future possibilities here, because I’ll be asking you again on January 21, 2021…and because our climate change emergency, gun violence emergency, national health care cost emergency, income/wealth inequality emergency, voting rights emergency, and domestic terrorist emergency all become much more instantly solvable if those four bullet points up above are the new rules of the game.

    Ye gods, there’s probably so much spittle on their computer monitors at this point that it looks like a malfunctioning car wash…

    I’m way too happy considering that this is all technically bad news for our nation. And yet, some of them might stroke out, and so hey, there are benefits too…

  58. 58.

    Jeffro

    FYWP just did it to me again, jesus…or maybe it’s these massively power-sucking ads…geez…

    Quick point: I truly don’t care about trumpov’s weight, spray tan, shoe lifts, or any of that shit. I do care that he’s about to declare a national emergency and the GOP will just enable it like everything else. I also care that Barr just got confirmed and almost by definition, things are going to come to a head one way or another with the SC’s investigation very quickly.

    So yes, the Mango Menace is fat and getting fatter by the day. But let’s get ready to encourage our Dem officials to do more than tweet their tut-tuts at PEOTUS* when he really starts breaking shit…

  59. 59.

    NotMax

    @kindness

    One room and one room only for functions, showcasing postwar 20th and 21st century furniture and interior design.

    (Still elicits a chuckle whenever I see a picture of how the Eisenhowers redecorated the solarium into the most determinedly mundane, almost prototypical suburban moderne, complete with their meals being served on TV tray tables.)

    Trivia: When the East Room was given a complete facelift and makeover during TR’s residence in the White House, one of the reasons given was to purposely do away with what was called the “steamboat Gothic” fussy design treatment it had been given during Grant’s time.

  60. 60.

    Major Major Major Major

    @kindness:

    Just as a thought exercise, if you were President, what would you add to the White House? (no need to mention class, intelligence or beauty, I know this group has more in it’s little toenail than Trump)

    Honestly it would be cool to have a nice place to play video games. And I’d definitely need a multi-screen computer setup, but I dunno maybe Obama already installed one.

  61. 61.

    Aleta

    State Senator Lynn Hutchings (R) of Wyoming: “The greatest man who ever lived died via the death penalty for you and me. I’m grateful to him for our future hope because of this. Governments were instituted to execute justice. If it wasn’t for Jesus dying via the death penalty, we would all have no hope.” (via TPM)

    A state bill to abolish the death penalty was voted down today in the Wyoming Senate.

  63. 63.

    Another Scott

    @Martin: PBO is 6’1″. Donnie isn’t taller, and may be shorter (his pompadour may be another inch).

    PBO and Donnie

    Donnie’s BMI is over 32.

    So, he’s got another lying doc working for him.

    Grrr…

    [eta:] Or, like Steep said at #25.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  64. 64.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Baud:

    The Chicago Police Department threw cold water on reports Thursday night that “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett staged his own attack in response to his character being written off of the show.

    “Media reports anout the Empire incident being a hoax are unconfirmed by case detectives,” CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. “Supt Eddie Johnson has contacted @ABC7Chicago to state on the record that we have no evidence to support their reporting and their supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate.”

  65. 65.

    Steeplejack

    @Baud:

    A lot of the border areas are beautiful. Big Bend National Park is underrated or not well known, I think.

    I used to live in west Texas for three years back in the ’60s, near Del Rio (due west from San Antonio). Our family used to cook out at the Sycamore Creek Picnic Area on Highway 277, just a mile or so from the Rio Grande. We kids used to swim in Sycamore Creek, and I think a few times we swam in the Rio Grande when we hiked over that way. Totally open and unguarded back then, of course. Pretty country in its own way.

  66. 66.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Baud:

    If it was staged

    That’s a Hell of an article. Someone said it was staged, but Variety can’t find out who says it, the producers say his job was in no danger (which was the reason for staging the attack), and the police say they don’t know where anybody came up with this crap. I guess it could be true, but damn, that article is the weakest of weak sauce.

  68. 68.

    Amir Khalid

    @Aleta:
    It amazes me that there are professed Christians who think that the horrible death Jesus suffered is any sort of argument for capital punishment.

  70. 70.

    NotMax

    @Major Major Major Major

    Honestly it would be cool to have a nice place to play video games.

    The solarium. Room facing, IIRC, onto the Truman balcony. Pretty much serves as an all-purpose rumpus room/den/family room.

  72. 72.

    Jeffro

    Height, weight, lifts, spray tan, butterflies…height, weight, golf simulator, spray tan…butterflies…golf simulator…c’mon folks, talk about chaff ;)

  75. 75.

    Uncle Omar

    @Jeffro: It seems that Yertle the Turtle tried to explain these things to Comrade Trump. Unknown if it penetrated the POTUS-Skull. Meanwhile De Facto President Coulter is not amused by the potential signing.

  77. 77.

    NotMax

    Took advantage of a short break in the rain to chug on down to the street in order to bring up the trash container. Trash truck leaves it emptied with the lid open. Heard them swing by shortly before 9:30 this morning. Just shy of 4 p.m. now. At least six inches of rainwater in it.

  78. 78.

    Anne Laurie

    @Amir Khalid:

    It amazes me that there are professed Christians who think that the horrible death Jesus suffered is any sort of argument for capital punishment.

    You know this already, but those guys are ‘Christians’ in the same sense that the ISIS dudes who videotape themselves hacking up ‘infidels’ are Muslims. They’re just picking & choosing from the locally-approved sacred text to justify their perverse appetites for other peoples’ suffering.

    (Hardly a new perversion; I’ve seen medieval representations of Jesus’ cruxification and the various martyrdoms of the saints that definitely crossed the line into torture porn. At least the prohibition against representation saved you guys that!)

  79. 79.

    Gravenstone

    I’ve got 3″ and 80# on his (alleged) weight. Yet somehow his paunch is bigger than mine. Go figure.

  80. 80.

    Brachiator

    @Aleta:

    State Senator Lynn Hutchings (R) of Wyoming: “The greatest man who ever lived died via the death penalty for you and me. I’m grateful to him for our future hope because of this. Governments were instituted to execute justice

    Wait. What?

    Thank God the Romans didn’t have rifles or else we would be reading a twisted anti-gun control screed.

    Also, isn’t the Catholic Church against capital punishment?

  86. 86.

    The Midnight Lurker

    @Frankensteinbeck: There’s been some grumbling from Chicago PD. They’re frustrated. They’ve pulled detectives from other major crimes to comb through hours of video from every surveillance camera they could find. So far… zippo.

    Every one of them wants to put the cuffs on these fuckers. And they don’t want to go public and say they can’t find them.

    I’m guessing that’s where it started.

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    @,a href=”https://balloon-juice.com/2019/02/14/throwing-chaff-at-the-media-open-thread-golf-simulator-edition/#comment-7193203″>Major Major Major Major

    Chintz draperies, silly.

    ;)

    Chef Ike on the balcony, 1959. Venetian blinds plus window shades in the background.

  90. 90.

    Aleta

    @Brachiator: Also weird they don’t believe in a Jesus who had enough power to get a message of hope through otherwise. She’s on the side of Roman law?

  95. 95.

    Wapiti

    @Aleta:

    Lynn Hutchings (R) of Wyoming: “The greatest man who ever lived died via the death penalty for you and me…”

    Well, small blessings. Hutchings could have said: “Jesus was tortured to death over a couple of days for violating religious law, so we need to bring that sort of punishment back…”

  100. 100.

    zhena gogolia

    @Aleta:

    You must be kidding! Rome executed Jesus in the most slow, torturous manner, so we should be just like them!

  103. 103.

    germy

    I want to get a map and put pins in the places I've been. But first, I'll have to travel to the corners of the map so it'll stay up

    — Mitch Hedberg (@M_Hedberg) April 4, 2016

  107. 107.

    NotMax

    Sigh. Fingers have a mind of their own today. Fix.

    @zhena gogolia

    That was What’s My Line? Kitty Carlisle was the Dorothy Kilgallen of To Tell the Truth.

    /brain-clogging TV trivia pedant

    ;)

  112. 112.

    kindness

    I think Nixon put in a bowling alley. Ford put in a lap pool, or a pool of some sort I think. Reagan put in a theater. I really should hit wikipedia because I think these things but am not sure.

  119. 119.

    Duane

    @Jeffro: Some conservatives were defending Trumpov being crazy because that’s part of his negotiating strategy and art of the deal and people don’t know what he’ll do so winning is so great… You’ll see stupid libtards!!
    Understand now?

  122. 122.

    jl

    Not sure if these are real quotes but…
    Mark Twain: Golf is the best way to spoil a good walk.
    Theodore Roosevelt: Golf is a sissy game.

    Golf courses are good for picnics and great fields for playing capture the flag. You haven’t played capture the flag until you can use a run down municipal course. But, most of the time golf courses are wasted on golf.

  123. 123.

    NotMax

    @Mary G

    Takes all of five seconds for them to say “Both sides do it.” Did they hum in two-part harmony for the remainder? //

  126. 126.

    germy

    The FBI was better off when “you all only hired Irishmen,” Sessions said in one diatribe about the bureau’s workforce. “They were drunks but they could be trusted. Not like all those new people with nose rings and tattoos — who knows what they’re doing?”

    “Only Irish Need Apply”

  127. 127.

    Mary G

    @NotMax: I didn’t even listen to the first 5 seconds, because life is too short.

    In his toddler in the WH series of tweets, Dan Drezner links to a hilarious article in the WaPo about all the tantrums Twitler threw today and how the Democrats decided not to spike the football:

    Tensions and worries lingered until the end, as Trump wavered and some Republican leaders were exasperated.

    In the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) — Trump allies — wondered if they could get enough House Republicans to vote for the deal, considering it included less wall money than what Senate appropriators agreed to in December, before the shutdown, according to people close with them.

    The pair set out to spin the agreement as a win nonetheless, noting that Pelosi had once vowed Trump would only receive $1 for a border wall. McConnell echoed that point in his repeated phone calls with Trump on Thursday, those familiar with the conversations said.

    Democrats, privately, were amused but made a conscious decision not to gloat — concerned that if they celebrated what they considered a victory Thursday they might anger Trump enough to veto the deal.

    One conferee summarized the instructions from Democratic leaders: “Don’t poke the bear.”

    It’s delightful; the House negotiators kept lowering the offer and being yelled at by Schumer.

  129. 129.

    TriassicSands

    President Trump weighed in at 243 pounds during his physical last week, an increase of four pounds from last year that makes him technically obese, according to a report released Thursday by the White House….

    Nonsense! Trump grew nearly 2 inches in the last year and now towers nearly 6’5″. Late-life growth spurts like those Trump periodically enjoys are uncommon. It is believed that the knowledge that he will soon be weighed triggers a hormonal change that triggers an increase in height of between 1″ and 2″ – – whatever is necessary to keep his BMI below the obese level.

    It is currently projected that should Trump win a second term and live to complete it, he will exit the White House at about 6’10” to 7 feet tall – – not only our smartest and most successful president ever but also our tallest. It is unlikely that Trump will surpass President Taft’s weight of about 350 pounds. That would necessitate a height of about 7’7″ , not impossible for the amazing Mr. Trump, but unlikely.

  131. 131.

    NotMax

    @Gin & Tonic

    “Transmits data every 16 seconds.” Don’t think i could withstand the unrelenting 15 seconds of tense uncertainty.

    ;)

    In reality, the winds would disappear it into parts unknown before you could say Al Roker. Blew the (long unused but cannot bring myself to throw it away) cast iron hibachi grill halfway across the yard the other day.

  134. 134.

    Jeffro

    @Duane: Yup, crazy like a fox. Also, I think he got $1.5B after originally being offered $25B, so that is some Art of The Deal right there ;)

    Just tell them he got totally pantsed by a woman, a Democratic woman, and he didn’t even have to pay her $130,000 this time…see what they have to say about that. =)

  135. 135.

    germy

    @TriassicSands:

    It is currently projected that should Trump win a second term and live to complete it, he will exit the White House at about 6’10” to 7 feet tall – – not only our smartest and most successful president ever but also our tallest.

    His second term he can replace Pence with Babe the Blue Ox.

  137. 137.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    OT: (though, as my beloved raven says, they’re all open threads) the new thing I learned this evening is that Stewart Copeland is more intriguing than I’d imagined. His not widely known fascination is with the interplay of Old Testament theology and archeology and the traditional histories of the region. I knew that he grew up in the holy land (it’s so audible in his drumming) but it was delightful to hear about his thoughts about the stories.

  138. 138.

    Jeffro

    @germy: Also, frankly, a little hard on Irishmen…they aren’t all drunks…

    An enterprising reporter could make some serious bones just by going around asking pols, GOP pols in particular, to describe their ideal society and then asking a few follow-ups. That’s it. No confrontation necessary. Just let ’em go on as long as they wish…

  142. 142.

    germy

    @chopper:

    i do honestly think that trump used to be a little taller, or is if he actually stands up straight.

    And he was so much older then; he’s younger than that now.

  143. 143.

    Gin & Tonic

    @schrodingers_cat: I don’t know if they’re still a thing, but it used to be possible for men who were insecure about their height to buy shoes which lifted their heel so they’d look taller, but the trick was to have a normal-looking heel on the shoe and do the lifting in the “inside”, the leather part, so it wasn’t as obvious as just wearing high-heeled shoes. They were called elevator shoes.

  157. 157.

    SiubhanDuinne

    The Don’s officially obese
    (According to his Med Release);

    Last year, he was 239,
    Which we were told was plenty fine,
    And should be taken as benign.

    But nothing is above the law,
    Including Trump’s avoirdupois.

  158. 158.

    Le Nettoyeur

    Obama is 6’1″. Pix of him with Trump shows Trump several inches shorter. And no way is Trump 243 pounds.

  159. 159.

    Steeplejack

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Las Vegas! It will be Steep in the LAS.

    My mother and my RWNJ brother live there. I was out there for three weeks in September-October to dog-, house- and mom-sit while that brother went on a motorcycle expedition. Hadn’t planned to return so soon, but my other brother, the squire of Sighthound Hall here in Arlington, is taking his husband and their two kids out for a four-day visit with “Nana” (a term never before used in our family until Mom announced one day that that’s what she wanted the kids to call her). And somehow I got strong-armed into making it a full family event. (“Nana” is in good health but turns 89 next month, ’nuff said.)

    I like Las Vegas. I don’t gamble any more, I don’t go to shows, but it is a great restaurant town, and the weather this time of year is good—50s during the day, high 30s at night. Plus I have a good friend there that I’ve known since college, so I’ll get some quality time with her.

  160. 160.

    Michael J Allen

    @tomtofa: He’s clearly about Obama’s height in multiple photos and clearly shorter than 6’2″ Trudeau when they are standing shoulder to shoulder. Also others. It’s just like how he has added ten fictional stories to his buildings so people think they are buying on a higher floor than they are.

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