Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

I really should read my own blog.

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

Good lord, these people are nuts.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

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

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Come on, man.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

People are weird.

In after Baud. Damn.

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

We won’t go back.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Books are my comfort food!

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / The President Speaks

The President Speaks

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Since we heard from fake President Snorty McTeleprompter earlier today about the recent massacres, how about a word from the last actual American president?

The statement was released via President Obama’s Twitter account earlier today. This part:

“We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people.

I’m pretty sure that’s as angry as we’ve ever heard him.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

86Comments

  1. 1.

    TenguPhule

    Manu Raju
    ‏
    Verified account

    @mkraju
    Follow Follow @mkraju
    More Manu Raju Retweeted Leah Millis
    Trump appears to have ad-libbed “Toledo”Manu Raju added,

    Leah Millis

    @LeahMillis
    U.S. President Donald Trump accidentally says “Toledo” while making remarks this morning about the recent shootings in Dayton, OH and El Paso, TX from a teleprompter that reads “Texas and Ohio”. #Toledo #daytonshooting #Dayton #ElPaso #Trump …
    Show this thread
    1:37 PM – 5 Aug 2019

    So whoever said that Trump’s aides were putting him on meds to stop him from ad-libbing were wrong. The drugs didn’t stop him.

  2. 2.

    SiubhanDuinne

    fake President Snorty McTeleprompter

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

    Betty, you outdo yourself with every new Trump-directed invective.

  3. 3.

    Mike in NC

    He’s a sick, sick fuck. Fortunately, everybody we’ve met so far in the wonderful UK hates Boris Johnson as much as we despise Fat Bastard.

  5. 5.

    Steeplejack

    I just saw for the first time a 45-second clip of Trump around the “Toledo” moment. Holy shit, he sounds fucked up and he looks high.

  6. 6.

    moonbat

    That compassionate, intelligent, and reasonably angry man. He is my president and I miss him so much.

  7. 7.

    Chip Daniels

    Every time I hear one of the Obamas speak, or read their words, I feel a pang of grief for what we have lost, and could have had still.

  8. 8.

    Jharp

    God I miss him.

    I’d have to say the biggest political shock of my 5 plus decades is Americans elected that know nothing racist piece of human garbage.

    The most qualified candidate in the history of the United States ran against the least qualified candidate in the history of the United States.

    And we picked the least qualified…. … by negative 3 million votes.

    History is not going to be kind to any of us.

    We need to try harder.

  9. 9.

    debbie

    @TenguPhule:

    He couldn’t even get the fucking name right. That is how much he cares. Does anyone know when his next rally is? I wonder how long it will take him to go back to “invasions” and “infestations.”

  10. 10.

    AThornton

    PRC announced they are halting all purchases of US agricultural products and let the yuan slide to an all time low. One non-obvious result is the US is now massively over-priced in the military drone market. Thus the Chinese lead in capturing the market for the next generation weapon systems continues apace.

    So much winning.

  12. 12.

    namekarB

    If only Obama would come out in support of the right to bear arms and the elimination of all background checks, Trump would have done a 180 and pushed for restrictions on gun sales and universal background checks.

  15. 15.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, some comic relief. Boris Johnson on his hobbies:

    This is truly weird. Boris Johnson, likely the next Prime Minister of the UK, gets asked what he likes to do in his free time, to relax. Watch what he says … it's so bizarre that it's mesmerizing. Via @talkRADIO pic.twitter.com/aXp5hmCMVg

    — Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 25, 2019

    And some good remixes:

    the room next door pic.twitter.com/EoTO3jUTEo

    — Michael Spicer (@MrMichaelSpicer) June 25, 2019

    “To relax I get two potatoes and make them into Thatcher and Cameron and make them dance.” #janeygodleyvoiceover #BorisJohnson come see the Live Voice Over on tour https://t.co/y2Wa2KaK5a for tickets pic.twitter.com/PCB1jy9tYQ

    — Janey Godley (@JaneyGodley) June 25, 2019

  18. 18.

    MJS

    @TenguPhule: I don’t think it was an ad lib. I think our near illiterate president ran “Texas” and “Ohio” together and came up with “Toledo”. Drugs plus a barely functional reading ability.

  23. 23.

    Steeplejack

    God, Tweety is flapping his gums with Kamala Harris about the NRA like they’re still all-powerful. Referenced some senator from his distant past who got nuked by them. I didn’t even remember the guy! I know the NRA is not quite dead yet, but the ground has shifted. Matthews has not.

  25. 25.

    Miss Bianca

    @mrmoshpotato: How did I know, even before clicking on your link: “You are not my mother! You are a SNORT!”

    My favorite line ever from a kid’s book.

  30. 30.

    dww44

    @debbie: Read those tweets, but also saw one that mentions that Biden referred to El Paso as Houston, and Ohio became Michigan. Supposedly said at a fund raiser in San Diego on the weekend. Did he really?

  31. 31.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: So, hypothetical question…particularly since Trump has a habit of stiffing the cities who host these events for their security costs…can’t a municipality just tell the POSUS and the Secret Service, “forget it, pal, if you want to spread your shit in our town, you’re on your own”?

  32. 32.

    Spanky

    @Jharp: What the fuck is this “we” shit? It was Russian interference, top to bottom. And in the end I’m pretty sure we’ll find at least three states with changed vote tallies.

  33. 33.

    Jay

    If you're wondering how white supremacist ideas get normalized and perpetuated throughout mainstream culture, look no further than libertarian pundit John Stossel promoting white supremacist Stefan Molyneux two days after a white supremacist massacre pic.twitter.com/9tjY3U0Gsy— Becca Lewis (@beccalew) August 5, 2019

  34. 34.

    geg6

    @Adam L Silverman:

    In my back yard, so to speak. He’ll be about a mile from my campus and about two miles from my house. Coming to the new Shell cracker plant to try to take credit for it. Which is, of course, a lie. This was in the works for the last seven or eight years. But the goobers around here are beside themselves for joy that that piece of shit will be polluting my county. I’m just ill at the thought he will be in my proximity.

  37. 37.

    Baud

    @AThornton:

    One non-obvious result is the US is now massively over-priced in the military drone market. Thus the Chinese lead in capturing the market for the next generation weapon systems continues apace.

    Donald the Dove!

  39. 39.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Steeplejack: God, Tweety is flapping his gums with Kamala Harris about the NRA like they’re still all-powerful. Referenced some senator from his distant past who got nuked by them.

    Harris Wofford? IIRC he was appointed to replace John Heinz.

    I don’t know why any Dems go on that show

    ETA: If it was Wofford, he wasn’t exactly nuked, from Wiki
    Wofford narrowly lost his 1994 bid for a full term to Republican Rep. Rick Santorum, thirty-two years his junior, who defeated Wofford 49%–47%.[24] The election was part of that year’s Republican Revolution, in which many Democrats were ousted from both houses of the United States Congress.[24]

  43. 43.

    TS (the original)

    @Chip Daniels:

    I feel a pang of grief for what we have lost, and could have had still

    Not to mention what he could have achieved – except for #MoscowMitch and the deplorables who voted against their own health care

  44. 44.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    So… I saw Feral Hogs trending on twitter, and I thought it might be a light-hearted diversion

    ason Isbell @ JasonIsbell
    · Aug 4, 2019
    If you’re on here arguing the definition of “assault weapon” today you are part of the problem. You know what an assault weapon is, and you know you don’t need one.
    @ WillieMcNabb
    Legit question for rural Americans – How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?

    One does wonder, just how often Farmer McNabb has to gun down the hordes of hogs?

    (GQ reached out to McNabb for comment and will update this post when we hear back.)

  46. 46.

    Miss Bianca

    @mrmoshpotato: Man, somehow that one was not the classic in my household that “Are You My Mother?” was. But now…now I can see I will have to revisit “Go Dog Go.” For research purposes.

  47. 47.

    Arlene

    @Steeplejack Tweety referenced Joe Clark who I believe was defeated by Scweiker either in 1968 or 1972. I live in Pennsylvania and haven’t heard his name in years. Tweety needs to retire.

  49. 49.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    My President is trending on twitter, so The Beast will be in a foul mood even before he sits down to his nightly diet of, I imagine, four to six hours of Tivo’d Fox spew

  51. 51.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    we need to investigate the oranges of the Toledo and Bowling Green massacres.

    Now, watch this drive…

  54. 54.

    Steeplejack

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    It wasn’t Wofford. I remember him. It was someone from even farther back. Matthews might even have said “when I was a kid,” but I was too busy doing a spit-take to hear it exactly. It was some bland name like Stevens.

  59. 59.

    Another Scott

    @Cheryl Rofer: Forbes (from 2016):

    * Trump may have repeated head trauma: Blows to the head via sports such as football, boxing, soccer and ice hockey, or hitting your head with a brick over beauty pageant winners gaining weight, can cause irritation and even leakage of brain fluid into the nasal passages.

    Could be!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  61. 61.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Miss Bianca: Heh, it’s probably hard to read the text, but that’s not where Toto(real name Terry) is buried. When she died in 1945, her trainer buried her at his place in Studio City, in 1958 the Ventura Freeway went though the trainer’s place. I’ve driven over Toto’s final resting place many times(mostly without knowing it).

  62. 62.

    Sloane Ranger

    So, the Racist in Chief is apparently visiting El Paso later this week, presumably landing them with a new bill for his security, with the previous one still unpaid.

    CNN reports that people there are angry and don’t want him there. The Mayor sounded very dismissive of people’s objections, talking about emails and messages from people with to much time on their hands. Not particularly impressed by him, is he a Republican?

  70. 70.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    He really was doing some big sniffs in this one

    He also had a REALLY dry mouth today. After a weekend of relaxing and golfing he looked tired and out of it, not refreshed.

    Dry mouth/mucous membranes, fuzzy thinking and fatigue. I think he’s on dementia meds–they cause those kinds of side effects.

  71. 71.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Sloane Ranger:

    CNN reports that people there are angry and don’t want him there.

    I’d wager 75% of El Pasoens didn’t want him there BEFORE the shooting, now they want him even less.

    The Mayor sounded very dismissive of people’s objections, talking about emails and messages from people with to much time on their hands. Not particularly impressed by him, is he a Republican?

    Dee Margo is a Republican but coming from El Paso, he’s been a pretty moderate one. Sounds like his version of “Cumbaya” to keep everyone happy.

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I want to like Joe Biden. Sometimes I think he doesn’t want me to like him

    Matt Viser @ mviser
    Joe Biden says that video games are part of the problem. “It is not healthy having these games teaching kids this dispassionate notion you can…blow their brains out,” he says. He adds, “It’s not in and of itself why we have this climate.”

    ETA: Apparent correction, other people are tweeting that this was taken out of context and Biden was saying that games are a bullshit excuse offered by other people. He “rolled his eyes” while quoting trump

  75. 75.

    J R in WV

    @Steeplejack:

    And Obama said “57 states”! I’m seeing that one a lot. ?

    Yes, he said that, and was referring to the 50 states and 7 territories, as in American Samoa, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, etc, etc.

  79. 79.

    trnc

    @J R in WV: That’s what I thought at first, but there are 14 American territories. 5 of them are inhabited, so 57 just doesn’t work unless there are 2 other entities that would fit the general theme.

    Regardless, the Bodines of the world earnestly claiming that Obama actually didn’t know how many states are in the US is only done entirely in bad faith, so fuck them.

  81. 81.

    Bill Arnold

    @Ella in New Mexico:

    mouth/mucous membranes, fuzzy thinking and fatigue. I think he’s on dementia meds–they cause those kinds of side effects.

    I’m failure sure as well that he’s medicated to compensate for cognitive decline, but it may be crude self-medication. Hard to tell. Watched the full address, and it could be something basic like (snorted) Add er all plus a beta blocker.
    (Which would mentally burn him out quicker at his age if it was a habit.)

    Who the F wrote this speech? KAC? Weird gaslighting shit. Don’t let up; he and other Republicans are in part responsible for the recent US mass murders by racists.
    President Trump Address on Mass Shootings – President Trump addressed the nation following two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. (August 5, 2019)

  82. 82.

    trnc

    @japa21:

    Primaries. The 50 states, 5 territories, DC and Americans abroad.

    No, he just misspoke because he was tired. I found the quote, and it pretty clearly is not meant to include territories:

    “… it is just wonderful to be back in Oregon, and over the last 15 months we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in fifty …. seven states? I think one left to go.”

    He also acknowledged the mistake later on, rather than try to shoehorn in some bullshit excuse. Once again, my respect for the last real president ticks up another notch.
    https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/57-states/

  83. 83.

    Ken

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    just how often Farmer McNabb has to gun down the hordes of hogs?

    One would think once would be enough, since he wouldn’t need to protect his children after hosing down the yard with automatic weapons fire.

  85. 85.

    Duane

    I always liked angry President Obama. His anger wasn’t stupid and blithering, just concise and necessary.
    The SNL skit ” Rockbama” where he threw congessmen out the window was great. IRL would have been better.

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