Trump, July 2017: Tweet more

New interview with Randy Newman:

Your new album has a song on it called “Putin.” Did you ever toy with writing about Trump?

I did write about him. But the language was too vulgar. It felt too easy. The song was “My dick’s bigger than your dick / It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true / My dick’s bigger than your dick / I can prove it too / There it is! There’s my dick / Isn’t that a wonderful sight? / Run to the village, to town, to the countryside / Tell the people what you’ve seen here tonight.”

How’d the chorus go?

The hook was “What a dick!” Duh-duh-duh. “What a dick!” But I just didn’t want to add to the problem of how ugly the conversation we’re all having is, so I didn’t put it out.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/randy-newman-trump-putin-new-album.html

when I saw that tweeted out I was like 99% sure that was a @pixelatedboat thing

Wait a minute, what the hell.

(crosstalk)

TRUMP: Well, Napoleon finished a little bit bad. But I asked that. So I asked the president, so what about Napoleon? He said: “No, no, no. What he did was incredible. He designed Paris.” (garbled) The street grid, the way they work, you know, the spokes. He did so many things even beyond. And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death. How many times has Russia been saved by the weather? (garbled)

(crosstalk/unintelligible)

As always I will blame Alfred for this, in that I know he designed Paris.

He's going to be the first POTUS to appear on Drunken History.

— CavsKermit (@JbkJbk1234) July 20, 2017

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59702f8be4b0aa14ea7711b7 baaaaad feeling about this

ShariVari's "already in the public domain" reminds me of, uh, some guy I know, pointing to NIST SP 800-177 and saying "well we already told everyone to use DMARC, not sure why you're acting like it's news" after http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/342598-dem-senator-wants-govt-wide-use-of-email-tool-to-thwart-impersonating

less international intrigue but similar concept imo

Not to get too hung up on this, as it is pretty tangential, but the framing of the story as new and important is a bit of a stretch in the context of how the coverage of Deripaska has evolved.

The first wave was reporting on a memo that Manafort was alleged to have written saying that he would loyally look to advance Putin's interests if Deripaska took him on as a publicist / lobbyist for his companies. This was another of the big smouldering, if not smoking, gun releases.

iirc Deripaska's side's response basically boiled down to 'not only is the memo fake, and the relationship long over, the little fucker ripped me off for $19m before he started working for Trump'.

In that context, 'Manafort owes $17m to pro-Russia interests (i.e, a Russian)' needs a bit more meat on the bones to be hugely interesting but ymmv.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume, Shari, the interest is because ym never varies.

What, out of curiosity, would actually raise your eyebrows? Like, money laundering, bizarre behavior, monies owed, 'secure facilities' etc., do seem weird to those of us who don't traipse around Eurasia and the Middle East.

I really don't mean to be trite. It's just that your comments carry the weight of someone very familiar/insidery re: us/euro/russian/money everywhere relations. From my view, it's tough to imagine this is what happens when your average plutocrats history gets combed over re Russia (which isn't to say I wouldn't expect to see skeletons, if just assume the undisclosed meetings were in Geneva or the Turks & Caicos). For Americans, Cyprus ain't a go-to.

It depends what you're looking to show. There has been ample evidence for 30+ years that Manafort is a crook and that should have stopped Trump from employing him. 'Manafort as a crook' and 'Manafort as a Russian agent of influence' would require different evidence though.

You're right that i am much more inured than most people to the intersection of criminality and business wrt Eastern Europe/Central Asia/ the Middle East but i genuinely think the root of that is Western business people of all backgrounds - from big tech companies to shady real estate brokers - being encouraged to make hay in markets where corruption and kleptocracy are rife. In a UK context, the country has benefited enormously from money laundering, pandering to criminal oligarchs, etc but there is at least some pretense at keeping party politics at arms length.

I might be overly cynical but i would imagine if you went through the connections of any major London / NY / Dubai real estate project, you'll find money linked to state-sponsored theft and corruption or organised crime, either directly or one or two steps away. Trump has shined a light on that but this stuff has not just been tolerated, it has been borderline encouraged for years by successive western governments.

I'd be very happy to see Trump nailed for it - but i'd be happier still to see a more root-and-branch clean-up of our interaction with dirty money.

Last summer, I was having a drink with my wife/inlaws at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. We'd just walked out of a movie with Norman Braman (Rubio's personal debt-payer, car dealer, billionaire, tall man). Out of the back of the hotel come Bloomberg, Ronald Perelman and Leonard Lauder (all short, especially Mike), and it's like all the non-tech American money in a couple blocks, anyway I'm thinking fuck that's a lot of net-worth, and I keep thinking now, had any of those dipshits been President/backed a president, you could sift through their underwear drawers and still: nothing as b-movie, thriller without a hero bullshit as happens everyday with these nitwits. Like I hate conspiracies, bad-plotting, etc. so for all the malignant narcissists, why the one who's comically shady?

btw they all looked like ugly, tired men.

That's all i guess. There's a lot of people who have things they don't want other people to know own property through shell companies in London and NYC. Why stick your neck out?

Also, that was two summers ago (point stands). These folk all know each other, but I'm not a Billderburger believer. If you're so inept/compromised then why ever get involved in a way that invites scrutiny?There's a huge part of me that believes Trump is simply inept, simply needy, simply dumb. That all those Gold Marquees (like the one they took down in Toronto this week) were all he wanted and that this one would be the biggest.

That NYT transcript is fascinating: how the reporters treat him like a bad boy who needs a hug, but the damage is real.

I'm aware that i probably sound like i'm being fairly dismissive a lot of the time but it's not so much a 'both sides do it' / 'eh, it's business' approach, it's much more a case of 'this isn't far removed from business as usual, and that's terrifying - so looking at it in isolation as part of a unique conspiracy and not unpicking how similar stuff underpins business and political relationships all over the world is just papering over the cracks'.

It's definitely possible that there was a specific collusion attempt linked to the Russian government or organised crime, etc, and that needs to be investigated to the very end but the generic guilt-by-association stuff runs the risk of making exceptional something that is horribly commonplace. It's probably quite annoying for other people so i'll dial it down.

There has been ample evidence for 30+ years that Manafort is a crook and that should have stopped Trump from employing him.

is it not likely that the fact that Manafort is a crook is what attracted Trump to him?

Quite possibly. I lean towards thinking that Manafort was probably one of a limited group of people with experience of running a Republican presidential campaign who had no reputation to lose by throwing in with Trump.

Props where they're due, "The Dems scream death as OCare dies!" is some solid Stan Lee shit.

how is it that we haven't yet heard any audio of Trump ranting like a lunatic?

a) you can find most of his rallies on you tube lolol (sorry)
b) I'm guessing that there are still very serious people who consider "no outside recording devices in the White House" as very serious business.

It's not even 6am here and just catching up on news items from yesterday has me fuming with rage.

Good morning!

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59702f8be4b0aa14ea7711b7 baaaaad feeling about this

― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), 20. juli 2017 07:45 (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm beginning to suspect these people are stupid

Thing that freaked me out was NYTimes Trump interview above noting it took Obama 14 months to get Ocare done, and Trump noting 'Yeah, I've only been at this for six months.' It might not be over yet.

not sure if he'll be in office at the end of 14 months tbf

Thing that freaked me out was NYTimes Trump interview above noting it took Obama 14 months to get Ocare done, and Trump noting 'Yeah, I've only been at this for six months.' It might not be over yet.

― (crosstalk)(garbled)(crosstalk/unintelligible) (stevie), 20. juli 2017 12:40 (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Don't be freaked out (or, not by that in particular) Since they are using budget reconciliation, they only have until september. So if Trump thinks he can wait 8 months, that's a really good thing.

Ah! Thanks Fred. And Qualmsley, hope springs infernal...

I definitely understand were you're coming from ShariVari, but a counter is that if there is any chance of cleanup legislation happening, it's may be more likely if it turns up in 2021 called The Trump Act.

Relatedly, I've read some sparks of hope that the wave of reactive sexism and racism that he rode to office is a last-gasp thing that will be tainted by his inevitable downfall. I don't know about that, but it occurs to me that the phrase "successful businessman" should take some knocks in the process.

Relatedly, I've read some sparks of hope that the wave of reactive sexism and racism that he rode to office is a last-gasp thing that will be tainted by his inevitable downfall.

His rise, and various other malign phenomenons in current western culture, make me wonder if "last gasp" is a thing as far as racism and sexism are concerned; it seems they are elements that must always be illuminated, confronted and defeated. They won't make a last gasp, we'll have to be forever vigilant, because ignorance, fear and self-interest are human constants.

the phrase that i keep coming back to in regard to trumpism is that i (and apparently most of coastal elite types) thought their was a deep abscess in america that had to be drained. instead it's a tumor that has to be cut out and we're going to have to to take the next decade to determine if we can survive this. even so, the chances of recurrence are painfully high.

the phrase "successful businessman" should take some knocks in the process

and 'running the government like it's a business' will fingers crossed be seen by more people as the shitshow it is -- the lazy boss who golfs all the time inherited his position for the most part; nepotism and concomitant incompetence is rampant; you can't get a job unless you have connections; ethics is a weakness indulged by losers; bro culture dominates; way too much hair gel; etc.

they'll just say we got the wrong kind of businessman and keep running mitt romney types for every other position in government though

doc c otm, it's gonna take more than one shitty businessman in power to put a dent in the belief that wealth is in and of itself a virtue

Relatedly, I've read some sparks of hope that the wave of reactive sexism and racism that he rode to office is a last-gasp thing that will be tainted by his inevitable downfall.

nah it ain't going anywhere

As Jake said in The Sun Also Rises: "Isn't it pretty to think so?"

the turd-genie freed by the trump white house is not going back in the bottle cleanly, that's for sure

I find myself lapsing into this wishful thinking, it may be necessary as a survival mechanism

Unless there's another 1964-esque takeover of the party, I'm certain that, for as long as I'm alive, the GOP will continue to back businessmen and continue to traffic in racism and sexism (and classism and homophobia and and and) and will continue to find that formula at least moderately successful.

today's email from the white house

Yesterday, I met with Republican Senators at the White House and told them that now is the time for action. Obamacare was a big lie. “You can keep your doctor”—lie. “You can keep your plan”—lie. Now, people are hurting, and inaction is not an option. We must repeal and replace this disaster. The Senate should not leave for summer recess until it has passed a plan to give our people great healthcare. I’m ready to act; I have pen in hand. I’ll sign the legislation into law, and then we can celebrate for the American people.

- President Donald J. Trump

I'm the one that stand/With the pen in hand

i'm ready to act, as long as by 'act' you mean do nothing of any substance beyond wait in my office watching tv and practising my signature on some scrap paper

I came in the door/I said it before/the people don't want Obamacare no more

Akie Abe is my new hero. pic.twitter.com/WEnjBsrRQ3

— Sam Thielman (@samthielman) July 20, 2017

Two new stories of note re current dynamics:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/20/us/trump-republicans-obamacare.html

“Right now, nobody’s afraid of Trump, and that’s a real problem,” said Rob Jesmer, the former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and once a top aide to Senator John Cornyn of Texas.

“But the truth is that he hasn’t really tried,” Mr. Jesmer added. “Where is he on local talk radio? Where is the trip to Kansas to say, ‘Hey, Jerry, we’re really close on this and could use your help’? It’s what he does well, getting out there and making the case. I don’t get why he hasn’t been more engaged.”

A Republican senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wanted to preserve his relationship with Mr. Trump, put it more bluntly. The president, he said, scares no one in the Senate, not even the pages.

But this one's even more fun, in that we're getting some more on the record stuff now:

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/20/gop-lawmakers-despondent-as-recess-approaches-240731

A lot of complaining about each other, but there is this:

Trump, meanwhile, is starting to get angry, berating GOP senators for failing to repeal the 2010 health care law and demanding they stay in session until Obamacare is repealed. But some lawmakers are even starting to blame Trump for his handling of the Russia probe, Twitter feuds and attacks on the media.

"I don't even pay any attention to what is going on with the administration because I don't care. They're a distraction. The family is a distraction, the president is a distraction," complained Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). "At first, it was 'Well yeah, this is the guy we elected. He'll learn, he'll learn.' And you just don't see that happening."

that is awesome xp

xp

Inspiring Little Fear in Senators, Trump Struggles to Sell Health Bill

A Republican senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wanted to preserve his relationship with Mr. Trump, put it more bluntly. The president, he said, scares no one in the Senate, not even the pages.

“He has limited experience in government and politics, he lacks a deep and experienced team, and his poll numbers are disastrous,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, as senators from both parties grappled with the sudden collapse of Republican-only health care talks.

“It’s more or less impossible to sell a program when you have those conditions,” he added.

Holy shit, a quote from a Democrat!

I’m ready to act; I have peen in hand.

Pen is in hand lol

dying @ the Akie Abe thing. finally someone figured out the proper way to deal with Trump.

Sessions news conference imminent.

btw I'm still amazed that the guy who "surprises people" with his vast knowledge of health care still thinks it only costs $12 a year and that you can keep that plan your whole life

"I know he hates me, but he didn't mean it, not really. I still love him, so I'm staying."

"let obamacare fail" = anothe r one of his "smart" bankruptcies?

I love the idea of GOP dismissing the President, their president, as a distraction.