US Politics, February 2018: Our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots

been a while since we've had a full on morning meltdown from the President of the United States

"Great Pollster John McLaughlin now has the GOP up in the Generic Congressional Ballot. Big gain over last 4 weeks. I guess people are loving the big Tax Cuts given them by the Republicans, the Cuts the Dems want to take away. We need more Republicans!"

i can see that mclaughlin is a really reputable polling firm: http://mclaughlinonline.com/2017/09/21/bombthrowers-com-mainstream-political-polls-commit-fraud/

wtf I haven't seen a single dime from this alleged tax cut.

Hmm, we'll need to look into that. You should've received your dime by now.

you're one of my lights, HOOS

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, February 17, 2018 8:14 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

same

lightHOOS ppl

Yup.

hard agree

bright HOOS the lightbringer

u forgot the aka

o right it's been so long since i HOOSed

been so long since I HOOSed and rolled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVwM5pqnT6A

Full Duck Soup!

On Thursday Nov. 9, when President Trump and his team visited Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Chief of Staff John Kelly and a U.S. Secret Service agent skirmished with Chinese security officials over the nuclear football.

I've spoken to five sources familiar with the events. Here's what happened, as they describe it:

When the U.S. military aide carrying the nuclear football entered the Great Hall, Chinese security officials blocked his entry. (The official who carries the nuclear football is supposed to stay close to the president at all times, along with a doctor.)
A U.S. official hurried into the adjoining room and told Kelly what was happening. Kelly rushed over and told the U.S. officials to keep walking — "We're moving in," he said — and the Americans all started moving.
Then there was a commotion. A Chinese security official grabbed Kelly, and Kelly shoved the man’s hand off of his body. Then a U.S. Secret Service agent grabbed the Chinese security official and tackled him to the ground.

The whole scuffle was over in a flash, and the U.S. officials told about the incident were asked to keep quiet about it. Trump's team followed the normal security procedure to brief the Chinese before their visit to Beijing, according to a person familiar with the trip — but somebody at the Chinese end either didn't get the memo or decided to mess with the Americans anyway.

I'm told that at no point did the Chinese have the nuclear football in their possession or even touch the briefcase. I'm also told the head of the Chinese security detail apologized to the Americans afterwards for the misunderstanding.

https://www.axios.com/scoop-skirmish-in-beijing-over-the-nuclear-football-1518992774-1e7a513d-4190-459d-ad4f-2c8746fecc6f.html

gentlemenyoucantfightinherethisisthewarroom.flv

lol

In their efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton, the suspected Russian troll accounts uncovered by NBC retweeted MSNBC morning host @JoyAnnReid roughly half as many times as they did @realDonaldTrump, and 21 times more than they did @SenSanders. https://t.co/utQEzWakVe

— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) February 18, 2018

lol

seems like these trolls haven't quite parsed the intricacies of intra-left squabbling.

tbf neither have i

believe me my life was better before I did.

Maybe they did if they RTed someone who was focused on shit-talking a leftist candidate more than they RTed someone who was focused on health care and tuition and going on a DNC Unity Tour?

yeah sund4r otm the russians know their job a heck of a lot better than "vindicated progressive journalist/cartoonist" walker bragman and his ilk

did they retweet HRC calling Sanders a communist, tho?

(it seems the concern here is foreign shitposting, i guess)

trump Jr is in India

GURGAON, India — When the Trump family jet lands in India this week, the family member taking a tour of the world’s largest democracy — with a Secret Service detail in tow — won’t be the president on a diplomatic mission. It will be his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on a sales trip.

But Indians might be forgiven for not making much of the distinction.

The visit by the younger Mr. Trump, intended to help sell more than $1 billion in luxury residential units being built by the Trumps and their local partners, has been promoted with newspaper advertisements that read: “Trump has arrived. Have you?”

the important thing to keep in mind here is that the trump family's real estate interests will have absolutely nothing to do with the way that the trump administration conducts foreign policy with India. we can all trust the trump family to refuse to let one influence the other.

Having often seen the effects that one clever amateur troll, bent on sowing disruption and discord, can have on the discourse of ordinary internet forums, I'm not inclined to discount the effect that more than 50 paid professional trolls could have on an election, when they are injected into social media amplifiers with the reach of Twitter and Facebook, over a period of years years, backed up by sophisticated data collection they can use to refine and perfect their technique.

feel like Podesta's entire email box getting hacked and dumped onto the internet and dominating the most crucial month of campaigning had something to do with it too

"soul cooking" was brilliant trolling

Another GOP Rep., Tom Rooney in Florida, declining to run for re-election.

vic berger is talented

He is You’re president weather you like it or not: Get use to it! 🖕🏻
Happy presidence day, Mr. @realDonaldTrump.

RETWEET if He is the number one (#1) greatest prez America ever knew and He did more in one year then Abe Linkin did in 8 years. @potus #PresidentsDay2018 #maga pic.twitter.com/2p9vN7seIn

— Vic Berger IV (@VicBergerIV) February 19, 2018

vic berger is a hero

his Logan Paul video was probably the hardest I've laughed at anything on youtube in years

A lot that’s correct in this mini thread.

It was a really close race. 8000 separate things could have flipped it to trump, from her dumb incompetent campaign to Comey. OF COURSE Russia flipped the race! They only had to get him a few thousand votes. pundits who ask "did it matter?" are dumb as a brick. https://t.co/Cgrpu0UZgF

— warm weather expert (@paulythegun) February 19, 2018

Also Walker Bragman wrote the Salon piece “The liberal case for Trump”. You laugh at him.

Here's a read

Exclusive: Special counsel Robert Mueller’s interest in Jared Kushner has grown to include his efforts to secure financing for his company from foreign investors during the presidential transition https://t.co/Y7jOtwau1S pic.twitter.com/HuMmcIZXlL

— CNN (@CNN) February 19, 2018

The new Pennsylvania district map apparently resembles democracy

For the weary White House, Florida shooting offered a ‘reprieve’ from scandals

The White House was under siege.

Domestic abuse allegations against a senior aide were ignored, pointing to a potential high-level coverup. Two Cabinet secretaries were caught charging taxpayers for luxury travel. A Playboy centerfold alleged an extramarital affair with the president. And the special counsel’s Russia investigation was intensifying. The tumult was so intense that there was fervent speculation that President Trump might even fire his chief of staff.

But a gun massacre at a Florida high school last Wednesday, which left 17 dead, seemed to shift the media glare away from the Trump scandals and gave embattled aides an opportunity to refocus on handling a rare crisis not of their own making. While the White House mourned the loss of life in Parkland, Fla., some aides privately acknowledged that the tragedy offered a breather from the political storm.

...

“For everyone, it was a distraction or a reprieve,” said one White House official, speaking anonymously to reflect internal conversations. “A lot of people here felt like it was a reprieve from seven or eight days of just getting pummeled.”

i wanna see pics of kush juxtaposed next to each other as often as possible in the coming months

i want to bully kushner so bad

kush and mueller that is

So glad that the senseless slaughter of children was able to give the White House some relief amid all of the drama they've created for themselves.

Kush and Muel's Excellent Adventure

Can’t help but wonder if kushners omnipresence in the Russia and subsidiary investigations has to do with his lack of full security clearance and the unhinged fury of his father in law? P sure when you’re a target of an investigation they have to let you know...

.@MittRomney has announced he is running for the Senate from the wonderful State of Utah. He will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2018

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/161129212927-trump-romney-exlarge-169.jpg

well played, senator, well played

This is hilarious:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/alleged-trump-assange-backchannel-there-was-no-backchannel?via=twitter_page

when you’re a target of an investigation they have to let you know...

Hello. May I speak to the Mafia Don of the house? Yes. Thank you, I can hold.

Sir, this Agent Michael Murphy of the New York office of the FBI. Yes. I said Murphy, sir. Spelled M-U-R-P-H-Y. We're just calling to let you know we are opening an investigation of you for racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. Yes. You're welcome. Have a nice rest of your day, sir. Goodbye.

Nah it's not like that it's when you ask them straight out they can't lie

What if they have their fingers crossed behind their back?

when you’re a target of an investigation they have to let you know...

When you're a special counsel, they let you do it. You can grab 'em by the subpoena.