The Serious Side - part 2

Donnamarie - Trump is attached to the hacking scandal. He asked Russia to hack the Democrats email accounts. He knew Flynn was speaking to Russia for weeks but did nothing about it until he was forced to because it was leaked to the media. If Flynn hadn't gotten caught he'd still be NS Advisor.

He put our country in danger by allowing Steve Bannon to put himself onto the NSC and then claimed not to have read the executive order that approved it.( Reminds me of Urkel's "Oooh, did I do that?") He sat in plain sight and hearing of all sorts of civilians while he and another head of state were advised of, and dealt with, the North Korean missile situation - which should have been dealt with in a secure location - preferably the Situation Room - with qualified advisors around him.

One way or another I don't think this man will serve a full term.

You would think as big as Mara lago is there would be plenty of rooms for them to handle a crisis not in front of party guests.  I think that is probably him showing off look everybody I'm in charge .

How long can Congress keep ignoring the mess he is making, they will have to act eventually he will do something that will leave them no choice in the end he is just not bright enough not too.

Donald dumb claimed on twitter that the fire storm surrounding Michael Flynn's ouster is a media conspiracy fueled by
vengeful  partisans inside U.S Intelligence agencies.

He also claimed that the Russian connection nonsense is merely an attempt to cover up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton's losing campaign.

He is truly the biggest idiot I have ever seen.

I don't doubt that Trump was at the very least complicit
in the hacking scandal. The challenge for the government will be to prove it.

Practically everything Trump says is either a lie or idiotic. He is totally unfit to be President. If, at the very least, he was surrounded by competent people in the White House with mainstream views he might be able to appear like he knows what he's doing. But he has no one in the WH who knows how government works or understands how to govern a democracy. He has created an untenable and chaotic situation. He IS the biggest idiot!

Donna,
that's exactly my opinion:
It wouldn't be as dangerous if he surrounded himself with qualified and experienced staff, secretaries etc. 

But he either doesn't see the chaos he's causing - which would be horrible - or it simply doesn't matter to him - which is even worse.

Many people in Germany - not me - said after his election: "Let's wait some months, maybe he's going to be a good president. He needs to learn." Now the only ones who still speak out for him, are those who das: "Yeah, f* the establishment, diplomacy is dead. 'My country first', that's what every leader should say!"

The problem is that the people around him who do have government experience are staying silent. Maybe they're waiting for him to do something so horrendous that there's no coming back for him and then they can ride in and save the country.

My  personal feeling is that I would never vote for anyone who stood by and let this buffoon destroy our country. Anyone who doesn't try to stop him is as culpable as he is.

Apparently there are many, many unfilled positions STILL in the White House

Different angle here

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/16/how-donald-trump-became-deutsche-bank-biggest-headache


and the odd Nazi sympathiser..


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-aide-sebastian-gorka-nazi-hungary-medal-vitezi-rend-fascists-a7581941.html

And how Trump wants to be like Mr Putin

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russia-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-autocratic-president-emulate-2000s-former-us-ambassador-a7582881.html

Something tells me Mr Trump might not be very well...........

I think he is listening to the wrong people , the one's he should listen too he ignores. 

His ego will lead to his downfall unfortunately how long that will take is anyone's guess.

Yes I too believe Trump's ego and his belief in his "own" truth will be his downfall.

Thanks for the links PAN.  All very disturbing.  This man doesn't believe in anything other than himself.  He has no values outside of himself.  He carries no true convictions.

I wonder how Netanyahu can come to terms with supporting a President whose right hand man is an anti Semitic?

Donnamarie wrote:
I wonder how Netanyahu can come to terms with supporting a President whose right hand man is an anti Semitic?

... because Trump tells him what he wants to hear, I guess...
I'm just not sure if Netanyahu - or any other political leader - takes him seriously.

Thanks for the links, PAN!
I found the article about the Deutsche Bank very enlightening!
It shows very well about his ethics...

One thing is for sure he is not very smart

We're all smart women here. I bet the lot of us could be 10X better at figuring out how to run the White House effectively than this sorry excuse for a leader!

Donnamarie wrote:Yes I too believe Trump's ego and his belief in his "own" truth will be his downfall.

Thanks for the links PAN.  All very disturbing.  This man doesn't believe in anything other than himself.  He has no values outside of himself.  He carries no true convictions.

I wonder how Netanyahu can come to terms with supporting a President whose right hand man is an anti Semitic?

Because Trump and Bannon hate Muslims/the Palestinians as much as he does. I guess he's willing to overlook working with a man endorsed by the KKK and neo-Nazis if it means screwing the Palestininians once and for all.

Did anyone watch Trump's news conference today? I would love to know from our international friends the reaction from their home country.

If anyone has a chance and the time please watch it.
It's unnerving. And I feel pretty confident that the Trump supporters loved it.

Donnamarie, here's the view from the other side of the pond. It's from the bbcnews website, and there are several reports worth a look.

I keep wondering if someone's on uppers and downers to be honest.......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38999993

The report further down the page is worth a read too

Ps Jon Sopel is the well-respected BBC's North American Editor.You may recognise him from an  interview he did with Amal on Ukraine.........

More worrryingly a friend I met this evening had seen part of the conference on Sky and said that Trump seemed plausible............

Donnamarie wrote:We're all smart women here.  I bet the lot of us could be 10X better at figuring out how to run the White House effectively than this sorry excuse for a leader!

IMO it's not a question of intelligence. I think we could figure out how to run the country because we're not psychopaths.

I think Donald Trump truly can't tell right from wrong because he has no way to measure the difference. His brain tells him that anything he wants is right. Therefore all he does is right and anyone who says otherwise must necessarily be wrong.

I just spent nearly one hour reading German online articles and comments about Trump's press conference. One source is very liberal, another one conservative and the third one I would call balanced. I also watched about half of the pc on youtube.

All of the articles point out the major 'highlights' of the pc, the comments of journalists question bis state of mind and tried to check the facts he named.

The comments secion though was very interesting:
There are those who damn everything he says and others who praise each of his words. You also have those who say: "Well, from watching the press conference, I have the impression that his facts are quite concise."
They just forget to question if the facts he presents are right...

I also find it very interesting that many pro-Trump commentators seem to have problems with the German syntax and with certain letters which only exist in our language. Honi soit qui mal y pense...

Sorry, I didn't find an article or comment in English so couldn't post it.

He is sending out a accountability survey to his fans asking them to grade the press performance.

And we know they will all agree with him so then what, are the press supposed to bow down and only

print what he wants to hear.

Well, this isn't going to please him:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-father-fred-fbi-dossier-trump-management-company-racist-get-rid-of-blacks-dont-rent-to-a7583851.html

Meanwhile  just off the Connecticut coast:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/02/15/russian-spy-ship-spotted-near-us/97939010/

Many reports here about the state of his health.......

And Tillerson, Mattis and Pompeo seem to be looking like statesmen while also saying different stuff..........

Donnamarie wrote:Did anyone watch Trump's news conference today?  I would love to know from our international friends the reaction from their home country.

If anyone has a chance and the time please watch it.  
It's unnerving.  And I feel pretty confident that the Trump supporters loved it.  

Yep I saw it....I sat down for ten minutes to watch the news with a coffee.....and wow over an hour latter!....Full credit to our news programme who just cancelled everything and stayed with it.....


I honestly felt like I was sitting in on The Donald's weekly therapy session....

The good news is you will get him....the bad news is the press cannot believe they haven't got him yet, and now is not the time for them to "go low".......Keep it pro.......

More good news, we were not the only people to watch it....The crazies got a good look at King Crazy of USA......

LizzyNY wrote:The problem is that the people around him who do have government experience are staying silent. Maybe they're waiting for him to do something so horrendous that there's no coming back for him and then they can ride in and save the country.

My  personal feeling is that I would never vote for anyone who stood by and let this buffoon destroy our country. Anyone who doesn't try to stop him is as culpable as he is.

I think that is what is happening....He has lived by the sword (in his case his tongue), he will die by it.....No need to get your hands dirty.....Having said that, going back to his campaign several times he would say something and I would go thats it! he has overstepped the mark.....Goodnight Donald.....and look what happened.....

All in this country feel it's only a matter of time....The news will never be the same without The Donald....We'll always have re-runs of The apprentice ( see my old soft spot for The Don).....

Ivanka, is getting a baptism of fire into politics.....Ivanka is perfecting going hi....Is she a Hillary in the making.....

Oh the guy from CNN Jim Acosta.....in a certain light...after a glass or three of wine....does he remind you of anybody.....

My new celeb crush of the day.....Don't you just love a James that calls himself Jim....

Our New York friends have probably seen it but if anyone can search out the cover of today's New York Post ... kinda says it all in a nutshell.

That cover definitely said it all this is awful.

This?

Trump team considers deploying 100,000 National Guard troops for immigrant roundup

PAN - The real estate lawsuit is old news here in NY. Sadly the Trumps weren't the only landlords to discriminate back then, just maybe among the worst. Thankfully since then people's attitudes have changed and so have the laws.

Donnamarie and annemarie - The Post cover is just another sign of that paper's schizophrenia. All through the election cycle they supported Trump (and still do in their editorials). Now that he's going full-on looney tunes they're changing their tune just a bit.

Much more worrying is that he wants to send 100,000 National Guard troops after immigrants. Welcome to Hitler's brown shirted storm troopers!

Katiedot wrote:This?

Trump team considers deploying 100,000 National Guard troops for immigrant roundup

The notion of sending the National Guard to roundup illegals is downright scary and IMO unAmerican. I think the administration pushed back today on this story that's circulating.

Someone has an altogether different - and better idea

https://twitter.com/chicagotribune/status/832601031238361088



David Axelrod's and Lysa Heslov's twitter pages continue to be brilliant


Oh, and aparently there was not one State Department representative at the Netanyanu meetings - unless you include Jared Kushner with all his experience!

He can't send the National Guard it doesn't work that way.

annemarie - Apparently he doesn't know that. Maybe someone should tell his boss (Steve Bannon) that despite their best efforts the Constitution is still in effect!

He doesn't know much and the people around him seem to know even less.

There are suggestions online that this is a Bannon/Breitbart technique/strategy used at least four times before to wind up the media just so that they can then deny it..........sigh...........

This is ridiculous our country has enough problems that need dealing with this nonsense is unnecessary .

So there are no adults actually running the country lord help us.

Another 'great' tweet by your POTUS:

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/832708293516632065

Everybody who doesn't agree with my opinion, is not just my enemy but also an enemy of my country and all Americans.
In Germany we've had somebody like him eighty years ago: Destroying the free press, suppressing the opposition, creating an enemy everybody can hate (we've had the Jews, you have Immigranten). Sounds like a repetition...

It's all happening in Germany this weekend.

Tillerson has to stay in a sanitorium 20 miles from where he needs to be because he didn't book a hotel room in time, Pence says it's all fine for Europe but pay up, Merkel says it's not as easy as that, but is impressed by Justin - and John McCain says it exactly as it is. Wow!

Meanwhile the Time magazine cover is pretty amazing as is the article


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/02/17/the-challenges-behind-president-trumps-new-and-striking-time-magazine-cover/?utm_term=.4566daf99c3b

And the Trump family's weekend sprees are costing the taxpayers a fortune

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/02/16/trump-family-elaborate-lifestyle-logistical-nightmare-taxpayer-expense/KT8hig29qTuC7ADTHN0J4O/story.html?p1=Article_Recommended_ReadMore_Pos2

The Time cover is brilliant!

No outrage here over the Trumps spending over $10 mil for just three weekends in office.  What a sorry, sorry bunch!  Trump famously criticized Obama for taking weendend trips and vacations.  HYPOCRITE!
But no one seems to care.

Bill Maher had some excellent insight on his show last night.  Hope all can watch.  The Trump Circus ....

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g.7OH3ae7Wtg

If the people who voted for him because they can't make ends meet and thought he would send some of his cash their way aren't furious about this, then I guess they really are stupid.

It's not just the Secret Service protecting the Trump family's entitled asses. It's the businesses that lose money when the streets are cordoned off and customers can't get through and our police forces, which we pay to protect us but are pulled away to make sure nothing happens to the Cheeto-in-Chief.

When is Mr. Moneybags going to start pulling his own weight and start paying back some of the costs he's dumping on us? He's soooooo rich! Really? If he's so rich why do we have to pay his expenses? And why do we have to pay for his kids when they go on business trips, on our dime, to make more money they won't pay taxes on?

I really hate these people!

Cheeto in chief lol, to answer your question Lizzy never will he ever pay for anything. Who is going to make him, surely not all us Americans we couldn't possible care how much he is costing us , you know we all just love him to death , according to him.

And he isn't taking his pay, well why would he , he is spending more than the would have gotten paid.

Donnamarie, the video is gone says it doesn't exist.

I'm posting it again, Annemarie. Let's see if this works - very very strange if it doesn't!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7OH3ae7Wtg

Sorry the link didn't work. Looks like the one PAN posted did. Thanks!

Ok Cheeto-in-Chief is my new fave name! Love it!
annemarie is right. He will never pay for anything out of his own pocket as long as he can get away with it. And he will and is doing so right now. Look at his charitable giving record in the past.

No Member of Congress with an "R" after their name has condemned this man for anything so far and none of them will. Only as a last resort. If Trump can get away with murder he will. I've never seen such a flawed national figure in our recent history that has gotten away with as much as he has. It's disgraceful.

The second Link PAN posted, worked for me. Thanks for that, PAN, Bill Maher really hit the mark!

Donnmarie - Did you see McCain's speech? I'd vote for him tomorrow if I could - and I'm a Democrat!

I loved Maher he was so right.

Saw Bill Maher's show with Milo What's-His -Face. I understand Maher's point about free speech and allowing the audience to decide for themselves about someone - but - I draw the line at giving attention to a spoiled brat who will say anything for attention.

This kid is just so fuckin' impressed with himself! The more attention he gets, the more important he thinks he is - and he isn't! He's a rude, spoiled child who has the relevance of a gnat in a hurricane!

I'm not surprised he supports Trump. They're two of a kind.

Lizzy,
are you talking about Maher's show in PAN's link above?

Today the Turkish Prime Minister Yildirin was in Germany to campaign for a referendum which gives Erdogan more power and disempowers Yildirin and the Turkish Parliament. In Germany we've got so many Turks who are allowed to vote in Turkey that they campaign here as well. And the Turks who live in Germany either seem to be more conservative than those who live in Turkey or only see their advantage of living in one country and being a citizen of another, in any case the Turks in Germany always support the conservative candidates and parties.

carol, do those Turkish citizens who live in Germany vote by an absentee ballot or do they have to physically go back to Turkey to vote in their elections?  I'm a bit confused.

Lizzy, I haven't listened to McCain's speech.  I'll check it out.  I did watch Milo on Maher's show and what an ass he is.  He is so totally into himself.  He seems very self-conscious and amused with himself.  Very unconvincing.

carol, yes the interview with Milo is from the clip above - the Feb. 17 show. You should be able to find it on YouTube.

Here's a very interesting story that has surfaced tonight. Worth a look for anybody thinking of a dalliance with Russia

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/18/russias-deadly-plot-overthrow-montenegros-government-assassinating/

and Trump junior has already had a trial run at it..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-jr-was-actually-keynote-speaker-at-widely_us_586d2f8ae4b068764965c5c5