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

Meantime, lots of fun here

NEW from @GabrielSherman: Trump is getting frustrated with his West Wing team—and Ivanka “wants to clean house” https://t.co/UnUrmous2C

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 6, 2018

One Republican close to the White House described Trump’s frustration with Kelly, who came to the office with zero political experience, this way: “It’s like Kelly views Trump as a mushroom. He wants to keep him in the dark and feed him a bunch of shit.”

That 'mushroom' line is quite an old one. I first heard it in the mid-90s.

Goes back to the 60s, I think.

My grandpa had the mushroom quote painted on a sign in his workshop. On the reverse side it read "when you're up to your ass in alligators you know it's time to drain the swamp." The sign was a relic even back when I was a kid.

xp: 60s could be right.

According to sources, Trump speaks regularly by phone with a braintrust that includes Sean Hannity, Jason Miller, Corey Lewandowski, Reince Priebus, and R.N.C. Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel.

a pathway to citizenship (for) 1.8 million young undocumented immigrants who came here as minors

If that were an earnest offer from a trustworthy White House, I would be, um, pleasantly surprised. As things stand? lol as if.

Maybe we should send all those idle NYT reporters back out to their beloved rural diners and have them ask "What would you say about a politician who offers a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants?"

One presumes the answer would be "Hell no, that's amnesty! Good thing we have Trump in there to hold the hard line!"

"Uh, that's actually Trump's plan."

"Really? Huh. Guess he's playing some kind of long con strategic 4d chess like that Dilbert guy says. Hashtag maga!"

oh so reporters are pushing the Ivanna-will-save-Trump bullshit again eh

Ha, seems more like she's wanting to save herself, honestly.

and her husband

After the much-hyped Nunes memo failed to deliver the narrative reset that the White House hoped for...

What on earth were these people expecting...

I love how his brain trust has historically been composed almost entirety of fired staffers.

We had to fire the staffer in order to rely on him

Have fun with that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-marching-orders-to-the-pentagon-plan-a-grand-military-parade/2018/02/06/9e19ca88-0b55-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html

he really does kinda admire kim jong un don't he

Honestly I'm more amused that he got the idea from France.

So much for freedom fries!

So I guess the Army Marching Band will have to learn "Blurred Lines"?

Trump officials had discussed Memorial Day on May 28, and July 4, but the Pentagon prefers Veterans Day on Nov. 11 — in part because it would coincide with 100th anniversary of the victorious end of World War I and therefore be less associated with the president and politics. “That’s what everyone is hoping,” said the military official.

lmao

Oh my god. https://t.co/I02i1ncp0Y

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) February 6, 2018

the treason is coming from inside the house

Amused by this:

Pentagon confirms WaPo scoop ON THE RECORD. “We are aware of the request and are looking at possible dates,” Charlie Summers, a Pentagon spokesman, just told reporters.

— HansNichols (@HansNichols) February 6, 2018

Note 'request.'

The Pentagon.....welcome to the resistance

in his pre-president days, did donald trump use and require NDA's from people he was more involved with more than most people in his position? he seems to use them excessively but maybe that's just how rich people roll? i'm not sure.

Well, I mean, if you say so.

At Heritage, Sessions vows crackdown on 'large members' https://t.co/AQ76zyb14G

— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) February 7, 2018

well we may not have gotten the pee tape, but at least we know for sure trump is bald now

rip nick foles xp

Lol I got that one

Wow: Democrats WIN Missouri's #HD97 by 3% (51.5-48.5). It's a pick-up.

That's an absurdly large net swing of 31 percentage points toward Dems compared to the 2016 presidential results. pic.twitter.com/3nW6sw3BPw

— Taniel (@Taniel) February 7, 2018

woo!

there's 4 special elections in MO tonight. swings so far are 31 (the pickup), 24 and 19 (these are therefore GOP holds, these were seriously red seats). one to go. currently too close to call. trump won it 78-19.

see district 144 here if you want to play along http://enr.sos.mo.gov/default.aspx

democrats lost that last one. final results

There were 4 specials in MO today, all in very red districts. Here are the net swings compared to the 2016 presidential results:#HD97: +31% net swing towards Dem [& Dem pick-up]#HD39: +19%#HD129: +25%#HD144: +53% (!)

(This is the state ft. McCaskill's reelection race)

— Taniel (@Taniel) February 7, 2018

lets go

it's possible that Republican in district 97 suffered from being listed on the ballot as C. Linton

b. utheremails

note those swings are relative to the last presidential election and not the last time those state seats were up, because the last time those states seats were up, the republican ran unopposed in all of them.

In the “old days,” when good news was reported, the Stock Market would go up. Today, when good news is reported, the Stock Market goes down. Big mistake, and we have so much good (great) news about the economy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2018

#InstitutionalizeHim

Stupid stock market https://t.co/yzZe7bF4EO

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 7, 2018

he kinda has a point insofar as the current downswing was partially spurred by the fact that workforce wages are going up?

We have to be tough on stock market and come to a deal. Dems won't.

Ask ten economics what the reason for the "flash crash" is and you'll get ten different answers. All ten would agree that Trump knows nothing about how the stock market actually works.

xp heh

Bad Stock Market won't make a deal! Not on Team Trump, watching only Fake News Award Winning CNN. A shame for America, but we will fight!!

He should try screaming at the stock market, maybe try to strong arm the stock market into apologizing for making such a big mistake. Bad stock market.

He is just such a dumb fuck.

Un-American, treasonous stock market

What about stock market's emails? We had the biggest stock market and now it's the smallest stock market. And I have it on good authority that illegal immigrants comprise at least half of the stock market. We should build a wall around the stock market and lock it up. Make the stock market great again!

River keeps flowing down. Predictable! Sad!

Clouds hang in air, completely silent. Scared? Low energy!

Water has no fixed shape and yields easily to external pressure. No spine! MAGA

Proud Mary keep on touryning

old lunch's last post reminds me of this

https://i.imgur.com/YqNtKyo.jpg