Reminder: there are million of people who think this is Presidential
There was so much authoritarian lunacy in Trump’s press conference, that a very tangible bit of worker destruction went almost unnoticed.
The Beginning
President Obama gives a farewell speech as only he can: filled with hope and the pledge to fight
So, it seems like the big story today might be the Presidential-level dossiers about the Russian government cultivating, supporting, and aiding Trump for 5 years, as well as the Trump campaign colluding with them to hack the DNC, spread fake news, and discredit Hillary Clinton.
Buzzfeed has the whole 35 pages, which were compiled by a British former intelligence officer, given to the FBI by John McCain (though they already had much of it) and then given to both Obama and Trump last week. It’s pretty explosive, as Chris Hayes just told me.
There are salacious bits, of course: some very salacious, but those aren’t the main points.
Some quick thoughts on this.
We’ll be live-blogging the President’s farewell address tonight. It makes me sad that so much time was spent on this campaign, and the hideous aftermath, that we haven’t spent many words reflecting on this truly remarkable figure. I’ll try to rectify that in the next week, before the rough beast’s hour comes round at last.
UPDATE: We won’t be liveblogging. I just want to watch my President. Sorry, failed blogger code.
Dried reservoir in the Crimea. Image from Al Jazeera
War has always been about submission. In the 21st century, it becomes easier than ever.
There isn’t much to say about her latest column, which is basically that Trump might not have the right temperament to be President. It’s not, you know, incorrect, but it is without any demonstrable insight. It’s pretty typical Maureen Dowd. I just wanted to point out this part, while reminding you that this is in the New York Times, and not, say, the dot-matrix printed community newsletter of a particularly rundown condo board.
The new president will suddenly realize that Joe Biden is right. He needs to grow up. Chuck Schumer is right. He has to stop nonsense-tweeting and name-calling. John McCain is right. He needs to stop fawning over Vladimir Putin, his B.F.F. whose eyes flash “K.G.B.”
Donald Trump will, at long last, assume a mantle of dignity.
NOT!
Capitalization, and indeed, using a “not” joke that would have been hacky 25 years ago, are hers.
This has been your semi-regular reminder that Maureen Dowd is paid to do this.
APOLOGETIC UPDATE: As Diamond Mark Perrone pointed out, this was clearly a reference to Trump making a “NOT!” reference with Obama. Given the endless nonsense coming from him, I had forgotten about that. Given how hacky a writer Dowd is, I had assumed it was her “joke”. But this was not hacky. I retract my statement.
However, “his B.F.F. whose eyes flash ‘K.G.B.'” is hers.
He’s writing the real playbook
Reminder: they know that most of what they actually do is wildly unpopular
Be honest: how many of these countries do you think our next President could name. Two? Maybe three?
It’s one thing for the President not to know a lot about an issue. It’s another thing to know nothing about an issue. And it’s another thing altogether to be as bone-dumb and ignorant as Trump.
He’s all about repealing Obamacare, not much for helping poor and posioned minorities in the state of which he’s still the governor.
Shooting Irrelevance 