Trump 30: Donald Trump and the Deathly Comb-Over

[fraurosena]

No, the presidunce isn't a racist. What ever gave you that idea? Oh, wait.

Trump celebrates winning 52 percent of women in 2016 — which is only how he did among whites

Quote

President Trump arrived in western Pennsylvania on Saturday night for one of his favorite presidential tasks: delivering a long, free-association speech at a political rally. At one point he began rehashing the 2016 election, as he does.

“Women!” he yelled. “Women, we love you. We love you. Hey, didn’t we surprise them with women during the election? Remember? ‘Women won’t like Donald Trump,’ ” he said, mimicking cable news pundits. “I said, ‘Have I really had that kind of a problem? I don‘t think so.’ But: ‘Women won’t like Donald Trump. It will be a rough night for Donald Trump because the women won’t come out.’ We got 52 percent. Right? Fifty-two. And I’m running against a woman! You know it’s not that easy,” Trump said.

That figure, 52 percent, is clearly incorrect. Why? Because we know that Trump 1) received more support from men than from women and 2) lost the popular vote. So if he’d received majorities of men and women, it would have been awfully hard for him to get a minority of the ballots cast.

Checking the exit polls shows that, in fact, Trump was wrong. He got only 41 percent of the vote from women. He got 52 percent from men.

When I noted this on Twitter, someone pointed out another way in which Trump might have erred. When he said “women,” maybe he really meant “white women.”

And, sure enough, among white women, Trump earned the 52 percent figure to which he referred.

Among Hispanic women, he won only a quarter of the vote. Among black women, he got an overwhelmingly poor 4 percent of support.

In other words, Trump’s celebration of how well he did with women appears to have been, in fact, a celebration of how well he did with white women, somehow skipping over that critical modifier. What’s more, Trump’s was the worst showing for a Republican among white women since 2000, when George W. Bush barely edged out Al Gore.

At the same rally, Trump made several comments of the sort that led pundits before the 2016 election to predict he’d do poorly with female voters. He disparaged Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) by calling her “Pocahontas,” as he does, but also by insulting her advocacy for Clinton during the campaign. Warren’s speeches, he said, were “so angry” that she was losing every man in the audience, and some women. Trump also twice disparaged Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) as “low IQ.”

It’s been a rocky week for the president. As the White House pushed forward with fostering a sense of normalcy, including with its annual statement celebrating International Women’s Day, Trump’s team was forced to answer questions about his alleged affair with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and his attorney’s $130,000 payment to keep Daniels from talking.

In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, Trump’s approval rating was 38 percent — and 33 percent among women.

 

[apple1]

This is a lengthy, time-consuming, and at times difficult, read. And I am not sure that this is the right thread for it, but...

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-last-temptation/554066/

The author's concluding paragraph (which loses much without reading the article, but is still worth quoting):

Quote

It is difficult to see something you so deeply value discredited so comprehensively. Evangelical faith has shaped my life, as it has the lives of millions. Evangelical history has provided me with models of conscience. Evangelical institutions have given me gifts of learning and purpose. Evangelical friends have shared my joys and sorrows. And now the very word is brought into needless disrepute.

This is the result when Christians become one interest group among many, scrambling for benefits at the expense of others rather than seeking the welfare of the whole. Christianity is love of neighbor, or it has lost its way. And this sets an urgent task for evangelicals: to rescue their faith from its worst leaders.

 

[fraurosena]

Not about the midterms, but the 2020 presidential one. An exercise in wishful thinking? Maybe. Maybe not.

Could Joe Biden pick Barack Obama as his running mate? Yes. But.

Quote

It started, as so many things start, in the hazy college dorm room that is Twitter.

Could Joe Biden seek to goose his not-yet-existent presidential campaign by adding Barack Obama to the ticket? Or, along the same lines, could we see Hillary Clinton-Bill Clinton face off against Jeb Bush-George W. Bush? And, like, can you even imagine?

The answer seems to be pretty straightforward. The 12th Amendment to the Constitution statesthat "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States." And the 22nd Amendment, the political response to Franklin Roosevelt's impressive run of presidential victories, capped presidents to two terms. Ergo: No Clinton-Clinton or Bush-Bush. Or Biden-Obama, for that matter. Done and done, right?

The answer seems straightforward. But it is less straightforward than it appears.

Michael Dorf is a professor of constitutional law at Cornell University. In 2000, he argued that an Al Gore-Bill Clinton ticket could withstand legal scrutiny. And when we spoke by phone on Thursday, he said that he stood by that argument.

The rough outline of his argument is this: The 22nd Amendment doesn't say you can't be president for more than two terms. It says you can't be elected president twice. If a Biden-Obama ticket won (which we'll get to), and tragedy were to befall Joe Biden, Barack Obama could become president, according to the letter of the law (which we'll also get to), since he wasn't elected to the position. As such, Obama is not constitutionally ineligible to serve as president.

What's more, Dorf said, the case of Powell v. McCormack in 1968 established precedent for a narrow reading of what constitutes "eligibility." In that case, the House sought to prevent Adam Clayton Powell from being sworn in as a representative, arguing that the Constitution gave them the ability to "be the judge of ... qualifications" to sit in the House. The Supreme Court disagreed, deciding that the House couldn't add new qualifications (in Powell's case, that he faced legal problems) by which to deem someone eligible.

"I interpret the Powell case to mean that when the Constitution refers to 'qualifications,' or whether someone is 'qualified' for an office, that's a kind of term of art," Dorf said. "When we learn that the vice president has to have the qualifications for the office of the presidency, that is also a term of art. We look to the part of the Constitution that tells us what it takes to be qualified to be president, and not having served two prior terms is not among them."

"The 22nd Amendment, to my mind, is a sort of stand-alone provision," he continued. And that provision says "elected." "The drafters of this language knew the difference between getting elected to an office and holding an office. They could have just said 'no person may hold the office of president more than twice.' But they didn't."

Here's the interesting part, though: Dorf also notes the distinction between running for the vice presidency and becoming vice president. I asked him where a challenge would arise to a Biden-Obama candidacy, and his response was that it would come up at the Electoral College -- or once Congress was asked to certify the already-voted-upon results. There's a completely valid argument to be made that the country would never elect Barack Obama as vice president, of course, in part because is seems to violate the spirit of the 22nd amendment. But if we did, it wouldn't actually become a constitutional question until after Election Day. Remember: We don't elect the president and vice president; the Electoral College does.

Meaning that, in theory, Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden could name anyone as their running mate. Hillary Clinton could run with Charlotte Mezvinsky, her infant granddaughter. The granddaughter couldn't serve, given that she doesn't meet the Constitutional standard for the presidency (being 35 years old) -- but she can run.

That's assuming that young Ms. Mezvinsky were allowed to be on the ballot in the necessary states. State electoral processes differ and the states are allowed to decide what qualifications are required to appear on their ballots. Not being potty-trained might end up being one.

If you're curious, as I was, it's a slightly different situation if, say, George W. Bush ran for the House and was elected House speaker and then the president and vice president died -- the line of succession that puts the speaker second-in-line to the presidency. But that's a statute, meaning that it can be more easily set aside as needed. (The same would hold if the speaker of the House were less than 35 years old -- the minimum age for a president -- which is possible.)

So, in short: Yes, Joe Biden can name Barack Obama as his running mate. It's even conceivable that, if they won, they could argue their case before Congress to be seated as president and vice president. (And Hillary Clinton could name Charlotte Mezvinsky as her running mate, though Charlotte couldn't be vice president. And Jeb Bush can unquestionably name George Bush as his running mate and not even have any constitutional question arise.

Meaning George H. W. Bush, of course, who was only elected president once.

So, it isn't as inconceivable as it seems. 

[GrumpyGran]

14 hours ago, AnywhereButHere said:

I’ve decided to rename my swear jar. It’s now become my son’s college fund. With the way this administration is going, I should have enough to cover the kid through grad school by the time this year is out. 

Just use it as your retirement fund. You could probably have a half a million in there within a few months time if you stop restraining yourself.

[fraurosena]

Sweet Rufus! I'm so glad Now This captions their video's so I don't have to listen to his creepy voice.

BTW, how much do you guys think those two girls in the background got paid for their cheerleading job?

[WiseGirl]

From Seth Abramson's Twitter - honestly I tried to link it, but epic fail pretty much sums it up.  I cannot come up with the words to adequately convey what I feel from the first Tweet.  Terrified is one, anxious, astounded, flabbergasted, then all my favorite 4-letter ones to describe the idiot are just a few.

"The president is calling for the death penalty for nonviolent crimes, an end to term limits, an end to ethics probes of his family, closer ties to anti-Semites and strongmen, and jailing his enemies. If you work in a field that doesn't see a threat in all this—rethink your field." - Seth Abramson

And another one of my favorites...from today...

" When you're a president who's done nothing wrong, you hire a lawyer who specializes in impeachments. This is known." - Seth Abramson

 

[fraurosena]

33 minutes ago, WiseGirl said:

From Seth Abramson's Twitter - honestly I tried to link it, but epic fail pretty much sums it up.  I cannot come up with the words to adequately convey what I feel from the first Tweet.  Terrified is one, anxious, astounded, flabbergasted, then all my favorite 4-letter ones to describe the idiot are just a few.

"The president is calling for the death penalty for nonviolent crimes, an end to term limits, an end to ethics probes of his family, closer ties to anti-Semites and strongmen, and jailing his enemies. If you work in a field that doesn't see a threat in all this—rethink your field." - Seth Abramson

And another one of my favorites...from today...

" When you're a president who's done nothing wrong, you hire a lawyer who specializes in impeachments. This is known." - Seth Abramson

 

Here they are:

and

 

(You can easily copy/paste tweets by clicking on the 'v' located at the top right of a tweet on Twitter. On a computer, you'll get a drop-down menu from which you choose the option: 'Copy link to Tweet'. If you're using a phone, you'll also get a menu and after choosing the 'Share Tweet via' option you need to choose 'Copy tweet URL'. Then you can simply paste it in your FJ post. )

[fraurosena]

Good grief. Essentially American policies are made only after Faux News reporters give their input. 

 

[fraurosena]

Sweet Rufus. I hadn't realized this.

I would love for the media to confront him -- or anyone in his administration -- or anyone in the GOP for that matter -- with this. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"The needy salesman in chief"

Spoiler

One of President Trump’s favorite words is “strong.” His obsession with strength leads him to a love for unilateral announcements, denunciations of staff members by way of showing who is in charge, and Twitter wars designed to prove that he will not back down from any fight.

Oh yes, and he also thinks he looks strong when he defies all the norms of decency and presidential decorum, as he did in a typically self-involved and, well, bonkers speech in Moon Township, Pa., on Saturday night. He also apparently thinks that another way of showing how tough he is is to propose executing drug dealers and to say he got the idea from China’s increasingly dictatorial leader, Xi Jinping.

Yet Trump is also a pleaser who likes to make those in his immediate company happy by convincing them that he is absolutely on their wavelength. You could see this in his flip-flopping on policy toward both guns and immigration. Recall that the positions he took on any given day depended upon who was in the room with him.

Eventually, he will default to preserving his electoral standing. He was never likely to break with either the National Rifle Association or the hard-line nativists who are at the heart of his administration and his political base. Trump has interests. He doesn’t have a philosophy.

But above all, he has needs, and the erratic nature of the Trump presidency can be explained by the interaction of his two compulsions: looking strong and being liked. They sometimes seem to collide, but they are actually of a piece. Both speak of a man for whom the personal is the only kind of political. It is impossible to know what his true policy commitments are because they are secondary. On any given day and at any given moment, his actions are dictated by what, in his eyes, will make him look forceful and bring him accolades.

Bear all this in mind in assessing the two major events of recent days: Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, and his agreement to enter direct talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

The tariffs may, in fact, serve him well in the short term. Note that Trump initially reached his decision to impose them when he was feeling “angry” and “increasingly isolated,” as Post reporters Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey wrote on March 3. With the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III gathering steam and other scandals dominating the airwaves, Trump did what he always does: He sought to change the subject and shake up the news cycle.

But there is more. If Trump and the Republicans have reason to worry that the political energy of his foes could play out in substantially increased Democratic turnout in this November’s elections, there is a second danger almost as serious. His working-class supporters — the key swing group in the states that gave him his electoral college victory — have little to show for his presidency.

While this past Friday’s robust jobs report provided continued good news overall, it found that wage growth was nearly flat. And as Post blogger Greg Sargent observed last week, economic growth remains concentrated in the states that rejected Trump. “Trump Country” is not experiencing the renaissance he predicted, in part because he could not have kept his outsize promises in the first place.

Thus Republican nervousness about Tuesday’s special congressional election in a western Pennsylvania district that backed Trump by nearly 20 points. If Republican Rick Saccone loses to surging Democrat Conor Lamb, or prevails only narrowly, it will be a stark warning that the GOP could face decimation this fall even in the president’s heartland.

While Trump scaled back the reach of the tariffs from his original proposal, they still sent a loud message to his straying base: Remember the old me; I’m still here. That was also the message Trump sent in his rambling, in-your-face speech Saturday on behalf of the struggling Saccone. Should the GOP prevail on Tuesday, count on Trump to tout the tariffs opposed by most of his party (and, of course, his unplugged performance in Moon Township) for pulling the race over the line. His agreement to meet with North Korea’s brutal and erratic leader is an even bigger showstopper. It was variously cast as a great triumph for Trump’s hard line or a foolish and premature concession that enhanced Kim’s standing without gaining anything in return. On Friday the White House tried to condition the meeting on “concrete steps” from North Korea, but then Trump insisted he was going full speed ahead. He was not about to let go of the Trumpian point to it all: He was doing something no other president dared do while casting himself in a starring role.

All presidencies are shaped by the personal proclivities of the occupant of the Oval Office. But we have not had a president who focused so much energy on appearing to be strong and who, like the playwright Arthur Miller’s salesman Willy Loman, so desperately wants to believe he is “liked.” These drives are the biggest threats to Trump himself and, I fear, to our republic.

Yeah, well, he's wasting his time, we aren't going to like him.

[fraurosena]

Aaaaaand Rex Tillerson's out.

But you know what? I think this firing is every bit as interesting, but will probably get buried by the Rexit:

Trump’s Personal Assistant Is Fired

Quote

President Donald Trump’s personal assistant, John McEntee, was escorted out of the White House on Monday, two senior administration officials said. The cause of the firing was an unspecified security issue, said a third White House official with knowledge of the situation.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to comment saying, “We don’t comment on personnel issues.” Mr. McEntee didn’t return a call seeking comment.

Mr. McEntee was one of the longest-serving aides to Mr. Trump, dating back to the earliest days of the campaign when some of the only aides around the then-candidate included Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser; Stephen Miller, the president’s policy director; White House communications director Hope Hicks, who announced her resignation two weeks ago; and Dan Scavino, who is the White House director of social media.

In additional staff turnover, Mr. Trump on Tuesday said Rex Tillerson was out as secretary of state, after months of speculation over his fate, and that Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo would be nominated to lead the State Department.

Mr. McEntee wasn’t as well known as the others, but had been a constant presence at Mr. Trump’s side for the past three years. He made sure Mr. Trump had markers to sign autographs, delivered messages to him in the White House residence and, over the weekend, ensured that the clocks in the White House residence were adjusted for daylight-saving time.

“It’s not going to be great for morale,” one White House official said about Mr. McEntee’s departure.

Mr. McEntee was removed from the White House grounds on Monday afternoon without being allowed to collect his belongings, a White House official said. He left without his jacket, a second White House official said.

It wasn’t clear exactly why Mr. McEntee was fired Monday. He indicated to colleagues that it was an issue in his background.

Several White House officials have lost their jobs over the past month since White House Chief of Staff John Kelly imposed a stricter security-clearance policy. Those changes were prompted by the departure of staff secretary Rob Porter, who quit after accusations of domestic violence were made public. Mr. Porter has denied the accusations, which had delayed final approval of his security clearance.

Mr. Kelly told reporters earlier this month that when he joined the White House as chief of staff this summer, he realized a large number of staffers still held interim clearances after more than seven months in the administration.

His review turned up “a couple spreadsheets worth of people” at the White House operating with interim security clearance after the first nine months of the Trump administration. He also found at least 35 officials who were inappropriately given top secret clearance.

He was escorted off the premises without even being able to gather his personal belongings, not even his jacket. I wonder what precipitated and necessitated that action.

[GreyhoundFan]

@fraurosena--McEntee has already rejoined Dumpy's 2020 campaign.

Spoiler

President Trump has fired his White House personal assistant John McEntee, who had been with the president since early in his campaign, an administration official confirmed Tuesday. The president's campaign then announced McEntee will rejoin the campaign as a senior adviser of operations.

McEntee is the latest in a series of departures by West Wing officials, including communications director Hope Hicks and staff secretary Rob Porter. It was not clear why McEntee was let go. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the firing, citing an unspecified security issue.

Trump has had a record rate of turnover in his senior staff. Before McEntee's departure, 43 percent of the president's executive staff had left in the first 13½ months. McEntee's departure was overshadowed by the news that Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him. Gina Haspel — the deputy director at the CIA — will succeed Pompeo at the CIA, becoming the first woman to run the spy agency, if confirmed.

Also Tuesday, the Trump campaign announced that Katrina Pierson, who served as the campaign's 2016 national spokeswoman, will rejoin the effort as a senior adviser.

“We need the help of proven leaders such as Katrina and John to promote the President’s growing portfolio of achievements across the country.” campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement.

Sigh, I was hoping Katrina Pierson was trapped under her bridge.

[CTRLZero]

McEntee's background revealed something substantial enough to be physically escorted from the White House grounds, but then he is still working on the campaign. 

And when will it be Stephen Miller's turn to go?  Please, please, please!

 

 

[fraurosena]

12 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

@fraurosena--McEntee has already rejoined Dumpy's 2020 campaign.

  Hide contents

President Trump has fired his White House personal assistant John McEntee, who had been with the president since early in his campaign, an administration official confirmed Tuesday. The president's campaign then announced McEntee will rejoin the campaign as a senior adviser of operations.

McEntee is the latest in a series of departures by West Wing officials, including communications director Hope Hicks and staff secretary Rob Porter. It was not clear why McEntee was let go. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the firing, citing an unspecified security issue.

Trump has had a record rate of turnover in his senior staff. Before McEntee's departure, 43 percent of the president's executive staff had left in the first 13½ months. McEntee's departure was overshadowed by the news that Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him. Gina Haspel — the deputy director at the CIA — will succeed Pompeo at the CIA, becoming the first woman to run the spy agency, if confirmed.

Also Tuesday, the Trump campaign announced that Katrina Pierson, who served as the campaign's 2016 national spokeswoman, will rejoin the effort as a senior adviser.

“We need the help of proven leaders such as Katrina and John to promote the President’s growing portfolio of achievements across the country.” campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement.

Sigh, I was hoping Katrina Pierson was trapped under her bridge.

Now I'm confused. Why was he escorted off the premises without his personal belongings, and then hired by the campaign? Or was it all for show, and he just left his things, because he knew he would be back the next day, only in another capacity? Either way... weird!

[AmazonGrace]

 

10 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Now I'm confused. Why was he escorted off the premises without his personal belongings, and then hired by the campaign? Or was it all for show, and he just left his things, because he knew he would be back the next day, only in another capacity? Either way... weird!

I think probably somebody in the Deep State got concerned about National Security Issues and Kelly felt compelled to fire him  when they complained enough but Trump got mad because he doesn't really give a damn about National Security Issues and said, I like him, so unfair,  let's hire him in the campaign and give him a raise?  

Also, the chances are if the dude is mad that he got fired he'll tell Mueller more secrets so Trump might want to keep on his good side?

Not sure but I think if you work in a campaign office and put out press releases and phone fundraisers or something you probably need a top secret security clearance less urgently than if you work in the West Wing.

 

[AmazonGrace]

Okay now it makes perfect sense. He was fired because of a financial crimes investigation. So of course he is a perfect fit for the Trump campaign https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/973579514419863553?s=19 c

 

[fraurosena]

28 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Okay now it makes perfect sense. He was fired because of a financial crimes investigation. So of course he is a perfect fit for the Trump campaign https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/973579514419863553?s=19 c

 

Oh dear, your link doesn't work, and now I'm soooo curious! 

Off to search 'kaitlancollins' it is then. 

Ha, found it really quickly!

Here's the tweet:

Here's CNN's article:

Longtime Trump aide fired over financial crime investigation

Quote

President Donald Trump's longtime personal aide John McEntee was fired because he is currently under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security for serious financial crimes, a source familiar with his firing told CNN.

The charges are not related to the President, the source said.

Minutes after news of his departure broke, the Trump campaign announced McEntee would be joining the reelection effort as a senior adviser for campaign operations.

McEntee escorted from the White House on Monday, three sources with knowledge of the matter told CNN. Two sources said McEntee was pushed out because of issues with his security clearance, making him just the latest aide to be forced out because of difficulties obtaining a full security clearance.

McEntee declined a CNN request to comment.

"We do not comment on personnel issues," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN in a statement.

McEntee, who joined the Trump campaign in its first months, is the latest of the President's longest-serving aides to leave or announce plans to leave the White House, following the resignation of White House communications direct Hope Hicks two weeks earlier.

McEntee served as Trump's body man during the campaign and into the White House alongside the President's longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller, who left the White House last fall. The role meant McEntee was nearly constantly at the President's side.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news of his exit.

Trump reelection campaign manager Brad Parscale announced McEntee's hire alongside that of Katrina Pierson, a Trump campaign spokesperson in 2016 who will join the 2020 campaign as a senior adviser.

"As we build out our operations for the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 reelection campaign, we are pleased to welcome back two outstanding members of our 2016 team," Parscale said in a statement. "We need the help of proven leaders such as Katrina and John to promote the President's growing portfolio of achievements across the country."

McEntee is just the latest aide to leave the White House amid issues with his security clearance, after White House chief of staff John Kelly enacted a series of reforms following the scandal involving disgraced White House staff secretary Rob Porter.

Kelly sought to limit access to classified information for aides with longstanding interim security clearances and several aides have since left the White House after it became clear their applications for a full security clearances would not be approved.

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

Tl;Dr: Tillerson heard he's unemployed the same way we all heard.

[fraurosena]

You're fired! And you're fired! And you're fired! And you're fired too!

Is he aping Oprah now?

 

[fraurosena]

 

 

[fraurosena]

He's become even more scatterbrained than usual. Now he's confused his imaginary 'deep state' with 'deep space'. What else would he need a 'Space Force' for? 

And what tremendous amount of work in space is he talking about? Is he secretly building a Death Star?

 

[Howl]

SCROTUS is all about revenge and he NEVER forgets a slight, like being called a moron = Rexit

[AmazonGrace]

29 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

He's become even more scatterbrained than usual. Now he's confused his imaginary 'deep state' with 'deep space'. What else would he need a 'Space Force' for?

And what tremendous amount of work in space is he talking about? Is he secretly building a Death Star?

 

Darth Trump and the Stormy Troopers. . He won't defend USA against Russian attacks but if the aliens arrive you guys are all set.

 

[fraurosena]

The presidunce sure is in a firing mood, and it seems he isn't planning to stop any time soon.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

And what tremendous amount of work in space is he talking about? Is he secretly building a Death Star?

Well, he doesn't build things, he only "brands them", like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant to claim it. So, he would approve said Death Star as long as it was gold and had his name in flashing lights on all over it.