January 9, 2019

"Trump tried to play a normal president on television. The result was very strange."

Ha. I'm reading Washington Post columns this morning, drawn or repelled by headlines. I was repelled by "Trump’s nothingburger speech." That's Jennifer Rubin, who I guess, was expecting Trump to do something drastic and planning to rage about it, then stuck with normal, and much less to chomp on. She wanted a red-meat Trumpburger.

I'm more attracted to "Trump tried to play a normal president on television. The result was very strange." That also, obviously, aims to make something of normal, but seems more curious and almost playful, so this is the one I'll read. It's Alyssa Rosenberg:
Given the hype, it was disconcerting to hear a speech that, at least for the opening minutes, could have been delivered by any normal politician....

Those very gestures of presidential normalcy revealed how futile it was for anyone to wish that Trump would start talking like that all the time. Trump may have told more blatant falsehoods about immigrants and crime over the course of his speech, but to watch him mouth these platitudes is to witness a more insidious and disorienting kind of lying....

Watching Trump’s flat delivery of sentiments that he can’t possibly believe was the inverse of comforting. Instead, the address had the queasy effect of a serial killer’s mask in a horror movie: It was a failed attempt to look normal that concealed something even more terrifying underneath....
Well, it seemed more curious and almost playful to me from the headline, but it turned out to be just about what I was imagining in the Rubin piece I didn't read.

But the WaPo readers probably love this sort of thing. I see the top-rated comment is:
"...the address had the queasy effect of a serial killer’s mask in a horror movie: It was a failed attempt to look normal that concealed something even more terrifying underneath."

Great line, and oh so true.

137 comments:

rehajm said...

I've never eaten or even seen a Trumpburger. At Trump Doral there is a 'Classic Burger' on the menu, and it's good. Definitely not a nothingburber. No Trumpburger, though.

There is an Ivanka Salad, however.

Ralph L said...

We can count on the MSM to say Trump said down when he actually said up. It's happened over and over.

Shouting Thomas said...

Mexico continues to suffer thru an almost unimaginable reign of terror in its northern provinces that has recently spread to the resort cities of the east and east coasts.

More than 100,000 civilians murdered in the past decade by the government/cartels (you can't tell them apart).

Prez Trump is the one telling the truth here and Rubin is lying. Something is deeply wrong with Mexican society. Out of control violence, rape, and piracy.

Talk Diversity shit all you want. Will you protect U.S. citizens from this nightmare spilling over into the U.S.?

Jeff Brokaw said...

These people that keep noting how wrong Trump is without bothering to rebut or even address a single of his points ... who is fooled by this? It’s downright embarrassing to publish such garbage, and pander to an audience that consumes it. But our news media does it everyday. Noted.

BamaBadgOR said...

It's true that Trump is concealing something more terrifying underneath? Wow.

rehajm said...

Who was the most 'normal' President, anyways? Truman? Hayes? Polk?

Democrats always seem to be looking for one that's abnormal. First this, first that. :-)...

Kevin said...

I was repelled by "Trump’s nothingburger speech." That's Jennifer Rubin.

I was repelled by "Trump’s [INSERT SOMETHING HERE]." That's Jennifer Rubin,

gilbar said...

the new Governor of the People's Republic of California said:
'Sanctuary to all who seek it'
so,
ANY ONE, ANY WHERE, ANY TIME; is now welcomed to California, to live FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. No Borders! No Wall! NO USA AT ALL!!!

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

concealed something even more terrifying underneath

You need a "Trump the Boyfriend" tag.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

gilbar said...
the new Governor of the People's Republic of California said:
'Sanctuary to all who seek it'


There's your legal justification for an emergency declaration.

gspencer said...

SanFranNan and Chuck, looking every bit like the anchor desk team for Action Live News, were really convincing, really, really convincing. s/

Hagar said...

I do not think there is anything "terrifying" under Donald J. Trump.
I do think there is something really terrifying under the Democrat left.

Kevin said...

Trump looking normal is terrifying to the Dem’s hope of removing him from office.

They want him in ALL CAPS on Twitter. They NEED him in ALL CAPS on Twitter.

David Begley said...

“Watching Trump’s flat delivery of sentiments that he can’t possibly believe....”

And that WaPo employee can’t possibly know what is in Trump’s mind.

This shit is so tiresome.

Hagar said...

It should perhaps be pointed out that so far the fight about "THE WALL" is only about a stretch reaching from the Pacific Ocean through the San Diego/Tijuana neighborhood and some miles eastwards.

The other 2500 miles or so will require different measures.

rhhardin said...

The plus is that the left recognizes the worthlessness of normal presidential speeches.

wendybar said...

"...the address had the queasy effect of a serial killer’s mask in a horror movie: It was a failed attempt to look normal that concealed something even more terrifying underneath."


That's what I thought of the rebuttal by the MS-13 loving twins.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

It should perhaps be pointed out that so far the fight about "THE WALL" is only about

Making sure the normal people in this country know their concerns will not be addressed nor a compromise be reached. We are being told that we must obey our moral and intellectual betters. There is no other option. You cannot even have a symbolic victory.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Let me get this straight. "Kids in Cages!" is a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed. "Kids Dying in Custody!" is a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed. "Kids Gassed at the Border!" is a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed. But "Unaccompanied Minors Crossing Border Doubles 2017 Total" is a nothingburger, and there is no "crisis" at the border now.

That's your "mainstream" media take on it all right.

Tina Trent said...

Jennifer Rubin: there is nothing less credible than an histrionic pig.

show me one socialist success in world history said...

Not mentioned in WaPo is my favorite line of the speech, "When I took the Oath of Office, I swore to protect our country. And that is what I will always do, so help me God."

Amen

Matt said...

Im really getting fucking tired of living with people that don't care when their fellow citizens are brutalized by people that have no right to be here.

Are all illegals rapists and murderers? No, of course not. But why is that even relevant? It's not. Sanctuary types have blood on their hands and they know it. That's why they get so pissy when you point out the blindingly obvious.

traditionalguy said...

Our President may look like a Serial Killer to Dems but he is our Serial Killer who is diligently going after our enemies to protect us, the American citizens, first. The Enemy Propaganda Media is reacting in horror at Trump's many successes and is going back after our elected President to protect the Global monied interests of the Global Elite from American citizens.



Birches said...

I think Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he went for normal. Anti Trump Inc. was prepping to be foaming at the mouth outraged. He gave them nothing so it made things awkward. Right before we turned off the TV Chris Cuomo said they were going to fact check and I said to my spouse, "what are they going to fact check? Is there not a lady in California who was murdered with a hammer?" Giant fail media.

Fandor said...

I think Trump is more in touch with his Michael Carleone. We're looking forward to the last reel when it all comes together.

Birches said...

And one of the few times I'll agree with ST. Read about El Chapo's trial to see how corrupt Mexico is right now. It's a narcostate.

Fandor said...

Someday we may see a headline saying,"TRUMPBURGER, MAKING BILLIONS FOR AMERICA."

Henry said...

Presidents are weird.

If there is such a thing as "a normal president on television" there must be the alternative, "a normal president not on television." What is the standard, exactly, for "normal on television"?

Sebastian said...

"something even more terrifying underneath"

Prog terror, by contrast, is always obvious and overt.

Progs' TDS usefully exposes who they are.

Birches said...

If the status quo continues on the border, we're only helping the cartels since they directly profit from everyone who crosses. I don't see how anyone believes we should let drug cartels control the Southern border.

The best way to lower the cartels' power is to lower demand. You lower demand by making it clear that you aren't welcome anymore. This isn't rocket science.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The media is absolutely hilarious in its TDS and their ability to hang onto several conflicting ideas at one time without blinking an eye.

"Wah. Trump is a rude boor! Why can't he act like a true politician?"

Wah. Trump is acting like a 'real' Politician and it is boring us to death.

OMG. Trump is telling lies and we can tell by the way he talks all ungrammatical and and and everything. He even capitalizes the wrong words in his tweets.

OMG. Trump is talking like a real politician and now we know! he is telling lies and hiding something. Those oily politicians are always trying to trick us!!

Trump is a lose cannon. Doesn't know WTF he is doing and we are all gonna DIE!!!

Trump didn't do anything crazy and we don't have anything to hyperventilate about. We are all gonna DIE!!!"

You just can't make some people happy. Right? :-D So, Trump just plays into their idiocy. LOL

Fernandinande said...

This partial quotation has been floating around (here parroted by Occasional Cortex):
"Build a wall of steel, a wall as high as Heaven" against immigrants.
- 1924 Ku Klux Klan convention


An obscure speech from 1924 is of no interest other than to show the dishonesty and ignorance of the Occasional Cortexes.

The complete sentence is: "I would build a wall of steel, a wall as high as Heaven, against the admission of a single one of those Southern Europeans who never thought the thoughts or spoke the language of a democracy in their lives."

Not "against immigrants". (Against Catholics, no doubt)

The author was Democrat Protestant KKK member Clifford Walker.

iowan2 said...

And one of the few times I'll agree with ST. Read about El Chapo's trial to see how corrupt Mexico is right now. It's a narcostate.

This

It's today's ahaa moment for me.
Mexico has been a narco state for decades. 2 maybe 3 generations of people have been living this culture. At varying levels of acceptance, but acceptance none the less. Today's 14 year old Mexican or Central American illegal, crossing into the US has parents and grand parents accepting their version of normal. Lawlessness, crime, drug lords, corrupt government officials,etc. Those people do not grasp the social contract we have in the US. Crime is wrong. That is not the thinking of these illegal aliens. That is the culture Democrats want polluting the United States.

Fernandinande said...

He even capitalizes the wrong words in his tweets.

hE shoulD starT capitalizinG thE lasT letteR oF eacH worD. lookS nuttY!

rhhardin said...

America's uncle followed by America's angry grandparents. - Armstrong and Getty

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I’m genuinely frightened of these fanatics who have convinced themselves that the melodramatic hooey they believe in is reality.

Temujin said...

I can't get past the fact that none of these people were or are bothered by "if you like your doctor you can keep him/her. If you like your insurance, you can keep it", spoken at least 38 times to the public by Pres. Obama. Later his the 'architect' of this plan was caught laughing about the stupidity of the American people and how they knew they could manipulate them.

Or the classic of standing in front of the American people AND the UN and declaring that Benghazi was a terrible event caused by a totally obscure video made years earlier.

These are real lies with real consequences. These same people saw that sort of thing as brilliant.

Trump is fighting to get done what the past 4 Presidents have totally failed to do: securing our borders/national security. You may not like his wall, but his goal is the #1 priority of government. He gave a terrible speech, but his goal is worthy of a real discussion, not a tsunami of media and Democrat attacks with no solutions other than to keep things as they are and suddenly call for fact checkers at every turn.

Chuck said...

I’m a bit surprised that neither of the WaPo columnists mentioned Trump’s odd, off-putting sniffling noises. As James Poniewozik did in the Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/arts/television/trump-prime-time-speech-border-review.html

Remember back during the 2016 campaign when debate watchers noticed the same sniffling and Trump blamed it on a faulty microphone? Business Insider reported on Trump's reaction:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/arts/television/trump-prime-time-speech-border-review.html

Well, it’s President Snuffy’s own microphone now.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Sometimes I think Chuck is high-level performance art.

robother said...

Chuck's got nothing: "odd, off-putting sniffing noises." Or is that now a high crime and misdemeanor worthy of impeachment?

iowan2 said...

The King of the meaningless fact, appears again.

Wilbur said...

America's most "normal" President was America's best President: Cal Coolidge.

Chuck said...

Temujin said...
I can't get past the fact that none of these people were or are bothered by "if you like your doctor you can keep him/her. If you like your insurance, you can keep it", spoken at least 38 times to the public by Pres. Obama. Later his the 'architect' of this plan was caught laughing about the stupidity of the American people and how they knew they could manipulate them.


LMFAO!

President "Nobody knew health care health care could be so complicated" Trump.

I am not taking any health care bullshit from any fan of President Bone Spurs. You got that? Trump has made so many promises about how he is going to negotiate deals with Democrats and hospitals and insurers and drug companies so as to lower costs, lower premiums, lower copays and deductibles, and provide great care. Better care than anybody has right now. Oh, and how he is going to "cover everybody." And "the government will pay" for that. "Because we have to. We have to do it."

Make sense out of all of that.

At least when Obama said that people could keep their plan and keep their doctor, he was addressing himself accurately to the details of the Affordable Care Act. It wasn't a blatantly fabulous falsehood like Trump's bloviating. Of course as we know, the net effect of Obamacare was some disruption wherein some employers decided to change their plans, carriers and coverages. And that had the effect of pushing some of their employees into different coverages and providers. There is room to hear out many of those complaints.

There's a very good and interesting debate to be had, on health care. The only way to make it stupid, would be to involve Trump and his Cultists in that debate.

William said...

It's a fresh approach. Comparing Trump to Hitler is so overdone. Still, one must show discretion and tact when comparing Trump to a serial killer. People might think it's overdoing it to compare him to Jeffrey Dahmer. Trump is more like John Wayne Gacy or Charles Manson. The resemblance is so striking that I'm surprised no one has noticed it before......,I see where Tlaib has sort of apologized for her motherfucker quote. Using such language caused distress among some of her peers and for that she is truly sorry.

Fernandinande said...

It's a narcostate.

Something like that. I know a couple of semi-rich guys from Mexico, who lived there in walled compounds in walled neighborhoods with private armed* guards. Both said they'd rather get arrested (for whatever) in Mexico than the US because in Mexico you just bribe somebody and you're done.

*It's tricky to own guns - or bribe officials - in Mexico if you're not rich. One guy's Dad had literally thousands of guns, including machine guns and cannons. I've seen and handled them.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


“Blogger Chuck said...
I’m a bit surprised that neither of the WaPo columnists mentioned Trump’s odd, off-putting sniffling noises”

Yeah, because that’s some real Fate of Nations shit right there. I miss the old Chuck who would at least try to cobble together some kind of argument before the Night Train claimed his sentience. Demoralized, defeated Chuck seems to be just mailing it in.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Yeah, Chuck. Obama actually believed that. Also, the part about families saving $2,500 per year on health care costs.

Darrell said...

Chuck's pals--Democrats and GOPe could audition for a carnival freak show, but Trump sniffs. Maybe. I've heard him do a hundred long campaign rallies without sniffling. And he couldn't possibly have a cold or an allergy. Or a result of all that plane travel. But let's dwell on Trump's mysterious sniffling.

You are a fucking asshole, Chuck. FOAD.

Bay Area Guy said...

Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi - what a pair of nothing burgers.

Jen Rubin - nothing burger

We are all nothing burgers.

Pass the ketchup.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Trump is a serial killer now. Got it. Thanks hack press.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

"Diversity" the word used by liars like Jenn Rubin.

Nonapod said...

Trump may have told more blatant falsehoods about immigrants and crime over the course of his speech

I didn't watch the speech, what were these so called "blatant falsehoods" exactly?

Wince said...

Say what you will about Trump's sniffing, the point is not deception.

Compare with Obama's "Texas whistle" that always evinced itself in relation to the degree he was trying to con the rubes in the center.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Aren't the real liars the people who claim to want border secirty - but then refuse to fund it.

That would be Chuck and Nancy and their tightly leashed leftwing-o-crats.

Wince said...

Obama's "Texas whistle"....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uJDfNjywB8

Chuck said...

Darrell said...
Chuck's pals--Democrats and GOPe could audition for a carnival freak show, but ;Trump sniffs. Maybe. I've heard him do a hundred long campaign rallies without sniffling. And he couldn't possibly have a cold or an allergy. Or a result of all that plane travel. But let's dwell on Trump's mysterious sniffling.

You are a fucking asshole, Chuck. FOAD.


If you had read the Business Insider story that I linked, you'd know that people gave Trump a chance to say that he had a cold or an allergy or that he wasn't feeling well the first time that his weird sniffling made news. And Trump flat out denied it. He blamed the microphone.

I don't think that Trump's sniffling is any kind of major policy issue. Of course it isn't.

I just think that Trump and his fans are themselves inordinately focused on appearances and images and a notion of Trump's personal strength and invulnerability.

And that is of course why I like this kind of story; his weird ungainly old-man sniffling.

Oh, and his lying. Lying, like blaming it on a microphone.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Again - If Chuck and Nancy care about border security - aren't THEY the liars?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

When an accurate fact-check hits the wire - the leftwing hack machine explodes in rage.

APPARENTLY A BUNCH OF DEMS HAVE THEIR PANTIES IN A WAD OVER THIS ENTIRELY ACCURATE FACT-CHECK.

Darrell said...

As a self-proclaimed deceiver and Trump enemy, Chuck, what do you think Nancy's brain freezes mean? And can you respond to all of the video where Trump doesn't sniffle? A person who is not an idiot knows that it some temporary condition. And Trump doesn't owe you--or anyone else-- an explanation. But every Republican owes you a kick in your fucking face.

Trump had made arrangements to give the national address and couldn't let a cold or any other problem interfere with the schedule. That's what a leader does.

narciso said...

Chuck didnt bring his a game, like the tide.

I Callahan said...

And one of the few times I'll agree with ST. Read about El Chapo's trial to see how corrupt Mexico is right now. It's a narcostate.

Brandon Darby over at Breitbart has done yeoman's work reporting on this stuff. If life were fair, he'd have won a Pulitzer for it.

Brandon Darby

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Mexico is a mess.

But if you lie for a living like Jenn Rubin, the hack press, and Chuck and Nancy - you pull your loyal supporters by they nose with comments like "Trump is like a serial killer."

stevew said...

All the narratives and critiques about the speech were composed in advance, they just had to see the speech to decide which to deploy.

Regular people like me took the speech at face value and found it interesting and compelling.

Ken B said...

“Evidence to the contrary, I cannot be wrong about Trump.”

rcocean said...

Isn't it astounding. WE can give $10 Billion to Central America on the slim hope it will "Help things". We can give Iran $50 Billion for whatever. We can shovel out $20 Billion in foreign aid for the rest of the world AND spend money on NPR, Planned Parenthood, and $700 Billion for the Defense budget.

But Trump has to shut down the fucking US Government and make a nation-wide speech just to get a measly $5 billion to secure OUR border.

Insanity fair = USA.

hombre said...

Somebody pointed out, maybe here, that the President’s foremost responsibilities are to pursue the protection and prosperity of the citizens. Trump has done that with more vigor than any president in recent memory. And the leftmediaswine and their Democrat accomplices have fought him every step of the way.

“Serial killer”? Evidently there are no limits on the insanity brayed by these loons.

Francisco D said...

And that is of course why I like this kind of story; his weird ungainly old-man sniffling. Oh, and his lying. Lying, like blaming it on a microphone.

Is that the best you can do Chuckles?

Read it over again. It is pitiful.

Once again, Trump is lucky in his enemies.

Chuck said...

Darrell said...
As a self-proclaimed deceiver and Trump enemy, Chuck, what do you think Nancy's brain freezes mean? And can you respond to all of the video where Trump doesn't sniffle? A person who is not an idiot knows that it some temporary condition. And Trump doesn't owe you--or anyone else-- an explanation. But every Republican owes you a kick in your fucking face.

Trump had made arrangements to give the national address and couldn't let a cold or any other problem interfere with the schedule. That's what a leader does.


To review for Darrell, who seems to missed all of last year's classes...

I am not and never have been a "self proclaimed deceiver" as regards Trump. I also don't think that I am a Trump "enemy" because he surely does not know or care who I am, and my only feelings toward him are disrespect and loathing. And waiting for the Mueller investigation to finish. With a bang. Trump and I have never had any dealings of any kind. I'd love to be Trump's enemy, because it is so much safer and more profitable than being Trump's friend, or business partner, or attorney, or accountant, or ex-wife. But alas, I don't think I'll ever be Trump's enemy.

Darrell, you've made the same mistake as others, in presuming that I have confessed to wanting to lie about Trump to hurt him. That is the last thing that I want to do. I want to TELL TRUTHS ABOUT TRUMP TO HURT HIM. My telling lies about Trump would, to me, be counterproductive. I have never thought that lying about Trump was useful. The truth about Trump is so much better. More amazing, and effective.

As you go into all of the elaborate reasoning why, in your imagination, Trump was muscling his way through a cold, let's remember that this sniffling story has all gone down before and rather than confessing any human frailty, Trump blamed the microphone. It's the most Trump thing in the world; make up a crazy untrue story to cover for the most minor personal failing.

Remember, Darrell, we are talking about the exact same crazed sociopath who called a reporter to do an interview as "John Miller" to talk about... Donald Trump. Donald Trump, talking about Trump in the third person.

Seeing Red said...

Or the classic of standing in front of the American people AND the UN and declaring that Benghazi was a terrible event caused by a totally obscure video made years earlier.

These are real lies with real consequences. These same people saw that sort of thing as brilliant.

Inga fell for Benghazi.

Seeing Red said...

It’s all about the benjamins and political power.

Laslo Spatula said...

I would much appreciate if one of the people who cite moral issues with the wall to please explain exactly WHAT is the moral issue?

I understand people find it distasteful, but that is not the same as morality.

The wall would serve to prevent people from illegally gaining access to the country. The only moral argument that I can envision is one that comes from the point-of-view that preventing people from entering illegally (for whatever reason) is immoral.

In which case, the morality is one of border=bad / no border = good. Which can indeed be a valid argument, except the people who argue morality tend also to claim that they are not in favor of open borders.

So: what IS the moral argument against the wall if you say you are against open borders?

Because everything else is just finance, vanity and aesthetics.

I am Laslo.

Dave D said...

After thinking about the morality of this whole thing from reading Dr. Spatual above, I got to wondering why more people are not upset at the states/cities that autonomously give sanctuary to illegals and provide means to benefits like welfare, education, etc. LOTS of these benefits end up being paid by citizens NOT in the area that decides to grant sanctuary status. Is that not immoral?

Seeing Red said...

the address had the queasy effect of a serial killer’s mask in a horror movie: It was a failed attempt to look normal that concealed something even more terrifying underneath."


It just dawned on me. Any female who’s had 3 abortions or more can be considered a serial killer from a certain POV.


I have a feeling that’s not the takeaway you wanted, Professor, from you highlighting that comment.

Darrell said...

Fuck off, Chuck. I know exactly what you said and know exactly what you are.
You repeat the lies about Trump whenever you can.

During the 1980s, Donald Trump was known to return reporters' phone calls posing as a fictional spokesman for the Trump organization.

The 1980's Chuck. Do you know what year it is NOW? Let it go. Do you know what Obama was doing 26 years ago? Rolling his CHOOM wagon and sucking Bill Ayers dick--according to rumors--when Ayers was holding court at Columbia. Where are the tapes of these phone calls? I distinctly remember buying my first reel-to-reel recorder in the early 1960s. Didn't WaPo know they existed? If they have tapes, why don't they put them up at their site? And why don't they put up the phone calls of Bill Clinton and Gennifer Flowers--the one where he tells her to "Lie, lie, lie!" Oh, yeah. Time/Life bought that and locked in in a safe. It's one thing reading transcripts and another hearing that distinctive Clinton voice. And speaking of distinctive voices . . .

Now tell me Chuck. How is Michelle Field's roboarm GoFundMe going?

Darrell said...

Trump sniffled and he didn't call a press conference to explain himself!!!11!!!
Chuck dreams and masturbates about getting Trump under oath to explain himself under questioning.
FapFapFapSPLAT

Chuck saves the free world!

stevew said...

I agree with you Dave D. I'm upset that the sanctuary supporters favor illegal immigrants over citizens and am surprised at the lack of interest in that aspect of the issue among my fellow citizens. I don't run into many folks that argue in favor of sanctuary cities, rather just a lot of disinterest in the issue.

Nonapod said...

Everyone with half a brain who has been paying attention, and who is being brutally honest, knows damn well that at this point the only reason the Dems (and some in the GOP) are being truculent is because it's Trump. Their reticence has nothing to do with anything real, it's all politics. It's all about making sure Trump doesn't get something he wants. There's no other real reason at this point to object to the 5 billion for the wall other than Trump wants it and Trump must not get what he wants because he must be defeated. That's it.

Of course, it's absolutely true that Trump needs this wall, this win, politically. But at least there's also a very real reason beyond the politics. Obviously like any politician, Trump's doing this for his self interests. But at least his self interests are aligned with the interest of the American people.

He's not asking to start a war. He's not asking to restructure one fifth of the American economy with a massive new Health Care law. He's not proposing some new climate change regulatory carbon credit structure that would massively damage our economy. He's not asking to fundamentally transform our culture. All he is asking for is what amounts to a rounding error in Federal Budget terms in an effort to deal with a real, actual problem. A problem that something like 92% of Americans fully acknowledge.

Chuck said...

Hey Darrell, you should tell your Obama and Clinton stories to somebody who actually cares. That's not me.

Really; what the fuck is wrong with you Trumpkin morons? Every time I post absolute documentary evidence that Trump is a Truther, or a Birther, or a Vaxxer, or that he posed as "John Miller" or "John Baron" in a bizarre and inexplicable telephone interview, the Trumpkin retort is along the lines of, But what about Bill Clinton? What about Hillary? What about Obama?

I don't care. I don't defend any of them. I never supported any of them, never liked them, never cared about them, didn't vote for them. Althouse, be her own account, actually voted for Obama. Maybe twice. Did Althouse vote for Clinton as well? But I never see her commenters raking her over the coals for that. Why not? Because I criticize Trump, and she doesn't.

So back to Trump. Does Trump ever say, "Oh those John Miller interviews... You gotta understand that it was a different time, the 1980's, and we had different rules for self-promotion in the entertainment/celebrity business..." No! Trump never admits to anything even when it is obvious. When Trump gets asked about the John Miller and John Baron fiascoes, he either lies about it and denies it or else he just shuts down the whole conversation.

"Sociopath" is the word I used with determined particularity.

mccullough said...

Chuck is just upset that Trump is a better golfer than he is. Same reason Obama doesn’t like Trump.

Darrell said...

Chuck, Trump doesn't owe you any explanations of things real or imagined. Especially shit that happened almost forty years ago. You should seek professional help about your obsessions.

Gunner said...

Never forget that these same assholes thought kindly Christian George W. Bush was a Nazi Klansman Serial Killer too. They just didn’t say it every single day on the internet like now.

Chuck said...

mccullough said...
Chuck is just upset that Trump is a better golfer than he is. Same reason Obama doesn’t like Trump.


Now that would be interesting. Trump's notorious vanity handicap (he's played golf more than 150 times since becoming the president-elect, but he has not posted any scores to his USGA GHIN page) is 2.8 (index). Mine is (I am going to round off here for privacy reasons) 9.0.

That means that in a match, I would get 2 or 3 shots a side in a bet with Trump. I have seen his swing, and seen him play a bit, and while he is not a bad golfer, he is not a "3", and absolutely everyone who has played with him says so.

I think that if I took on Trump even-up, I'd win. I'd like to play Trump for a billion dollars, but I don't think that can be arranged. Instead, I'd play him on the condition that if I won, he'd resign and if he won, my life savings would go to a pro-Trump PAC.

rehajm said...

I'd play him on the condition that if I won, he'd resign and if he won, my life savings would go to a pro-Trump PAC.

Conclusion: Chuck has little to no life savings.

Darrell said...

Conclusion: Chuck has little to no life savings.

Chuck once bet Trump a $Billion on a single golf match here. I shit you not. He might have deleted that comment because it was crazier than usual.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

terrifying...and boring?

Chuck said...

Darrell said...
Chuck, Trump doesn't owe you any explanations of things real or imagined. Especially shit that happened almost forty years ago. You should seek professional help about your obsessions.



Ahhh; the "but it was almost forty years ago" defense.

Does that mean that Bill Clinton gets to use the "But Monica was more than thirty years ago!" defense? I'm not giving Clinton that benefit of the doubt. He's a liar. Like Trump. Indeed, Trump's lies are a whole lot weirder, than any of Bill Clinton's.

They are both a disgrace.

Jason said...

At least Chuckhead has moved on from L'Affaire Pecan Pie.

Infinite Monkeys said...

These people that keep noting how wrong Trump is...

CBS did a good job. Like where they pointed out how Trump said one in three women have been sexually assaulted traveling to the border. CBS says that, according to Amnesty International, it's more like 60 to 80% of the women are raped.

Take that, Trump! Wrong again! Good job, CBS!

Chuck said...

Jason said...
At least Chuckhead has moved on from L'Affaire Pecan Pie.


Remember how that came about. I didn't post a comment on that. At least not at first. I saw that story come up online, and I privately emailed Althouse about it. She then did a blog post about it, and posted my email without attribution to me. (Props to Althouse on that, I suppose.)

But because I never believed the story from Sarah Sanders -- and still don't -- I outed myself in the comments. I owned it. And yeah, I still think that there is more to that but I haven't given it another moment's thought unless and until I see a post like yours.

Darrell said...

Do you believe that Trump was going to print up his own US currency and stick the Chinese with it? That's in your article at WaPO as well--under one of the annotations.

Chris Cillizza is an idiot and so are you. You should hook up, Chuck.

JAORE said...

If a wall is immoral, why doesn't Pelosi add $5 billion to the budget to remove existing walls?

Hyphenated American said...

Chuck, telling the “truth”....

“At least when Obama said that people could keep their plan and keep their doctor, he was addressing himself accurately to the details of the Affordable Care Act. It wasn't a blatantly fabulous falsehood like Trump's bloviating. Of course as we know, the net effect of Obamacare was some disruption wherein some employers decided to change their plans, carriers and coverages. And that had the effect of pushing some of their employees into different coverages and providers. There is room to hear out many of those complaints.”

Obama lied. Chuck lied. Obamacare made multiple insurance plans illegal to sell or purchase. Again, tens of millions of people were legally prohibited from purchasing the plans they had had before Obamacare went into effect.

If Obama and Chuck are too stupid to comprehend how Obamacare works, they should shut up.

Unknown said...

Reminds me of a Maury Dowd column

Why write about what happens

when you can imagine something much more interesting

often "guessing what he thinks"

and write about that?

(Coincidentally, this requires no research work, and you are never "wrong", and its *funny*)

For my part, I do imagine our President, a salesman, does have empathy and can put himself in others shoes - while maintaining his objective.

Kudos for pooping in the well - no matter what Trump does, he is a serial killer!

Who are you going to believe, our suggestion, or your own eyes?

Deevs said...

"...the address had the queasy effect of a serial killer’s mask in a horror movie: It was a failed attempt to look normal that concealed something even more terrifying underneath."

The purpose of a mask is to conceal one's identity, but they're not used to make the wearer look normal. The serial killers' masks in horror films do the exact opposite of what the author states here. They make normal looking people more frightening by appealing to the fear of the unknown. Where was the editor on this? Oh, well. The commenters at WaPo seemed to like it, so I guess Alyssa Rosenberg knows her audience.

Anonymous said...

Those very gestures of presidential normalcy revealed how futile it was for anyone to wish that Trump would start talking like that all the time.

Ms. Rubin isn't very observant.... All of President Trump's set-piece speeches are that way. He is different on Twitter, but Twitter is a completely different medium that rewards a completely different communication style. See e.g., every Twitter conversation.

In a lot of ways, it's refreshing to finally have a chief executive with sufficient mental acuity to adapt how he communicates.

tcrosse said...

Obama wasn't a normal President, but he played one on television.

Sam L. said...


Trump DOES terrify the Dems and other leftists. I LIKE that.

Jason said...

Strawberries, Captain Queeg.

bagoh20 said...

At least with Trump you don't know what you will get, and therefore what he says is compelling. The media has no such mystery. I bet all of us could write their columns today - predictable and sad. In fact, I know what they will say the rest of his term, and if a Democrat is elected next, I know what they will say then too. The only error might be in the degree of hatred for Trump and the degree of hagiography for the Dem. I'm sometimes surprised by how far they go with both of those.

President-Mom-Jeans said...

Fake Attorney and Fake Republican Chuck isn't putting in the effort anymore.

This is some of your least impressive faking.

Sad.

bagoh20 said...

I do think they have a point in that Trump rarely "plays" a President. He does stuff, presidential or not. If you hire a plumber, do you want him to play one or fix the damned pipes?

Dems are always obsessed with appearances. They would be perfectly happy with a President that says all the right things in the right way and accomplishes nothing. For proof, see their candidates over the last couple decades. The last one who was actually accomplished at any real endeavor was Carter.

iowan2 said...

Really; what the fuck is wrong with you Trumpkin morons? Every time I post absolute documentary evidence that Trump is a Truther, or a Birther, or a Vaxxer, or that he posed as "John Miller" or "John Baron" in a bizarre and inexplicable telephone interview,

This is why he is King of the meaningless fact.

This has zero bearing on anything.

But that is point. Talk about border security? Nope 2 scoops Chuck.

I still have not seen a single opinion on what incentive would move President Trump to negotiate away the wall in border security legislation.

Trumpit said...

I find it ironic that an actual bully, and con artist uses the bully pulpit to con the American people to get his wall or whatever else he wants. It is surely cheaper to land mine the border than to build a wall. Wild animals will surely die with whatever method of "protecting the border" is implemented. Hunters and rednecks kill tens of millions of animals for fun, fur, profit, etc. in this country alone. So it is not a concern for right wingers although it is a concern for normal people, and animal lovers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_pulpit

walter said...

"Obamacare made multiple insurance plans illegal to sell or purchase. Again, tens of millions of people were legally prohibited from purchasing the plans they had had before Obamacare went into effect."

Especially in the individual market, which Chuck's point completely avoids.

But not surprising Chuck is willing to smooth over Obama/care lies while holding dear to his heart decades old, immaterial issues re Trump.
If he voted for Trump knowing those, but chose lesser of two evils and values anything in his agenda, then this Cuckism is a weird sort of self-hate:
"Chuck said..."I am afraid you are mistaking me for someone who has an interest in fair treatment of Donald Trump. I'm not your guy. I am interested in smearing him, hurting him and prejudicing people against him."

bagoh20 said...

Trump's address was about 10 minutes. He described the problem perfectly, explained it's seriousness and the reasons why it needs fixed and proposed a solution with a quoted cost and delivery time: $5.7B and 45 minutes.

Obama would take twice that long to tell you what day it is, inevitably going on about how we need to fundamentally transform it into a new 8 day week.

iowan2 said...

Reporter Johnathan Karl, just got schooled by President Trump. The President allowed lots of questions after an Oval Office signing. Karl asked if the President didn't think the right thing to do is open the govt, then negotiate the wall. President Trump asked him if he would do that were he President? Karl refused to answer. President Trump explained that if Karl were President, and did what he thought President Trump should do, Karl would never accomplish anything as President.
But that's from a guy that get 2 scoops.

bagoh20 said...

"Hunters and rednecks kill tens of millions of animals for fun, fur, profit, etc. in this country alone."

I don't hunt, but I'm glad somebody does, because rather than virtue signaling, I actually do care about animals, and I don't want them starving to death by the millions just because I think that Bambi cartoons are real life.

Trumpit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Seeing Red said...


Blogger Trumpit said...
I find it ironic that an actual bully, and con artist uses the bully pulpit to con the American people to get his health insurance program or whatever else he wants....

Trumpit said...

@bagoh20,

You talk nonsense about millions of starving animals when your picture shows you choking a dog. I think that it is time that you watched Bambi again as part of your sensitivity training. An evil redneck killer was slaughtering deer mercilessly, and senselessly until he was stopped by the authorities. Part of his court-ordered punishment was having to watch Bambi once a month while in jail. I doubt it will help an evil, hardhearted redneck like that, but there is a small chance with someone like you who is lacking in compassion for wild animals, and dogs.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-18/poacher-forced-to-watch-bambi-while-in-prison/10629518

FullMoon said...


Chuck said...

"I am afraid you are mistaking me for someone who has an interest in fair treatment of Donald Trump. I'm not your guy. I am interested in smearing him, hurting him and prejudicing people against him."

3/4/16, 4:46 PM

buwaya said...

I realize most Americans have not thought of themselves as living with a controlled press.
I grew up with two, both cases of a ministry under a dictatorial government doing active oversight and control of a mainly privately-owned mass media.

The behavior of the US MSM is completely familiar to me, I know what I am seeing. Indeed, the degree of control and the near-fanatical discipline of the US MSM exceeds the rather lackadaisical oversight of the dictatorships of my youth.

For you people the transition to understanding seems to be very difficult. The old paradigm persists in your heads even as the reality of the phenomenon no longer matches your mental model. What does it take? What will it take?

If you want a start to understanding, best to read Orwell, and take him seriously. He understood, 70 years ago, what you are looking at today, not just as a vague warning or speculation. He describes concrete details. Read him, and believe him, as the literal and immediate truth.

FullMoon said...

haHa!
Immediately upon AA posting about the PecanPie email, EVERYONE said "Obviously asshole Chuck sent it".

There was never a doubt as to where the stupid email originated.
A personal email to a nationally recognized and respected blogger about a fucking Pecan Pie.
Not crazy. Not at all.

Chuck said...

Jason said...
At least Chuckhead has moved on from L'Affaire Pecan Pie.


Remember how that came about. I didn't post a comment on that. At least not at first. I saw that story come up online, and I privately emailed Althouse about it. She then did a blog post about it, and posted my email without attribution to me. (Props to Althouse on that, I suppose.)

But because I never believed the story from Sarah Sanders -- and still don't -- I outed myself in the comments. I owned it. And yeah, I still think that there is more to that but I haven't given it another moment's thought unless and until I see a post like yours.

FullMoon said...

Trumpit said...

@bagoh20,

You talk nonsense about millions of starving animals when your picture shows you choking a dog.


A

Known Unknown said...

Engaging with Trumpit is almost as hilarious as Trumpit itself, but not quite.

HT said...

"Watching Trump’s flat delivery of sentiments that he can’t possibly believe was the inverse of comforting."

Especially since he employs undocumented workers (to say nothing of outsourcing his businesses).

"But the WaPo readers probably love this sort of thing." And Lord have mercy, what would you do without them?

Jim at said...

Im really getting fucking tired of living with people that don't care when their fellow citizens are brutalized by people that have no right to be here.

Seconded.

Someone light the damn fuse already.

President-Mom-Jeans said...

How did I miss the thread about Chuck sperging out with his fellow lefty cunts over a picture of a fucking pie?

That's Gold Jerry!, Gold!

Steve Witherspoon said...

The political left has allowed their anti-Trump hate to crush all of the leftover marbles they didn't loose in the 2016 election. It's so sad that the once intelligent people in the political left have turned into blithering idiots all because they lost a friggin' election.

walter said...

Newsome says California will write America's future.
Shit! (He put it on the map)

Meanwhile,
Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich announced the latest figures from the Department of Public Social Services, which showed more than $376 million in CalWORKs benefits and food stamps combined have been distributed through July to illegal alien parents for their native-born children.

Approximately $54 million in welfare payments are issued each month, consisting of nearly $20 million in CalWORKs and $34 million in food stamp issuances, according to the data.

An estimated 100,000 children of 60,000 undocumented parents receive aid in Los Angeles County, according to Antonovich, who said this year’s projections — up about $1 million from the nearly $53 million in total benefits issued in July 2012 — underscore the economic impact of the nation’s immigration debate.

“When you add the $550 million for public safety and nearly $500 million for healthcare, the total cost for illegal immigrants to county taxpayers exceeds $1.6 billion dollars a year,” Antonovich said in a statement. “These costs do not even include the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually for education.”

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/09/16/undocumented-la-county-parents-projected-to-receive-650m-in-welfare-benefits/

Seeing Red said...

If I open up do I get the Wall?

No

So Trump left.

He’s a busy man, he can’t sit around wasting time.

No on ending chain migration.
No on the Wall.

Qwinn said...

Nancy and Chuck are sticking by their voters, it appears.

Of course, their voters are illegals.

Seeing Red said...

Dems are the Party of No.

Qwinn said...

BTW, did everyone see the CBS "fact check" where Trump said one third of women migrants get assaulted, and CBS corrects him that the stat is supposed to be 60-80% per Amnesty International?

Which of course buttresses Trump's point.

So after that was pointed out, CBS deleted the fact check.

Can anyone give me ANY legitimate principle that justifies deleting that fact check? Inga? Ritmo? Trumpit?

Qwinn said...

Trump really may be a genius. He's demonstrated, without question, that the purpose of the media's "fact checks" has nothing to do with establishing facts, it has to do with undermining Trump's arguments. And if a fact helps Trump, those facts are to be ignored or deleted. Did he understate that figure deliberately in order to engineer that precise outcome? I no longer put it past him. If he's a motherfucker, he's one hell of a shrewd motherfucker.

WintersTale said...

"He’s a busy man, he can’t sit around wasting time."

Comedy Central

Matt Sablan said...

I don't get deleting the fact check. Are we sure it isn't a banana?

Chuck said...


Blogger Qwinn said...
Nancy and Chuck are sticking by their voters, it appears.

Of course, their voters are illegals.


Well, in truth “their voters” were a majority — a big majority — in 2018.

I’m not exactly happy about that. But I am not in denial about it.

Qwinn said...

How about you, Chuck? What legitimate principle justifies CBS deleting the fact check when they realized it supported Trump's point even more strongly? Do you think they should have deleted it? Do you think Trump would be justified in publicly insulting CBS for doing it?

Unknown said...

I find it amusing that Chuck, who claims to want border security, came into this thread to attack Trump's speech on the basis that Trump apparently had a sniffle.

That's why we shouldn't get a border wall, see, because Trump had a sniffle.

Chuck still says he's a Republican, btw. Amazing, isn't it?

--Vance

Drago said...

Durbin-cuckholster "republican" Chuck: "I’m not exactly happy about that."

LOLOLOL

You've been positively gloating.

Quite a contrast to your raw anger and outrage when republicans swept House, Senate and White House in 2016.

A really interesting and insightful and illuminating contrast indeed....

LA_Bob said...

buwaya said, "I realize most Americans have not thought of themselves as living with a controlled press....Read [Orwell}, and believe him, as the literal and immediate truth."

buwaya, this is why the internet is such a Great Thing (thank you, Al Gore ;-))

narciso said...

My parents told me what it was like, before they left from Cuba. I thought Marco's was more of a handoff regime

gadfly said...

A Slate writer put his pants on backward but Kevin Williamson called him out for careless writing.

President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Tuesday night was unimaginative, lacking in energy, and filled with his habitual lies and misrepresentations.

It was also worryingly effective.


Williamson's response:

I sometimes think that either I do not understand politics or I do not understand English. Either that, or the news is full of people who do not understand one or the other.

After first declaring the speech "worryingly effective" Slate continued:

. . . this short speech is unlikely to help Trump recover from his poor standing in the polls: His attempts to reach beyond his base are far too fitful and inconsistent to bear any fruit among persuadable Americans. . . . he is never able to marshal both discipline and the full extent of his charisma at the same time: When he speaks off the cuff at his big rallies, he is scarily good at connecting with his audience—but also alienates a large number of people because he is unable to stay on message. By contrast, when he carefully follows a prewritten script, as he did on Tuesday, he is able to build a powerful populist message—but his dramatic words feel a lot less urgent. . . . He is unlikely to broaden his political base. If Democrats field a powerful candidate, he remains likely to lose in 2020. The chances that Trump will consolidate his power, and destroy the American republic, keep dwindling.

Yechiel said...

Henry said...

Presidents are weird.

If there is such a thing as "a normal president on television" there must be the alternative, "a normal president not on television." What is the standard, exactly, for "normal on television"?


1. Barack Obama
2. Ronald Reagan
3. Josiah Bartlet
4. Andrew Shepherd

Nichevo said...


Chuck said...
Hey Darrell, you should tell your Obama and Clinton stories to somebody who actually cares. That's not me.


But Chuck, no one here cares what you say about anything whatsoever. When have you gotten anyone here to agree with you in anything?

Steve Witherspoon said...

Testing...