September 4, 2022

"Our country’s going to hell. Our country is going to hell," said Donald Trump in his 2-hour Wilkes-Barre speech.

I found a transcript. So let's see if I can find some things to quote.
Our country’s going to hell. Our country is going to hell.

What a theme! We just saw Biden speechifying from what looked like hell (what with that red light), demanding that we join him there, and now here comes Trump, with his own hell theme.

This election is a referendum on skyrocketing inflation, rampant crime, soaring murders, crushing gas prices, millions and millions of illegal aliens pouring across our border, race and gender indoctrination perverting our schools, and above all, this election is a referendum on the corruption and extremism of Joe Biden and the radical Democrat party....

Biden characterized the MAGA Republicans as extremists, and Trump is throwing the "Extremist!" accusation right back at Biden and his party.

As you know, this week, Joe Biden came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to give the most vicious, hateful, and divisive speech ever delivered by an American president, vilifying 75 million citizens, plus another, probably, 75 to 150, if we want to be accurate about it, as threats to democracy and as enemies of the state. You’re all enemies of the state. He’s an enemy of the state, you want to know the truth.

The same rhetorical move: Biden called my people the enemy, so I call him the enemy. 

The enemy of the state is him and the group that control him, which is circling around him, “Do this, do that, Joe, you’re going to do this, Joe.” Right? I think Philadelphia was a great choice to make this speech of hatred and anger. His speech was hatred and anger. By the way, the next morning, he forgot what he said. You saw that. They asked him about, “Oh, I didn’t think I said that. Did I? I don’t know.”

Did he forget to say why Philadelphia was apt because he was hot to say that Joe forgets. 

How’d you like the red lighting behind him, like the devil?

That's making the point quickly. An he gets back to why Philly is fitting:

But Philadelphia was a great choice, because the city is being devastated under Democrat rule, devastated. Hate to tell you....

He goes on about crime in Philadelphia, then recommends voting for Dr. Oz: 

And Oz will send you the goods. Oz, send them the goods. You know what the goods are? Lots of police officers. That’s what the goods are....

Instead of trying to demonize half of the population, Biden and congressional Democrats should focus on stopping the killing and the bloodshed in Philadelphia and every other Democrat-run city in America, where record death and destruction is taking place every single day. Biden thinks making America great again is bad for our country. Do you believe it? That was in his speech. MAGA. “MAGA,” he says. “We got to stop MAGA.”....

He cries out about the raid on Mar-a-Lago, "a travesty of justice that made a mockery of America’s laws, traditions, and principles":

The Biden administration invaded the home of their chief political opponent.... On a phony pretext, getting permission from a highly political magistrate who they hand-picked late in the evening.... They rifled through the First Lady’s closet, drawers, and everything else. And even did a deep and ugly search of the room of my 16-year-old son, leaving everything they touched in far different condition than it was when they started. Can you believe it? The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters controlled by radical left scoundrels, lawyers, and the media who tell them what to do, you people right there, and when to do it. They’re trying to silence me, and more importantly, they are trying to silence you. But we will not be silenced, right?

The evil and malice of this demented persecution of you and me should be obvious to all.... We are being assaulted by the same group at the FBI and DoJ that, just a few years ago, declared no reasonable prosecutor would charge crooked Hillary Clinton after she set up a secret illegal server to hide her family’s pay-for-play schemes, crammed it full of classified information, allowed it to be plundered by foreign hackers, you know that happened. And then deleted, acid-washed, 30,000 emails. Think of that. 30,000 emails. And what else did she do? Boom, with a hammer, smashed her phone systems to smithereens after receiving the highest level of subpoena from the US Congress.... Yet now these same people, the exact same people, are sending the FBI storming through the home of their number one political rival. It’s a disgrace, a disgrace like, possibly, never before, our country’s never seen anything like it.... 

Before our very eyes, our beloved country is being taken over by the very people who turn democracies into dictatorships, and into, ultimately, ruination....

There's much much more. I'm skipping a lot. Here's the part about Mark Zuckerberg. This begins confusingly with the words "Last week" but then he's not talking about something that happened last week. He begins what is a long parenthetical and then continues with what happened last week. 

Last week, weirdo, he’s a weirdo, Mark Zuckerberg came to the White House, kissed my ass, kissed my ass. “Sir, I’d love to have dinner. Sir, I’d love to have dinner. I’d love to bring my lovely wife.” “All right, Mark. Come on in.” “Sir, you’re number one on Facebook, I’d like to congratulate you.” “Thank you very much, Mark. I appreciate it.” Weirdo Mark Zuckerberg confessed that in 2020, the FBI went to Facebook and the media and gave them the false narrative that the Hunter Biden laptop from hell was Russian disinformation, even though they knew that was not true.

Here's how to read that: "Last week — [long story] — weirdo Mark Zuckerberg confessed [etc. etc.]"

So they went and they said it was Russian disinformation. By the way, the guy that came in with that stuff just got fired. He perp walked. He was perp walked out of the FBI on Friday. But that doesn’t help us and the election of 2020, does it? That doesn’t help us....

Let me leap way ahead to his report about his body: 

It’s about a hundred degrees up here. I’m sweating like a dog, but I’ll call Dr. Oz. Dr. Oz, am I okay? Doctor, am I okay? He says, yes. He says yes. I was on his show years ago, Dr. Oz, I’m going to introduce him in a second, but I was on his show years ago and he did like an examination of me. I don’t know what the hell I did the show for. I wasn’t like even a politician at that point, but he did an examination in the word said, “He’s extremely healthy, really a very, very fine fit, man, but he should lose 20 or 25 pounds. I was so angry. I didn’t speak to him for years. Remember that? He said, “He was great, but he could lose a couple of pounds.”

He shows anger at the doctor for telling him the truth — on TV. But he takes responsibility for choosing to go on the show, and he kicks himself in public: "I don’t know what the hell I did the show for." It's relatable. Nearly every American knows they could stand to lose some weight.

Here's some good stuff about foreign leaders:

So I got to know a lot of the foreign leaders, and let me tell you, unlike our leader, they’re at the top of their game. These are like central casting. There’s nobody that could play the role in Hollywood, all of Hollywood, nobody can play the role of President Xi China. Nobody could play the role. He’s a fierce person. Putin, fierce, is smart. A lot of times I’ll say somebody’s smart and the fake news will go, “He called President Xi smart.” He rules with an iron fist 1.5 billion people. Yeah, I’d say he’s smart. Wouldn’t you say he’s smart? 

So I’m with President Xi and I got along with him very well.... I said, “President,” He’s president for life, by the way. So I call him King. I say, “King.” He said, “But I am not king.” I said, “You are to me. You’re president for life, it’s the same thing.”... 

But I said, “President, could I ask you a very simple question? Do you have a drug problem?” He looked at me like, “What’s wrong with that? No, of course not.” He goes, “No, no.” He’s like, “What the hell stupid question is that? No.” I said, “You don’t have a drug problem with 1.5 billion people?” 

His big problem is they make the drugs, they send them into our country, that’s their problem. That would’ve been their problem and he was stopping it too, but now they’re sending the fentanyl in at numbers that you wouldn’t believe. Wouldn’t believe it, pouring through that porous border at numbers you wouldn’t believe. I had them very close to stopped. He couldn’t do it. I told him he can’t do it. So, “President, President, you don’t have a drug problem? But why, but why don’t you have a drug problem?” ” We have quick trial.” I said, “What is a quick trial?” “We immediately catch the drug dealer. We give him quick trial and if he is guilty,” which I would say probably they’re batting… Would you say… Oz, would you say they’re about batting 100% or only 99%?” “If the drug dealer is guilty, he is immediately executed. So we have no drug problem in each China”... 

He wants the death penalty for drug dealers in America: 

I’ve told this, and it’s a hard thing to say, because calling for the death penalty stuff, but think of it, they kill 500 people during a lifetime.... We would solve that problem so fast and I’m calling on Republicans and Democrats immediately to institute to get to Washington and institute the death penalty for drug dealers. You will no longer have a problem....

He attacks Fetterman and expresses disgust at the sweatsuit:

Your state’s radical Democrat candidate for Senate, John Fetterman is the most dangerous Democrat. He’s the most dangerous Democrat seeking to join Congress this year in one of the most fringe far left freak shows ever to seek election for any office in any state.... He comes in with a sweatsuit on, I’ve never seen a wear a suit. A dirty, dirty, dirty sweatsuit, it’s really disgusting. I’m a clean freak. I’m a clean freak, Oz, I don’t like those dirty sweatsuits, they’re disgusting.

Fetterman made dress like a teenager getting high in his parents’ basement, but he’s a raging lunatic hell bent on springing hardened criminals out of jail in the middle of the worst crime wave in Pennsylvania history. He wants everybody out of jail, and by the way, he wants to get rid of your police. Fetterman is a defund the police Marxist who’s just pulling the wool over people’s eyes, who literally said that if he had a magic wand and could fix one thing, he would end life sentences without parole for murderers, cop killers, rapist, and other monstrous criminals, that’s what he said. He wants them to get out jail. Get out of jail. “Let’s put Trump in jail. Let’s get these murderers, let these murderers out. Put Trump in jail. That Trump is no damn good. He just works his ass off for this country.”...

Skipping ahead to the end, we're back where we began, with the country going to hell:

We’ve got a Federal Bureau of Investigation that won’t allow bad election changing facts to be presented to the public and a Department of Justice that refuses to investigate egregious acts of voting irregularities and fraud. And we have a president who is cognitively impaired and in no condition to lead our country, and everybody knows it. We are a nation that no longer has a free and fair press. Fake news is all you get and they are truly the enemy of the people. We are a nation where free speech is no longer allowed, where crime is rampant like never before, where the economy has been collapsing, where more people died of COVID in 2021 than did in 2020.... And perhaps, most importantly, we are a nation that is no longer respected or listened to around the world. We are a nation that in many ways has become a joke.... But we are not going to let this continue.... We will stand up to the radical left lunatics and the rhinos and we will fight for America like no one has ever fought before.... There is no summit we cannot reach. There is no challenge we cannot meet. There is no victory we cannot have. We will not bend. We will not break. We will not yield. We will never give in. We will never give up. We will never, ever, ever back down....

89 comments:

Mason G said...

Trump: "Our country’s going to hell. Our country is going to hell."

Well, let's see...

Skyrocketing inflation - check.
Rampant crime - check.
Soaring murders - check.
Crushing gas prices - check.
Millions and millions of illegal aliens pouring across our border - check.
Race and gender indoctrination perverting our schools - check.
Corruption and extremism of Joe Biden and the radical Democrat party - check.

If not hell, it's at least hellish-adjacent if you ask me.

Charlie Eklund said...

He’s not wrong.

n.n said...

A nation with the soul of diversity [dogma], political congruence, Green blight, capital executions, Mengele mandates, and a wicked solution in the traditional modern model.

bobby said...

I'll vote for him again if he runs.

But I really wish he'd decide to stand off and be our elder statesman, counseling DeSantis et al. and weighing in on current events. He accomplished what we really needed him to accomplish. He established the existence of the real conservative party over the establishment R party.

But now he's more polarizing than we need. Too many people have simply bought into the Trump-hate out of a sense of fashion. They call him an authoritarian fascist, but with a little reading you see that they simply make up lies as the basis for that accusation, and idiots look no deeper than the name-calling.

I used to be a "can't we all just get along" conservative. After watching the libs for the past few years, though, I can no longer ever find or defend common ground with them. They are without honor.

wildswan said...

Trump has a lot of insight. Some say we should give him up because he's "divisive" and because the Dems are so motivated against him. As I see it many in the opposing party have deliberately and willfully abandoned using their minds. They've thrown themselves into emotion like converts at a camp meeting choosing Jesus. Only the Trump-deranged are not looking for a savior but for a devil, a demonic hatred to call into themselves so they can hate without guilt. They have to give up that attitude; they have to go back to being humans who must struggle to understand what is the right thing to do and care about the people around them. We have to let them know that they've got an attitude, not an insight; an attitude which is blinding them with the vilest emotions and actions in the human repertoire - hatred, contempt, deceit, anger, bitterness - all directed at fellow citizens, other people. "Stop it", we have to tell them, "just stop it." It won't do any good to surrender Trump to them because they'll still have that embedded emotional approach which will require a new victim. De Santis. Abbott. Kari Lake. What's more, we need Trump's special gift for getting things done. As winter comes on without heat for many, this will become clearer but the Dems will then say nothing can be done. So true. Nothing can be done by them. But Trump will have proposals and Trump's supporters would put them in effect if elected. That's what we need. "Dems, you say Republicans are semi-fascists; you yourselves are just following a seamy fashion. Awake from your slumber; stop hating; start thinking."

narciso said...

they're twisting the minds and bodies of children, strangling our energy supply, creating famine, crippling our military, turning our cities to dumpsterfire, that's what's so aggravating about this third rate producers sketch put forward by klain rice, dunn and co,

Jupiter said...

You know, I just watched a little bit of Biden's speech again. He accused MAGA Republicans of thriving on chaos. "They thrive on chaos!", the maggot-infested little shit-sack read from his teleprompter. The mouthpiece of the Democrat assault on public order and the rule of law accuses his opponents of thriving on chaos. He should choke on his lying tongue.

Jupiter said...

"But I really wish he'd decide to stand off and be our elder statesman, counseling DeSantis et al. and weighing in on current events."

Trump/DeSantis 2024. Twelve More Years!

Cliff said...

Donald Trump is a freaking idiot. Repeat, he is an absolute idiot. Anybody who has an ounce of common sense can see that. Yes, I don't like Joe Biden and the democrats either. Yes there are some things to like about what Trump proposes. But, he is an idiot! I wouldn't trust him to babysit my grandchild for one hour, much less be president. You people who support him; just let go of your hatred for the democrats for a minute and actually listen to this nut job. This guy should be getting injections of thorazine every week and you're supporting him for president?

Mason G said...

"But now he's more polarizing than we need. Too many people have simply bought into the Trump-hate out of a sense of fashion."

Polarizing? He got more votes for president than any Republican ever. And, if you count votes from actual registered voters (who voted for themselves, not with help from others), more than anybody ever.

"They call him an authoritarian fascist, but with a little reading you see that they simply make up lies as the basis for that accusation, and idiots look no deeper than the name-calling."

Supposing Trump chooses not to run, do you think the same thing won't happen to whoever does?

Drago said...

Charlie Eklund: "He’s not wrong."

Sure Trump is right, and sure he fought for the republican base, and sure he gave us the most conservative governance in 2 generations, but none of that matters according to AMDG.

Dave Begley said...

Well, he’s correct.

But I’m worried he might lose. So many people hate his personality; especially women.

Mason G said...

"So many people hate his personality; especially women."

You know what? Fuck women. And not in a fun way.

Mason G said...

"Those women", anyway.

gilbar said...

I'm Glad he's our President! America choose Wisely, when they picked Trump for re-election..
Too Bad the Fascist Dictatorship has usurped our rightful and lawfully elected President.
Oh Well, what are you going to do?

narciso said...

do you hate a plague, how about a conscious and deliberate exercise to destroy this country, what else is there to debate,

gilbar said...

I just finished read the Cliff's Notes.. And i'd have say, someone needs to up Their medication

effinayright said...

Cliff said...
Donald Trump is a freaking idiot. Repeat, he is an absolute idiot. Anybody who has an ounce of common sense can see that. Yes, I don't like Joe Biden and the democrats either. Yes there are some things to like about what Trump proposes. But, he is an idiot! I wouldn't trust him to babysit my grandchild for one hour, much less be president. You people who support him; just let go of your hatred for the democrats for a minute and actually listen to this nut job. This guy should be getting injections of thorazine every week and you're supporting him for president?
***********************

And where and when did the learned Dr. Cliff personally interview Trump several times, enough to arrive at his medical opinions?

narciso said...

that they might steal it, yes that's a possibility, there was certainly signs of theft in 2012, but Romney 'sat back and thought of England'

Drago said...

Cliff: "Donald Trump is a freaking idiot."

So I guess it takes a "freaking idiot" to fight for the republican base.

I'll take that until you show me someone who will deliver more conservative policies.

Until then, you are just more dem-driven political white noise.

Lurker21 said...

I'd like to think that Trump is going to focus on the issues and do well in the debates, but I don't see it happening.

It couldn't have been that hard for an informed and prepared debater to wipe the floor with Biden, but Trump didn't do it.

Michael K said...


Blogger Cliff said...

Donald Trump is a freaking idiot. Repeat, he is an absolute idiot. Anybody who has an ounce of common sense can see that. Yes, I don't like Joe Biden and the democrats either.


Cliff, get help. Soon.

boatbuilder said...

DAMN! Trump telling it like it is. What all of the cool people used to call "Speaking truth to power."

bobbie--is there anything in what he said that you disagree with?

Isn't that what you want from your politicians?

Who else is going to do this?

Cliff--engage on one substantive point. Just one. Until then, I must regard you as the self-declared idiot in this conversation.

Achilles said...

Cliff said...

Donald Trump is a freaking idiot. Repeat, he is an absolute idiot. Anybody who has an ounce of common sense can see that.

When people look to the right on the IQ curve they can see about 20 points higher than they are.

Everyone past that looks crazy/stupid.

Cliff is probably hanging out around 95 so yeah Trump looks very insane to him.

pacwest said...

@Cliff
Repeat, he is an absolute idiot. Anybody who has an ounce of common sense can see that.

I understand a lot of people don't like Trump. I'm not that fond of his style either. I don't think I would call him an idiot though. His list of accomplishments is too long for that. Maybe you're trying to say his personality repulses you?

Having more than a couple of ounces of common sense myself I tend to focus more on policies and outcomes.

Achilles said...

Dave Begley said...

Well, he’s correct.

But I’m worried he might lose. So many people hate his personality; especially women.


Trump will get at least 10 million more votes than any other Republican including Desantis.

If one suburban Karen can't vote for Trump because she has a stick up her ass, she will be replaced by 10 women from the working classes who know and feel the pain of the DC war on the working class.

Eva Marie said...

Trump yes. DeSantis no. We need strong Governors. The battle for our freedoms is being fought on the state level. We cannot afford to lose powerful Republican Governors.

narciso said...

stylistically I prefer desantis, velvet glove with an iron fist, but there's no assurance he'll run, some here ascribe to the 'no true scotsman' notion, of perfection, as some other figure that they found fault with said 'don't put your trust in politicians, but they will always dissapoint'* as compared to those who are actively working against us though the grahams, the mcconnells, hacks like ducey and kemp who let this country be stolen from us,

*14 years after her national debut, they are still trying to drive her out of public life,

Achilles said...

bobby said...

I'll vote for him again if he runs.

But I really wish he'd decide to stand off and be our elder statesman, counseling DeSantis et al. and weighing in on current events. He accomplished what we really needed him to accomplish. He established the existence of the real conservative party over the establishment R party.

But now he's more polarizing than we need. Too many people have simply bought into the Trump-hate out of a sense of fashion. They call him an authoritarian fascist, but with a little reading you see that they simply make up lies as the basis for that accusation, and idiots look no deeper than the name-calling.

I used to be a "can't we all just get along" conservative. After watching the libs for the past few years, though, I can no longer ever find or defend common ground with them. They are without honor.



Desantis is acting like a slimy GOPe career Pol lately. He has been very circumspect about criticizing the DJO/FBI while they are attacking Trump.

Trump was betrayed by every Republican he tapped in Washington DC to staff his administration.

At this point I think Desantis will work with the DC republicans. I think they will get along just fine. Right now Desantis is dodging Republicans in New York and playing nice with the Regime.

The only people in DC worse than the democrats are the republicans.

Trump is easily the best option running right now if you want reform in DC.

And Trump will get 10 million more votes in the general than anyone currently in the Republican field. So there is really only one serious candidate at this point.

Cliff said...

One can believe in conservative principles and not support a narcissist. The two do not automatically go together.

As far a a substantive point. I have four children, all of whom were involved in various sports. At times when they lost close games, they would resort to blaming unfair officiating and making excuses. I always shut that down immediately and lectured them to improve themselves if they wanted to win. Not to resort to a loser's mentality of blaming others.

Donald Trump clearly doesn't buy into that line of thinking. My guess is that most of the posters here don't agree with it either. I'm quite certain most of you coddled your kids, told them they were winners, and that the refs were to blame.

Congratulations. You're all going to make America great again.

Hint: I'm not the one who needs help.

kcl766 said...

Excuse me. I am a woman and I have supported Donald Trump since he announced that he was running for President. My husband and I attended a county Republican caucus in 2016 where we were the only two people who said Trump was "our guy" and he would win. Virtually every other attendee was for Cruz. Surprise.

Buckwheathikes said...

All this crap about Trump this and Trump that missed the point.

It's not about Trump. Joe Biden made a thousand new Trumps with his little stolen Hitler speech (not the first European speech he's stolen).

Americans don't like assholes. Period. Joe Biden is an asshole. Everything about him oozes asshole. He's almost as unlikeable as Hillary Clinton, but she was a chick, so she's never going to be President, just for that reason alone.

But yeah, Joe Biden is the male Hillary Clinton. He's a fucking asshole. And Americans don't like assholes or the horses they fucking rode in on. So fuck him. He's out.

Deal with it.

Buckwheathikes said...

All this crap about Trump this and Trump that missed the point.

It's not about Trump. Joe Biden made a thousand new Trumps with his little stolen Hitler speech (not the first European speech he's stolen).

Americans don't like assholes. Period. Joe Biden is an asshole. Everything about him oozes asshole. He's almost as unlikeable as Hillary Clinton, but she was a chick, so she's never going to be President, just for that reason alone.

But yeah, Joe Biden is the male Hillary Clinton. He's a fucking asshole. And Americans don't like assholes or the horses they fucking rode in on. So fuck him. He's out.

Deal with it.

pacwest said...

Has anyone seen any stats to back up Trump’s claim he was making a difference in the flow of drugs out of China? I'm sure there's a difference in what crossed the border due to his policies, but the claim he had Xi ready to stop the shipments seems a bit over the top. Never know though.

As an aside the costs of the tarriffs he was throwing at the Chinese would have amounted to an estimated 3% rise in COGS overall, and the Dems were screaming like banshees about it. What's the present inflation rate again?

Ambrose said...

These insightful, accurate and timely statements are a threat to "our democracy."

Did he mention hand baskets?

M said...

“ skyrocketing inflation, rampant crime, soaring murders, crushing gas prices, millions and millions of illegal aliens pouring across our border, race and gender indoctrination perverting our schools”

What in that is not factual? Even if you support the LGBT indoctrination in schools if you are at all honest you have to admit this is something never done before in America and that people have a right to be concerned about it being forced on their children from the top down. Everything Trump said there was factual. Many thing Biden said were not.

Howard said...

who is the cliff notes version:

Be afraid embrace your angst we're circling the drain. Send money.

n.n said...

Labor (e.g. practical and actual slavery) and environmental (e.g. Green deals) arbitrage are an easy way to hedge progressive prices forced by single/central/monopolistic solutions. Immigration reform at the cost of emigration reform is an easy way to carry out democratic gerrymandering, compensate for planned parenthood, and sustain progressive profits. Redistributive change is an easy way to soften the rise of progressive prices at the minority edge. As long as everyone is comfortable, fearful of democratic heroes, or taking a knee through threats of occupation or protection rackets, then this modern state and processes will progress.

Drago said...

Cliff: "One can believe in conservative principles and not support a narcissist. The two do not automatically go together."

Hmmm, another "Cliff" post where alternatives to Trump are not discussed.

Attaboy Cliff. Something magical is bound to happen for you.

Beasts of England said...

‘I'm quite certain most of you coddled your kids, told them they were winners, and that the refs were to blame.’

I’m quite certain that all of Trump’s children are more successful than yours. And so are mine.

rhhardin said...

Unlike DeSantis, Trump is friendly. It's the sense of humor thing.

traditionalguy said...

Once more the arrogant NYC orange man, the one that won the elections which Dems had bought and paid to have rigged, just demonstrated real LEADERSHIP. He said what everybody thinks and wants to hear a courageous leader say.

effinayright said...

Lurker21 said...
I'd like to think that Trump is going to focus on the issues and do well in the debates, but I don't see it happening.

It couldn't have been that hard for an informed and prepared debater to wipe the floor with Biden, but Trump didn't do it.
********************

So...you're claiming that because Trump---according to you---didn't defeat Biden in a debate two years ago, he would lose a future debate?

Has it occurred to you that Biden now has a record to defend, and his approval numbers are in the shitter because of his policies??

M Jordan said...

I laughed out loud several times reading Althouse’s clips. Trump’s branding of Fetterman as “dirty” is as good as his branding Jeb! as “low energy.” Cause it brings to the conscious mind what we all intuit about the guy.

The world was a better place when Trump held the reins.

Amadeus 48 said...

I listen to those folks at National Review have a hissy fit over Trump (because he thinks he got robbed in the 2020 election?), and then I look at Biden, and I think, what is the matter with you? Biden is so much worse than Trump ever thought of being. How can you wet your diapers over Trump when you have the horror of Biden right in front of you?

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

"This election is a referendum on skyrocketing inflation, rampant crime, soaring murders, crushing gas prices, millions and millions of illegal aliens pouring across our border, race and gender indoctrination perverting our schools, and above all, this election is a referendum on the corruption and extremism of Joe Biden and the radical Democrat party...."

That is hell on earth - yes.

Michael K said...

Blogger Cliff said...

One can believe in conservative principles and not support a narcissist. The two do not automatically go together.


You would not recognize "conservative principles" if they bit you in the ass.

All these concern trollers.

bobby said...

"bobbie--is there anything in what he said that you disagree with?"

No. Nothing.

But I don't think that that factor alone makes him the best candidate for further advancing a more conservative philosophy for the executive branch of the federal government of the USA in 2024. I think we need to build on - and past - what Trump started. I am glad that he started it, and I think he was the right person to start it. But I doubt he's now the right person to carry it forward.

He built it all into an arguably 50/50 split across the country. No one else in 2016 looked to be able to do that. But we now ought to be looking for a way to not merely cement our 50, but to expand it. Trump is too polarizing a figure to do that. We need to keep that 50% - but also find a way to convince some more centrists and weak leftists to give our way a try.

I'm not going to cast Trump aside or apologize to anyone for supporting him when I did. I will not go along with demonizing him, or even weakening my praise of him.

Tank said...

Achilles is right. Desantis is cozying up to the wrong kind of people. Think Conservative, Inc.

The Godfather said...

Before Biden's speech, I would have regarded Trump's speech as over the top. But Trump didn't attack rank and file Democrats as extremists who should be shunned from our political dialogues, so he's the moderate and Biden's the extremist (neither is very good in the role). I wish the networks hadn't covered for Biden by deep-sixing his speech.
So Trump's speech was OK, even powerful, but I don't see it persuading anyone on the fence. I've seen no evidence that Trump has developed the self-discipline to focus on the issues and not on the defense of his own ego. And nothing will change the fact that if it's Trump who's elected in 2024, he will be a lame duck from the moment of his inauguration. DeSantis-Abbott in '24 is the ticket. Trump for senior statesman.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Joe Biden is a corrupt lying liar who lies. His hellscape Nazi-esque hate-dripping hate speech was perfect coming from him... the drooling xi old man controlled by the even bigger crooks.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

That was some speech!

boatbuilder said...

Cliff--First of all--There was no mention by Trump--at least in the portions quoted by Althouse--of the election. He is talking about what is currently happening in this country--under the Biden Administration. You have failed, utterly, to address a single one of Trump's statements.

Your sanctimony about Trump's position on the election--which is well known, but was not part of what Althouse quoted here--is neither substantive, nor sound as advice to young persons. A substantive point would address whether Trump's claims that the election was stolen have merit or not.

Not whether he is a "loser" for losing. Which of course makes the people who won, even if they cheated, "winners." Win at any cost is not a principle that I endorse. Nor is "Forget about it, that's just the way things are."

I always told my kids to think about what the truth is, and deal with it. Don't pretend that it is something that it isn't. Also that if you go along with something that is wrong it isn't going to change.

Sometimes the team that lost got jobbed. Often happens with an "away game." And maybe it was a good lesson to learn how to deal with that. But don't pretend that it didn't happen.

And I never have and never will tell my kids that what they lived through and saw with their own eyes didn't happen. Or that the people in charge are always right.

Mr Wibble said...

But I really wish he'd decide to stand off and be our elder statesman, counseling DeSantis et al. and weighing in on current events. He accomplished what we really needed him to accomplish. He established the existence of the real conservative party over the establishment R party.

He can't. If he steps aside he'll be cast aside. The establishment GOP and their conslutant courtiers will rush to tell any candidate that Trump's decision not to run is proof that Trumpism is a failure. And I guarantee you that, if Trump steps aside, DeSantis' funding will dry up. They'll want to see him lose as further "proof" that we need to go back to neoconservatism.

Douglas B. Levene said...

The only thing Trump forgot to do was explain why he lied to the Feds about having returned all the documents that had been subpoenaed and why he had the wrongfully withheld documents moved to another location.

walter said...

Try to imagine Howie's Joementia holding forth that long without a diaper change and juice shot.

narciso said...

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/09/04/adam-kinzinger-heads-to-the-fainting-couch-again-n622770

Big Mike said...

Biden characterized the MAGA Republicans as extremists, and Trump is throwing the "Extremist!" accusation right back at Biden and his party.

As he certainly should.

The same rhetorical move: Biden called my people the enemy, so I call him the enemy.

Well, yeah. If I'm Joe Biden's enemy then he and his political party must be my enemy. Symmetry, right?

walter said...

I sorta can remotely understand Garland desiring Melania's panties to sniff. But..Barron's?

Crazy World said...

Trump is still killing it, love that man! FJB LOL

Left Bank of the Charles said...

It’s classic Trump projection. He’s sees he is going to hell so he says the country is going to hell. And it will, if it goes with him.

Mr. Majestyk said...

When an election is stolen, like the 2020 election, we can't just shrug our shoulders and say, "We'll get 'em next time!" We have to call out the theft and insist on reforms so it can't happen again. Without fair elections, the country is lost.

Narayanan said...

as I said before on another post

2024 is throw down between FJB and Corn-Yellow-Hair Trump-Poppa

Narayanan said...

But now he's more polarizing than we need
===========
but is that not how a majority is built?

Narayanan said...

Did he mention hand baskets?
==========
if we are going to hell in hand baskets! who is carrying them in?


Roy Lofquist said...

Dear Ms. Althouse,

You have stated many times that you much prefer reading transcripts over listening to or watching a speech. I believe you are mistaken. A speech is as much a performance as it is a means of conveying information. It's purpose is to win people to your side. For example, people who watched the Nixon-Kennedy debate had a different reaction from those who listened on the radio. Trump, in particular, employs tone of voice and facial expressions to convey meaning and sway his audience. You glean nothing of this from a transcript.

Ann Althouse said...

"You have stated many times that you much prefer reading transcripts over listening to or watching a speech."

I prefer the transcript for blogging purposes. There are things I can do that I need written text to make happen.

I have watched many of Trump's speeches, and in fact I watched the beginning of this speech. But I don't have the time or patience to watch the whole 2 hours, and if I did, I wouldn't retain all the things I want to call attention to. It would be a vague memory. What could I say about it? It was long and rousing and the big crowd seemed to love it. He called Xi "king" to his face and got from him the idea to give the death penalty for drug dealing. He thinks Fetterman's sweatsuits are very dirty.

Anyway, I'm so familiar with how Trump does speeches that I can imagine the performance from the text.

As for other political "performers," most of them are just too boring to watch. I don't watch the news and commentary shows on TV. It's just too time-consuming and boring. So my niche is to handle the written word usually.

BUMBLE BEE said...

It always goes One Way...
http://republicbrief.com/federal-govs-bungled-census-is-bad-news-for-red-states/
Same technology used in 2000 Mules...
Memphis abduction... "Investigators determined through an analysis of the cellphone that it was in the vicinity of the abduction when it occurred, according to the affidavit".

Rocketeer said...

The fact that Cliff compares a poorly officiated child’s soccer game to a stolen election in a late-stage democracy on the precipice tells me all I need to know about Cliff.

wendybar said...

Amadeus 48 said...
I listen to those folks at National Review have a hissy fit over Trump (because he thinks he got robbed in the 2020 election?), and then I look at Biden, and I think, what is the matter with you? Biden is so much worse than Trump ever thought of being. How can you wet your diapers over Trump when you have the horror of Biden right in front of you?


9/4/22, 8:46 PM

THIS.^^^^^ Cliff from above should answer this question too.

Robert Cook said...

”Americans don't like assholes. Period.”

You’re denying millions of Americans like—LOVE—Donald Trump?

You’re obviously wrong. Period.

Robert Cook said...

“Joe Biden is a corrupt lying liar who lies.”

Yes. But he’s obviously not as good at all those things as Trump.

Achilles said...

Robert Cook said...

“Joe Biden is a corrupt lying liar who lies.”

Yes. But he’s obviously not as good at all those things as Trump.

Dumb leftist thinks he made a point.

Has nothing to back up his point.

Is dumb.

And boring.

Achilles said...

Robert Cook said...

”Americans don't like assholes. Period.”

You’re denying millions of Americans like—LOVE—Donald Trump?

You’re obviously wrong. Period.


I should stop starting at the bottom. Robert Cook posts his dumb boring posts and stacks them up like cord wood.

Thinks this is some sort of intelligent rejoinder

Rusty said...

Robert Cook said...
"“Joe Biden is a corrupt lying liar who lies.”

Yes. But he’s obviously not as good at all those things as Trump."

Hmm. Care to give us some examples of malfeasance in office, comrade bob?

Achilles said...

The Godfather said...

And nothing will change the fact that if it's Trump who's elected in 2024, he will be a lame duck from the moment of his inauguration. DeSantis-Abbott in '24 is the ticket. Trump for senior statesman.

Desantis is clearly showing everyone he is a Career Politician Swamp creature now.

He better stop doing what he has been doing the last couple of months.

If he doesn't change I will not vote for him. He will be 2012 Mitt Romney all over again. Millions of us will stay home and you will lose.

It is clear now that 2012 Mitt Romney would have been worse than Obama.

I will not feel bad for not supporting the current iteration of Desantis.

Drago said...

Left Bank: "He’s sees he is going to hell so he says the country is going to hell."

LOL

There you have it. The comment of a perfect New Soviet Democratical NPC.

Left Bank thinks the US is doing well economically and culturally even though the entirety of the New Soviet Democraticals leadership class has abandoned even trying to push those lies and has instead flexed to their full time Democracy In Peril ploy.

Left Bank seems intent to compete for Dumbest Lefty At Althouse. A very stiff competition here with gadfly, Inga and Howard running neck and neck and neck.

Lurker21 said...

Trump is an entertainer, a real estate promoter. People understand that he exaggerates, but most of them don't take everything he says absolutely literally. Biden is actually a better liar. He was practicing political prevarication for decades before Trump seriously entered politics. Biden has the media covering for him and backing him up.

And while Trump haters have no trouble calling Trump a liar, there's a more muted feeling about Biden even among his bitterest opponents, a notion that it's just "Joe being Joe" and there's not much one can do about that. It's said that Eisenhower may have cultivated a reputation for being inarticulate to avoid being pinned down on anything. Joe manages to be inarticulate without any conscious choice or effort on his part. He doesn't get the full Ike effect, though, because his anger breaks through too often.

Donald Trump is a freaking idiot. Repeat, he is an absolute idiot.

And yet ... Trump turned out to be quite a good president. I don't know whether he could do it again, but the fact that -- until he and the rest of the world were blindsided by COVID -- the country was better off than it had been before has to be taken into account. It may not be worthwhile electing him again, but if you're still in unnuanced 2015 panic mode when it comes to Trump, you've really missed a lot.

hpudding said...

Trump is throwing the "Extremist!" accusation right back at Biden and his party.

He also threw spaghetti at the wall in the White House dining room.

Not everyone finds his tantrums entertaining. And as far as “analysis” goes, the utility value of extended investigation of his unhinged streams of polluted consciousness remain to be determined.

Psychiatric ward schizophrenics at this point have more gems to be uncovered in their interminable ramblings.

Bruce Hayden said...

“The only thing Trump forgot to do was explain why he lied to the Feds about having returned all the documents that had been subpoenaed and why he had the wrongfully withheld documents moved to another location.”

Did he lie? You only have the assertions of people from the DOJ and FBI that he did. And guess what? Many of those making those assertions directly or indirectly used to work with the (FBI Counterintelligence and DOJ National Security) Divisions in those organizations that foisted RussiaGate on Trump and this nation. Of all of those involved in RussiaGate, only four were fired (Comey, McCabe, Strzok, and Clinesmith), and only Clinesmith was prosecuted, but was given a negligible sentence, and lost, then quickly regained his law license. Why do you trust that the DOJ and FBI are the ones telling the truth here? They lied about RussiaGate- so why do you think that they aren’t lying now?

They have claimed that Trump removed, then mishandled classified documents. Does this pass the smell test? Who is more likely right about whether those documents were actually classified when Trump ordered their removal - the sitting President, with plenary declassification authority, or the bureaucrats at the FBI who were formally ordered (in a formal, signed Presidential order by Trump) to complete the processing of the declassification of the RussiaGate documents, and never did? Same thing with the Presidential records - who ultimately gets to determine what was Presidential memorabilia, and what is a Presidential record? The President? Or a bureaucrat who was supposed to be working for him? The FBI didn’t bother to actually determine which was which, but, instead, just vacuumed up everything at MAL from the entire time that Trump was in office. Newspaper clippings, magazines, etc. Everything.

Then they staged a photograph showing magazines that they were seizing, along with documents with classified markings. Except that the photo was staged and photoshopped. The documents weren’t found strewn around like that, but in boxes. The FBI agents strew them around for the photo - they had no other reason to pull those documents out of the boxes and spread them out on the ground except for the photo. And some of the classified cover sheets were fake, because they were attached with paper clips, and not staples. In any case, we do know why Trump would have documents marked classified in his position - because he had formally ordered the RussiaGate documents declassified, and the bureaucrats who were supposed to have fixed the cover sheets to reflect this, never did. Besides, with his plenary declassification authority, a sitting President can do whatever he wants with declassification of documents. He, alone, doesn’t need to go through any declassification process to declassify documents. One former President famously declassified documents, and the information they contained, on the fly, in the midst of negotiating with the Russians.

So, I ask again, why do you believe that the DOJ and FBI bureaucrats were right here, and Trump was wrong? And, do you really want them to have been correct? Do you really want the bureaucrats able to overrule the sitting President’s determination of what is classified, and what isn’t (esp with the history of these two organizations using classification to hide their perfidy and malfeasance in their actions in RussiaGate)? As well as another group of bureaucrats overruling the President’s determination of what is a Presidential record, and what is Presidential memorabilia?

hombre said...

"You people who support him; just let go of your hatred for the democrats for a minute and actually listen to this nut job." Really? Did you hear QuidProJoe's speech? Have you been to the grocery store?

It's not about supporting Trump or hating Democrats. It's about inflation, energy dependence, a weakening military, open borders, rampant crime, corruption, preserving the Constitution, etc.

There is a cadre of supporters who are blind to Trump's faults. There is a cadre of Democrats who ignore their party's corruption and incompetence. The difference is that the MAGA Republicans oppose policies that will lead to the economic and moral downfall of the country as does Trump. Those of us who often find his rhetoric cringeworthy and his behavior boorish also oppose those policies and see no likely successor - not even DeSantis, yet.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Cook - sadly - you've become like every cookie cutter leftist. Which is sad, because generally- you are usually much better.

"But Trump" - do tell us your opinions on Biden. He's your president. You're OK with he and his son Hunter using his VP power to enrich themselves illegally?

Again - this isn't about Trump anymore.

effinayright said...

Mr. Majestyk said...
When an election is stolen, like the 2020 election, we can't just shrug our shoulders and say, "We'll get 'em next time!" We have to call out the theft and insist on reforms so it can't happen again. Without fair elections, the country is lost.
**********

Exactly. Otherwise we will have fallen for the ruse put together by the Muslim Brotherhood in North Africa:

"One man, one vote...one time."

Bruce Hayden said...

“The only thing Trump forgot to do was explain why he lied to the Feds about having returned all the documents that had been subpoenaed and why he had the wrongfully withheld documents moved to another location.”

Continuing my rant - probably to no one’s surprise, the source of their claim of Obstruction comes directly from the same people who crafted the gross misinterpretation of the Obstruction statute that kept the RussiaGate/Crossfire Hurricane and Mueller investigations open so long, was used against Gen Flynn, etc - Ben Whitte and his LawFare Group. They are playing the same games here - essentially ignoring the intent (and materiality) requirements. In their opinion piece, they quickly dismissed the specific intent requirement as uninteresting, then talked around it, assuming that Trump actually had in his possession classified documents and Presidential Records that he shouldn’t. All he did was order many of the formerly declassified documents boxed for removal by GSA for delivery at his home at MAL. They delivered them there, and were protected by the Secret Service. Needless to say, not providing unclassified materials, still marked classified, is not unresponsive to a subpoena for classified documents. And refusal to turn over documents that bureaucrats considered Presidential Records, and Trump’s attorneys did not, again isn’t non responsive. Moreover, their attempt to bootstrap Obstruction into the PRA dispute doesn’t work, for the same reason that Flynn’s statements to Comey about the conversation he had with the Russian Ambassador didn’t work for Obstruction - it lacked materiality. Merely not complying with a civil, and not criminal, request doesn’t magically become criminal. If a PRA violation is not a felony, then citing an Obstruction statute doesn’t bootstrap it into one. This, again, is opportunistic misinterpretation of the law, for purely political advantage, by Ben Whittee and his LawFare Group.

The other thing studiously ignored by Whitte was that Trump appears to have done nothing himself, besides order the documents and mementos packed for shipment to his home at MAL. Everything else was done by others. Can they get him via Respondeat Superior? It didn’t work with the FBI and DOJ in RussiaGate, with the fraudulent issuance of the 4 FISA warrants on Carter Page. The bureaucrats, all the way up to the AG, DAG, and FBI Dir and DD - their underlings screwed up - not their fault. Where are they going to find personal, criminal culpability, when all he did was high level delegating. Did he tell his attorneys not to comply with that subpoena, because he thought that he was above the law? Not likely.

Douglas B. Levene said...

Bruce, You're just wrong on the law. Trump's intent and the substance of the documents are important if you want to charge him with mishandling classified or sensitive documents. Those are irrelevant to whether or not he obstructed the grand jury by lying about document production or by hiding documents. If he instructed his lawyers to lie or if he gave them false information about the documents, then he's guilty of obstructing the grand jury, period, end of case. Now I don't know if he lied to his lawyers or not, but he owes us an explanation for why his lawyers signed an affidavit saying that all responsive documents had been produced. I don't know if he personally hid the withheld documents or told someone else to do that, but if he did, that's also obstruction of justice 101. Maybe he's completely innocent. Maybe he told his lawyers to produce every responsive document and they just defied his orders. Is that what you think happened?

Iman said...

“that they might steal it, yes that's a possibility, there was certainly signs of theft in 2012, but Romney 'sat back and thought of England'”

Just the tip, Mitt!

Jim at said...

This guy should be getting injections of thorazine every week and you're supporting him for president?

Physician, heal thyself.

Jim at said...

Left Bank seems intent to compete for Dumbest Lefty At Althouse.

Anybody who believes BLM helped elect Trump in 2016 is in a category above all others.

Drago said...

hpudding: "He also threw spaghetti at the wall in the White House dining room."

LOL

And he grabbed the wheel of the Beast and careened towards the Capitol!

And he overfed Koi fish in Japan!

And he didn't allow guests at MAL to have a second scoop of ice cream!

And he flushed his torn up notes down the toilet!

Anyone else noticing a pattern to these pathetic New Soviet Democratical lies?

Spoiler: They are becoming even more pathetic! Which I didn't think was possible!

Live and learn I suppose....