FAKE news, LIES, fake lies. We need the Trump Oracle.

[Lweji]

A new thread. From
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2862265-Were-only-showing-Ami-the-good-news-now-to-keep-her-sweet-Its-another-Trump-thread?watched=1&msgid=67235918#67235918

I read an article tonight - apologies that I can't link to it - which said something to the effect that this administration's new policies were reminiscent of some men sitting over their pints in a bar and opining about how to save the world.

I saw the author's point.

Never imagined I'd be listening and nodding my head in agreement to the 'wisdom' of George Dubya Bush

I've been reading about the budget plans: pumping up the military by hundreds of billions, redirecting other monies here, slashing monies there, etc. Which begs the question. Does he know about money? When I was a kid, a had a belief that banks just printed more and more money if required - you know, if the country needs some money to buy some tanks, just go to the Mint and get it! Do you think his understanding of financial matters pertaining to government goes much beyond this? Because, despite him being a supposed genius entrepreneur, I'm really not sure!

Also, had to giggle (a little) at the tweet of the health CEOs lined up behind him in the Oval Office, with just one African American CEO looking distinctly uncomfortable. And groan at bloody Ivanka's popping up again.

And Dubya. I didn't mind Dubya. Glad he's said something.

I just love the blonde woman on MSNBC.

A bit of presidential history: Mika's dad is Zbigniew Brzezinski; he was President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor. And her brother Mark was, until recently, US Ambassador to Sweden. Another brother Ian was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush.

An immigrant and the children of immigrants, all.

Ah, thanks Seneca

I remember (vaguely) her father. Impressive pedigree she's got there. No wonder she is so outraged by the ranting orange idiot.

Erm, Dubya "let's exploit 9/11 to misdirect the public and invade Iraq, because it's 'do-able' and they have oil"?

Dubya "let's send in our own political commissars to run military operations, and sack most of the people running Iraq's infrastructure - including the army - because they'd had to belong to the Ba'ath party to get jobs"?

And many, many other awful misjudgements which were discussed in the earlier threads.

Sorry, I know it's a measure of the awfulness of 45 that Dubya seems less malign in comparison, but it's partly due to Dubya's Middle East adventure that the US is where it is now.

W's intervention is important here because he's a Republican.

Obama would be preaching to the leftish converts.

W speaks to GOP voters.

Perhaps so, Pausing. But let's not dilute the awfulness of where we are now. Which is pretty grim.

Yes indeed, Lweji.

Not saying he was perfect, Pausing. Hardly. Please don't take offence.

At the time I loathed Dubya. Now would welcome back like the prodigal son.

I empathize, you must be feeling about Dubya as I do about the Grey Man, John Major, saffronwblue.
I'm sure this must have been said before on these threads, but Trump has no head for business, it is a FACT (even if it is an alternative one that I made up) that had he invested what he inherited from his father, he would actually have more money than he does now, having so many failed businesses. I have never been able to take him seriously - I remember watching him on "The Apprentice" (once, that was enough!) many years ago, and wondering why on earth he was considered to be a success. He wasn't even a good "Reality TV star", showing himself as overbearing, unpleasant, malign, rude and ignorant then and nothing has improved since. Which is why I, in my liberal stupidity, cannot understand why anyone would vote for him for anything, let alone President.

Fascinating to watch that clip and I was in on the discussion about Dubya's wellbeing at the Inauguration so I am extremely glad to see him speaking like he is. He sounds so eloquent (far more than I remember him so!) compared to DT. I remember his Presidency very well and he was mocked and derided in the Press day after day. However he never really retaliated and just got on the the job.

Now we are faced with the thin skinned ego driven Orange One. Dubya summed it up well in this interview (felt it was a dig) "Power is very very addictive. And power can be corrosive". That says it all really.

I am totally in awe of his book "Portraits of Courage". He brings together paintings he has done with stories of military veterans. Can you even begin to imagine Trump doing anything so worthy or thoughtful after his Presidency? I imagine he will be too busy shopping for a new wife...

Sorry Pausing, to clarify, I'm no Bush fan and obviously don't like the things he did. But it always felt to me like he was more of an inept puppet with powerful people behind him pulling the strings - whereas Trump seems more actively malevolent and personally involved and unbearable.

(Might be wrong of course, and I'm sure it's still some powerful people behind the throne who are ultimately in charge...)

Transcript of yesterday's Press Briefing with Angry Spice: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/27/press-briefing-press-secretary-sean-spicer-2272017-17

Lots of tripping over himself, as usual, and mention of a Special Prosecutor

Pausing yes indeed. We are looking at Dubya in retrospect given what we are faced with now. He made a lot of bad decisions.

Off subject slightly...
I've been watching a Netflix series on OJ Simpson. Apparently, DT wanted to book him on Celebrity Apprentice, even despite what he did.

On asked why he would put him on CA...

"Well you know, in your business, there's a thing called ratings. And, you know you can come up with a cure for cancer — I found out a lot about your business — because, hey, I'm the biggest star. I'm now the biggest star," Trump said. "So I know that if you come up with a cure for cancer, and if you put it on, and if it doesn't get ratings, they will not broadcast it."
"So, you come with a cure for a disease, no good. Now, I know this if I put O.J. on huge ratings. Oh, forget it, 35 million people," Trump said.

He rambled then with garbage and does it now, in the most important job in the world...

Trump thinks the Oscars mistake happened because everyone there was too busy thinking about him:

www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/trump-oscar-mistake_us_58b498e9e4b060480e0b0fe8

(Quoted on HuffPost, but was originally on Breitbart)

Trump tweet - "I will be interviewed on @foxandfriends at 6:00 A.M. Enjoy!"

FoxNews link -

Key republican would vote against GOPs Obamacare replacement -

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., said Monday that he could not get behind the Republican’s current plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Walker, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, which has 170 members, told Bloomberg that he would recommend that his fellow members reject the plan, too.
“The bill contains what increasingly appears to be a new health-insurance entitlement with a Republican stamp on it,” he said.

Then and now, headline a bit misleading:
www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/how-to-spot-a-nazi-a-certain-style-and-a-taste-for-torture-a7594351.html

Which is why I, in my liberal stupidity, cannot understand why anyone would vote for him for anything, let alone President.

Trump's entire strategy is that you can fool some of the people some of the time, and who cares if you can't fool all of the people all of the time? You can still make lots of money out of some of the people.

mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/business/media/pwc-oscars-best-picture.html

The person who was supposed to hand Warren Beatty the right envelope was posting on Twitter just before.

Perhaps the lesson is that social media can distract you from the job at hand.

Maybe we can all learn something from this!

As I said in my post, Pausing - I don't know enough about W's presidency as I was young at the time and not engaged at all. Like all presidents, he will have done things which I completely disagree with and as a republican, I expect there were a lot...

I just find it interesting that before Trump, and excluding Nixon, he was widely considered a shit president who was stupid and not fit to govern (well, that's what I took away at the time). His comments yesterday don't reflect that to me - he came across well. Having said that, I thought the point about all ex-presidents becoming more circumspect once the pressure of the office is off them is a good one. The stress of the job can't be underestimated and we all make mistakes and poor decisions when under pressure. I know some thrive on it buy I think even that kind of person would struggle under the responsibility of the presidency.

I don't think Scrotus is remotely mentally able to stand up to the strains and stress. Have to hope he will but just not convinced so far!

SanFranBear - given that it seems SCROTUS (sorry, I'm not sure what the acronym stands for but presume it is DT?) has no comprehension of the stresses and strains involved and spends most week-ends playing golf, and much of the time watching telly, I'm sure his mental health will remain as it is. (Which is not to say that he is not a mentally unbalanced narcissist but apparently that is not a problem for a President.)