"There's a pony in there somewhere". Trump con't

[AcrossthePond55]

Title based on what a college professor used to tell us when the going got tough.

"Just remember when you're standing shoulder deep in horse shit, there's a pony in there somewhere. So just keep digging".

Phew! What is that smell:

'Bannon attempts his political comeback.
A new pro-Trump operation will frame the midterms as an up-or-down vote on the president’s impeachment.'

'Steve Bannon is attempting a political resurrection, launching a 25-person pro-Trump rapid-response and polling operation that is framing the midterms as an up-or-down vote on the president’s impeachment.
The former White House chief strategist has started Citizens for the American Republic, an outside political group that intends to advise surrogates, generate talking points, and flood the TV and radio airwaves ahead of a perilous midterm election.'
www.politico.com/story/2018/08/15/bannon-comeback-midterms-trump-impeachment-779225

The title and pony made me smile.

Kremlin confirms Bolton meeting with Russian officials next week
www.politico.com/story/2018/08/15/john-bolton-russia-meeting-geneva-777977

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/samantha-bee-fascists-to-watch-2018_us_5b751a2ee4b02b415d755748

'During an interview with Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, Conway complained that her husband’s recent tweets about Trump were “disrespectful” and possibly violated their “marital vows,” but insisted that she was speaking off the record. She asked Terris to be quoted as a “person familiar with their relationship” ― not as herself.'
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kellyanne-conway-husband-disrespectful-anonymous_us_5b6faaafe4b0bdd06209e5fe
www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/she-works-for-trump-he-cant-stand-him-this-is-life-with-kellyanne-and-george-conway/2018/08/15/3b89b82a-9b46-11e8-843b-36e177f3081c_story.html?utm_term=.df9ac3264451

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/eric-trump-snakes-in-the-grass_us_5b73ce3be4b0182d49aec1de

www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/08/gun-control-isnt-as-divisive-as-people-think-and-parkland-students-should-know/
www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/08/parkland-sandy-hook-parents-midterms/

One of the facists in Bee's line-up:

Charlottesville Hate Marcher Elected by Republican Party
James Allsup went from a ‘pro-white’ group to a post in a Washington state GOP in an uncontested race.
www.thedailybeast.com/charlottesville-hate-marcher-elected-by-republican-party

A month after Charlottesville, Allsup told white nationalist podcast Fash the Nation that he tried to take over WSU’s College Republican club with “fashy goy” (fascist, non-Jewish) friends.

“If you are a college guy, or a college girl, and you are on a college campus, if you have three or four fashy goy friends, you can take over your school’s College Republicans group and move it to essentially being an alt-right club,” Allsup said.

“You can easily do that and it gives you access to so many more resources. It gives you political credibility. It gives you all of these things that come along with the name of being a Republican.”

Trump says he can override congress directive not to recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-crimea-russia-military-spending-bill-congress-john-mccain-a8492191.html

The US president quietly issued a statement on Monday evening, hours after signing a military spending bill, claiming dozens of the bill’s statutes to be unconstitutional intrusions on his powers as commander-in-chief.

Among the provisions in the $716bn (£563bn) bill is a ban on spending Department of Defense money on “any activity that recognises the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea”, a region in Ukraine annexed by Moscow in 2014 during a period of regional political upheaval.

The bill, titled the John S McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, does allow for the directive to be waived, but only on condition the secretaries of defence and state provide explanations to relevant senate and house committees.

However, in a statement published on the White House website, Mr Trump said the provision was an attempt to “dictate the position” of the US in foreign military affairs.

'DONALD TRUMP ISN’T JUST SLASHING THE REFUGEE QUOTA, HE’S DISMANTLING THE ENTIRE RESETTLEMENT SYSTEM'
theintercept.com/2018/08/15/donald-trump-refugee-resettlement-quota/

thefederalist.com/2018/08/15/trying-to-own-the-libs-is-actually-how-you-get-owned-by-politicians/

www.thenation.com/article/americas-gulf-allies-are-making-the-world-a-more-dangerous-place/

'To defeat Kavanaugh, senators need to know that thousands of their constituents are demanding a rejection of his nomination. On Sunday, August 26, people across the country will gather for protests and rallies to make that clear.'
www.thenation.com/article/keep-up-the-fight-to-defeat-brett-kavanaugh/

www.wsj.com/articles/trump-revokes-ex-cia-director-john-brennans-security-clearance-1534358658

WASHINGTON—President Trump drew a direct connection between the special counsel investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and his decision to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan and review the clearances of several other former officials.

He really can't keep his counsel.

I wonder about 'after Trump' too. Could it possibly be that someone like Kasich will suddenly surge to the fore, in a swing of the pendulum? The Oprah blip felt bad, in that if the presidency becomes a celebrity fiefdom, that is a permanent shift in the wrong direction, even if Oprah herself feels like the right direction.

On the lighter side, Jill Wine-Banks, Watergate prosecuter and MSNBC legal analyst always a wears a brooch significant to the day's political events. She has some crackers; love her wild haired golfer and the Pinocchios:
www.jillwinebanks.com/jills-pins-content?category=Jill%27s%20Pins

John Brennan: President Trump’s Claims of No Collusion Are Hogwash nyti.ms/2OERKmC?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Interesting op ed from Brennan who goes further than I have seen or heard.

'The already challenging work of the American intelligence and law enforcement communities was made more difficult in late July 2016, however, when Mr. Trump, then a presidential candidate, publicly called upon Russia to find the missing emails of Mrs. Clinton. By issuing such a statement, Mr. Trump was not only encouraging a foreign nation to collect intelligence against a United States citizen, but also openly authorizing his followers to work with our primary global adversary against his political opponent.

Such a public clarion call certainly makes one wonder what Mr. Trump privately encouraged his advisers to do — and what they actually did — to win the election. While I had deep insight into Russian activities during the 2016 election, I now am aware — thanks to the reporting of an open and free press — of many more of the highly suspicious dalliances of some American citizens with people affiliated with the Russian intelligence services.

Mr. Trump’s claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash.'

Published on 13 Aug 2018
Maggie Haberman, a New York Times White House correspondent and CNN political analyst, spoke about covering the White House. Among the areas she talked about were the mechanics of the daily press briefings and how information is disseminated by the White House to the press.
Recorded July 21st, 2018

'If they take the House, he wins big': Trump loyalists see upside in impeachment
Why some Trump allies think his path to reelection runs through an effort to kick him out of the Oval Office.
www.politico.com/story/2018/08/16/trump-impeachment-reelection-midterms-778968

Afterwards (and this will no doubt take a long time), those checks and balances need to be reinforced because they rely so often on basic decency and a submission to the social contract that Trump and his ilk just don't have it in them to act upon.

I'm optimistic that it will make for a better democracy but fear the bottom of the barrel has not yet been reached.

See:

Donald J. Trump
‏
Verified account

@realDonaldTrump
10h10 hours ago

“I’d strip the whole bunch of them. They’re all corrupt. They’ve all abused their power. They’ve all betrayed the American people with a political agenda. They tried to steal and influence an election in the United States.” @seanhannity

Jeet Heer (The New Republic)‏
Verified account

@HeerJeet
9h9 hours ago

1. So let's do a little detective work here, people, about what Steve Bannon has been up to. You'll recall that earlier this year he lost his billionaire patrons the Mercers because he said Don Jr. did treasonous shit.

1. So last week, the NY Post claims, Bannon was seen going into the mansion of someone even more of a pariah than he is: billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

pagesix.com/2018/08/11/steve-bannon-trying-to-get-on-disgraced-jeffrey-epsteins-good-side/

1. So last week, Banon largely friendless and patronless meets a billionaire pedophile. This week the NY Times reports Bannon has enough funds to start a new pro-Trump group.

www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/us/politics/steve-bannon-midterms-trump.html

1. I'm not saying Bannon is being funded by Epstein, but the timing of the meeting and new group is interesting. Someone should ask Bannon about it!

Produced what seems like an eternity ago, it is a timely reminder:

www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/amp/analysis-vengeful-world-donald-trump-why-it-matters-n671721?__twitter_impression=true

I've been calling this Trump thing a #SlowMovingCoup since before the election - but its moving faster now. Dems say "We have to be FOR something" - how about Democracy? The Saturday Night Massacre is happening, just not on one night.

twitter.com/billmaher/status/1029945090742018053

“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York Magazine for a 2002 profile of Epstein. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
www.vanityfair.com/news/2003/03/jeffrey-epstein-200303
heavy.com/news/2016/11/donald-trump-rape-lawsuit-sue-rape-13-year-old-girl-jeffrey-epstein-jane-doe-katie-johnson-press-conference-lisa-bloom/
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexcampbell/court-papers-trump-ate-at-jeffrey-epsteins-house
www.thedailybeast.com/the-billionaire-pedophile-who-could-bring-down-donald-trump-and-hillary-clinton