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Donald Trump's Delusional Worldview

[ Posted Thursday, July 12th, 2018 – 17:10 UTC ]

President Donald Trump is delusional. My dictionary defines "delusion" as: "a persistent belief in something false typical of some mental disorders." Even if you generously leave off the last five words of that definition, from all the available data it seems to fit Trump perfectly. Trump, according to the tireless work of the Washington Post researchers, has told over 3,000 lies in his first 500 days in office. Many of them are repeat lies, proving the "persistent belief" part of that definition. Many of these lies are easy to disprove, which checks the "something (obviously) false" box as well. One recent example that Trump has repeated more than once in the past week is his claim that he won the state of Wisconsin in the presidential election, a feat that no other Republican had managed since "Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1952." This is false. It is untrue. Richard Nixon won Wisconsin three times, and Ronald Reagan won it twice -- even though Trump boasted that he had done what Reagan could not. Eisenhower even won Wisconsin again, in 1956. These are not the shifting sands of political opinion, these are basic historical facts which anyone can look up within seconds on the internet. And yet no one has been able to convince Trump that what he is saying is simply delusional. Republicans generally revere the memory of Saint Ronnie, but none of them so far has had the backbone to defend the Gipper's electoral record against falsehoods from their current delusional leader. This is just one small, rather silly example, but it proves the bigger case -- Trump continually refuses to admit he's gotten something wrong, because he sees doing so as a sign of weakness. Therefore, since he said no Republican since Eisenhower had won Wisconsin, it must be true and anyone who says otherwise is attacking him with "fake news."

Lying about the scope of his electoral victory is rather minor, though. Having a delusional worldview while meeting with other nations' leaders is quite another. That impacts America as a whole, because it serves to undermine our standing in the world. In Trump's rather unique worldview, Europe and Canada are our enemies, while Russia and North Korea should be our friends. That would be a jaw-dropping statement to make about any U.S. president, but with Trump it is merely par for one of his many golf courses. Trump has shown, in two recent multilateral meetings between America's closest allies, that he is deeply distrustful of America's staunchest friends and is quite willing to punish them for all their perceived faults. Trump has actually instituted tariffs against our allies using an obscure clause in U.S. law that allows the president to do so unilaterally (without the consent of Congress, in other words) when "national security" is at stake. Trump has claimed (with zero proof) that Canadian steel and European cars sold in this country actually threaten our national security. Again, this is simply jaw-dropping stuff, but so far Congress has not bothered to directly challenge Trump's delusions. The Senate just passed a very weak "perhaps you shouldn't do this" state-of-the-Senate resolution against Trump's national security tariffs, but they failed to even vote on any stronger measure which would have removed Trump's ability to singlehandedly levy such tariffs. So they've dipped one very timid toe in the water, but they refuse to dive in yet.

Trump just finished a meeting of the heads of state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in which he further espoused his delusional worldview. In Trump's mind (this is easily proven by his own statements on the matter), the other countries in NATO pay us what amounts to protection money so our military will defend them. This is not at all the way it works in the real world, but Trump persists in believing this is the way it works. We defend them, they pay us, and these other countries (in Trump's mind) are not paying nearly enough to America, and are therefore getting a free ride. Again, this is not the way it works. In reality, each country pays for its own military and they've set a target (years in the future) of each spending two percent of their gross domestic product on funding their own militaries. Note that no money changes hands between them and America -- they pay for their own military with this money. But somehow Trump has never been able to grasp this basic fact. Time after time, he speaks of it as other countries stiffing us somehow, by failing to pay us what they promised they would. There is no other word for this belief than "delusional," folks.

On trade, Trump is equally delusional. To Trump, a trade surplus is a good thing and a trade deficit is a bad thing. Others may believe this basic economic viewpoint, but Trump's interpretation of it is rather unique (and that's just a polite way of saying "delusional," really). To Trump, a trade deficit means that America is paying lots of money for nothing. China, for example, is somehow stealing billions of dollars each and every year from America's pockets. Of course, this is not really how things work in the real world. If I shop at a local supermarket once a week, over the course of a year I will have built up a rather large "trade deficit" with Safeway. But this trade deficit does not worry me in the slightest, because for all the money I have given them, they have exchanged food and other household goods I require to survive. I have gotten value for my money, therefore I am in no way the loser in the transactions, no matter how big the "deficit" I run with them. China gets all those billions by selling us stuff, too, and the trade deficit just means they sell us more stuff than we sell them. If American companies provided goods to the Chinese cheaper than they could make them on their own, we would be running a trade surplus. In either case, nobody's "stealing" anything -- goods and services are exchanged for money.

Donald Trump has never understood any of that. To him, there are winners and losers in the world, and the fact that we run a trade deficit with China means we are the losers, period. Just listen to him talk about it -- it's obvious that this is how he sees the issue. The fact that American consumers can buy stuff cheaper because of this arrangement is completely lost on him. The fact that we get anything at all of value out of trading with China also goes over Trump's head. And yet, after a year and a half in office, nobody's been able to explain any of this to him. He continues to stick to his delusional way of looking at it.

Some of Trump's delusions about the world are longstanding, some are brand-new, and some are merely transactional. Trump has a longstanding belief that Vladimir Putin is a good guy and that America and Russia should be friends. This is about to be on full display, as the two leaders meet one-on-one next week. Any criticism of Russia -- that they shouldn't have meddled in our presidential election, for instance -- Trump brushes off as hardly being worth paying attention to. However, in the NATO meeting, Trump unveiled a brand-new delusion against one of our allies, and hammered on it again and again while the other world leaders rolled their eyes in frustration.

According to Trump, Russia somehow owns Germany, because (again, according to Trump) Germany is letting Russia build a natural gas pipeline which will provide 70 percent of Germany's energy needs. Why should NATO bother protecting Germany from Russia when they have let themselves become a "captive" of Russia? Again, Trump only sees world trade through a winners-and-losers lens. But, as usual, he got his facts wildly wrong. Germany only uses natural gas for 9 percent of their energy needs. Trump's 70 percent figure might have also overstated reality, but let's use it anyway: 9 percent times 70 percent equals 6.3 percent. That's how much of Germany's energy needs will be coming from Russia when the pipeline is turned on. By this measure, America could be said to have been "captive" to Saudi Arabia for a long time. Except, of course, for the reality that that's not how things actually work in the real world. Trump's attack on Germany was, in a word, nothing short of delusional. And that's before you even try to square Trump's attitude towards Germany's pipeline project with his general feelings towards Putin and Russia. How can Russia be the enemy (or even captor) of Germany while also at the same time be such swell guys that they should be invited back into the G-7? It boggles the mind. Maybe he was just trying to gaslight Angela Merkel? Seems appropriate, since natural gas is the substance in question.

Some of Trump's foreign policy delusions are transactional, when Trump himself sees a certain personal advantage to believing something that just isn't so. Exhibit A in this category is Trump's continuing bromance with Kim Jong Un. Trump sees his meeting with Kim as a resounding foreign policy success worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. It reflects on him, in other words, in a very personal way. So he's got every possible motivation to overstate what was actually achieved by this meeting. Which he continues to blithely do.

Trump and Kim met and agreed to some aspirational (rather than concrete) goals that were left undefined, to provide maximum wiggle room for North Korea. Trump surrendered a rather large prize to get even this -- the cancellation of the regular semiannual joint military exercises with the South Korean armed forces. North Korea had long been seeking this, so they were delighted when Trump tossed it on the table in exchange for not very much. Since that point, the North Koreans have actually been expanding their nuclear research facility, as well as reportedly investigating ways to cheat on any future inspections by hiding their weapons where they cannot be found. Mike Pompeo just met with the North Koreans (but not Kim, who was touring a potato farm instead), which went disastrously from all accounts (except Pompeo's initial glowing report). The North Koreans openly mocked Pompeo (telling him he probably hadn't slept well) and then mocked him even more on state media after the meeting was over. Nothing was decided, no visible progress was made, and we haven't even gotten those 200 soldiers' remains from the Korean War the North Koreans had promised. A meeting that was supposed to address these remains had to be cancelled because the North Koreans didn't bother to show up.

But in all of this, the North Koreans were careful not to directly attack Trump himself. Kim even sent Trump a fawning letter, which Trump just released publicly. Trump did so to prove his continuing delusion that Kim is genuinely working hard towards denuclearization, all evidence to the contrary. In normal times, when talks between America and another country begin breaking down, the president addresses the situation in some fashion or another -- by changing negotiation tactics, by public statements designed to change the other side's behavior, by attempting to give a concession or two, or whatever. But Trump insists that everything's going peachy, because Kim Jong Un shook his hand for the cameras. This is perhaps Trump's most dangerous delusion to date. Of course, it is still early days and Trump has been distracted by other matters this week, so perhaps he'll change course eventually. But to deny that there's a problem when the problem becomes glaringly obvious is not exactly the best negotiating tactic in the world.

At the heart of all of these recent foreign policy issues is the same problem: Trump's delusions. If Trump believes one thing, then no amount of people proving to him that he's wrong is ever going to change his mind -- he'll go on repeating his own delusional worldview even in the face of solid proof to the contrary. Europe and Canada can't be trusted, but Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un can. NATO isn't paying us the money it should. China is stealing hundreds of billions of dollars from America, but that's not going to stop Ivanka from manufacturing her clothes lines there. Russia is holding Germany captive because they sell the Germans six percent of their energy needs. At the same time, Russia should be let back into the G-7, because everyone in the Crimea speaks Russian anyway. The North Korean nuclear threat does not exist anymore, because Kim Jong Un is such a swell guy who writes great letters to Trump. The talks are going great, and 200 soldiers' bodies have already come home (even though the Pentagon says they haven't).

All of these seem to be deeply-held delusional beliefs by Trump, and all of them are significantly weightier than lying about the historic size of his election victory. Trump has not changed his basic tune on trade deficits, Russia, or NATO since he took office. The German pipeline is a new one, but it'll likely soon become one of Trump's old favorites (give it time). The North Korean situation is still better than Kim and Trump calling each other names, but it is nowhere near as rosy as Trump currently sees it. On this last one, there is still hope that Trump's advisors will be able to change his mind in the next few weeks (especially if North Korea gets even more provocative than they already have). But in all of these cases, Trump displays "a persistent belief in something false." So why mince words? Our president is dangerously delusional, and we should not shy away from saying so in public.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

69 Comments on “Donald Trump's Delusional Worldview”

  1. [1] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Our president is dangerously delusional, and we should not shy away from saying so in public.

    I don't think he's delusional. I think he's very good at what he does. And, that makes him very dangerous ...

  2. [2] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    A sure fire way for Democrats to lose elections this year and in 2020 is to go around saying that the president is delusional.

  3. [3] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Time for the resistance to focus on the big picture.

  4. [4] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    While the resistance is focusing on the overall, they might wish upon a star that the dysfunctional media will wake up and understand how to provide responsible journalism and live up to the critical role they will play in righting the ship of state.

    Good luck with that.

  5. [5] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Comments, question, insults?

  6. [6] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm dying up here.

  7. [7] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Trump is not a politician but, he's savvy enough to know who put him where he is and he's going to milk that for all it's worth, and then some.

  8. [8] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    What is Trump's endgame?

  9. [9] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    To get out alive! :)

  10. [10] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    That was a little joke.

  11. [11] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I meant, to leave office with a better approval rating than Putin.

    Not a joke!

  12. [12] 
    John M wrote:

    [4] Elizabeth Miller

    "they might wish upon a star that the dysfunctional media will wake up and understand how to provide responsible journalism and live up to the critical role they will play in righting the ship of state."

    1) I thought everyone BUT FOX News was already doing that?

    2) Doesn't part of that mandate involve commenting on the President's emotional and mental state? Would they not be remiss if they ignored the issue of whether Trump is delusional or not?

    3) No matter what, hard core Trump voters are a lost cause, at least for Democrats, as are most Republicans. Don't even waste your time on them. The ONLY slice of the electorate that voted for Trump that can POSSIBLY be won over at all, are the Independents and Democrats who voted for Trump simply because A) they wanted to give someone really different a chance and could not bring themselves to vote for Hillary or B) what they saw as the existing establishment. In other words, the Experimentalist who can now be persuaded that the choice for Trump is a "failed" experiment that didn't work out at all as intended and in fact made things worse off.

  13. [13] 
    John M wrote:

    Elizabeth

    As far as NATO is concerned

    1) Since the original reason for NATO's existence was the danger posed by the Soviet Union to West Germany, and that has changed with German reunification and the Soviet Union's collapse, leading to the current angst over NATO's continuing relevance...

    2) Should NATO then been transformed into something else?

    3) What would be wrong with expanding NATO to a global organization instead of leaving it as only a European one?

    4) Along with that, what about going beyond a military alliance to one that includes other issues of security like terrorism and environmental disasters?

    5) What about expanding NATO to NAPTO? The North Atlantic and Pacific Treaty Organization? Include ANY Capitalist Democracy that wants to join, such as: Japan, Australia, Israel, and Argentina?

    6) Also, what about reforming NATO's decision making process so that it is no longer so unwieldy? Instead of needing ALL 29 members to agree before NATO takes action, so that even a tiny nation like Albania has a VETO, why not set something up like a NATO Security Council similar to the UN Security Council? Where a super majority could make decisions on behalf of the entire alliance instead?

  14. [14] 
    Michale wrote:

    Ahhhh

    Nothing else has worked, so now ya'all are repeating the mental health fear mongering again, eh? :^/

    A sure fire way for Democrats to lose elections this year and in 2020 is to go around saying that the president is delusional.

    Yep... Exactly...

  15. [15] 
    Michale wrote:

    JM,

    3) No matter what, hard core Trump voters are a lost cause, at least for Democrats, as are most Republicans. Don't even waste your time on them. The ONLY slice of the electorate that voted for Trump that can POSSIBLY be won over at all, are the Independents and Democrats who voted for Trump simply because A) they wanted to give someone really different a chance and could not bring themselves to vote for Hillary or B) what they saw as the existing establishment. In other words, the Experimentalist who can now be persuaded that the choice for Trump is a "failed" experiment that didn't work out at all as intended and in fact made things worse off.

    The Democrat's problem is that they (and ya'all incidentally) attack the "Experimentalist" voters as hatefully and as voraciously as they attack hard-core Trump supporters.. In other words, you and your Democrats make NO DISTINCTION between the EXP voters and the Trump supporters/voters..

    Given that fact, how do ya'all expect the EXP voters to come to the Democrat side when they are demonized and vilified as much as the regular Trump supporters are??

    Answer: They won't...

    The Democrats are planting the seeds of their own mid-term massacre...

  16. [16] 
    Michale wrote:

    JM,

    I am also constrained to point out that Neil, amongst others, have stated FOR THE RECORD, that Democrats don't need Trump supporters to win in the mid-terms...

    Where were you then, voicing your objection???

  17. [17] 
    Michale wrote:

    Nothing else has worked, so now ya'all are repeating the mental health fear mongering again, eh? :^/

    I get it.. I really do..

    The Mueller thing is just NOT working out for ya'all.. So, since desperation is sinking in, the Left is gonna trot out the Mental Health angle again to see if it can gain any traction...

    The Left just needs to come to grips with the fact that President is not the catastrophically bad POTUS the Left claimed he was going to be. That he is actually doing some really great things for this country..

    The Left needs to accept the reality that the ONLY way that President Trump is going to leave office is when his second term ends on 20 Jan 2024...

    This is the reality people.. Accept it..

  18. [18] 
    Michale wrote:

    Trump, according to the tireless work of the Washington Post researchers, has told over 3,000 lies in his first 500 days in office.

    Of course WaPoop would say that..

    But the problem for ya'all is how a Trump "lie" is defined..

    "It's going to be a great day!!"
    -President Trump..

    And then it rains..

    AAARRRRGGGGGGG TRUMP LIED!!!!! TRUMP LIED!!!!! TRUMP LIED!!!!!
    -WaPoop

    This is why it's impossible to take ANYTHING WaPoop says about President Trump seriously...

    They are voraciously anti-Trump and that colors everything they say and do..

  19. [19] 
    TheStig wrote:

    CW-

    Although Trump could probably keep a platoon of psychiatrists busy scribbling in their notebooks*, I think a better technical description of his factual state is "learned confabulation."

    Confabulation is "the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world, without the conscious intention to deceive. Trump has a natural tendency to confabulate, but he has learned it is effective and has gone one step further and weaponized it with the help of Sean Hannity, the Albert Speer of Cable News.

    Trump's "Fart of the Deal" ghost writer called this tactic "truthful hyperbole" which something akin to putting chocolate frosting on a turd. A literal dictionary translation of the term is: "facts or or claims not meant to be taken literally." AKA obvious lies.

    * Where is Gary Larson when you need him?

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiag7Dci5zcAhVENOwKHfMXDt0QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F520517669406069032%2F&psig=AOvVaw04susu8NnXtb9S1PgcIUCb&ust=1531571728010161

  20. [20] 
    Michale wrote:

    It's really funny..

    How come NONE of this came out when Trump had a -D after his name??

    Everyone on the Left *LOVED* Trump when he was a Democrat...

    No talk of racism (he was honored by Jesse Jackson), NO talk of sexism or hatred of LGBTQRSABCXYZ people, NO talk of being delusional...

    Ya see where I am going with this??

    NONE of ya'all said ANYTHING against President Trump when he had a -D after his name...

    So, you can see why ya'all being so up in arms about REPUBLICAN Trump is kinda hard to take without a HUGE grain of salt...

    In short, it's NOTHING but a Partisan Agenda at work..

  21. [21] 
    Michale wrote:

    Dems who drafted bill to abolish ICE now say they'll vote against it

    Democrats who drafted a bill to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] suddenly announced Thursday night that they would vote against it if the legislation went to the floor, after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News he intended to call their bluff.
    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/07/12/dems-who-drafted-bill-to-abolish-ice-now-say-theyll-vote-against-it.html

    BBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Democrats are so moronic...

  22. [22] 
    Michale wrote:

    DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROSENSTEIN TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT... DEVELOPING...
    drudgereport.com

    Hmmmmmmm Something's afoot...

  23. [23] 
    neilm wrote:

    Trump also believes that he visited Scotland the day before Brexit and predicted it despite glaring evidence that he visited after the vote.

    He repeats this lie fairly often, including on his latest trip to the U.K., to the amusement of the Brits who just point and laugh (MAGA!!! - America is repected again!!!).

    Trump is a salutary and tawdry example of the fact that a sufficient percentage of the voters in this country are either similarly delusional or don't care so long as it allows them to control women or let the mentally ill shoot up schools.

  24. [24] 
    Michale wrote:

    Trump is a salutary and tawdry example of the fact that a sufficient percentage of the voters in this country are either similarly delusional or don't care so long as it allows them to control women or let the mentally ill shoot up schools.

    You know what's sad?? I think you actually BELIEVE that about people who refuse to toe your ideological line..

    That's just sad...

  25. [25] 
    neilm wrote:

    You know what's sad?? I think you actually BELIEVE that about people who refuse to toe your ideological line..

    My friend, you are one of the key examples of delusion ;)

    I'd just like to thank you for the overwhelming body of evidence you provide constantly proving the delusion of the Trump masses.

  26. [26] 
    neilm wrote:

    Michale:

    Did Trump comment on Brexit in Scotland before or after the Brexit vote?

    Hint: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/24/donald-trump-hails-eu-referendum-result-as-he-arrives-in-uk

  27. [27] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    NEWSFLASH!! A dozen Russian hackers just indicted by Mueller for releasing DNC emails that showed Hillary stacked the deck against Bernie!!!

    I'm nowhere near as close to Russia as Sarah Palin, but I can feel those 12 dudes trembling in fear all the way down here!

  28. [28] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    Oh! Wait - turns out thats laughing, not trembling!

  29. [29] 
    neilm wrote:

    CRS [28]:

    Is hacking an email server a crime?

    Should we ignore crimes if the perpetrators are not in the U.S.?

  30. [30] 
    neilm wrote:

    CRS [28]:

    At any point in the election did Trump explicitly request that Russian hackers hack emails to help his campaign?

    Hint: “I will tell you this, Russia: If you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the Republican nominee said at a news conference in Florida [in July, 2016]. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

  31. [31] 
    Michale wrote:

    I'd just like to thank you for the overwhelming body of evidence you provide constantly proving the delusion of the Trump masses.

    Trump masses that you Democrats are going to NEED to prevail in the mid-terms. :D

    Did Trump comment on Brexit in Scotland before or after the Brexit vote?

    Who cares???

    Talk about delusionally obsessed..

  32. [32] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    TS

    Confabulation is "the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world, without the conscious intention to deceive.

    It is that last past that disqualifies Trump.... he intends to deceive! How could he not?

    I still think that he is suffering from early onset of dementia. I say “early onset” because it seems hit or miss as to whether he can focus on the task he is doing. A blind first year psychology student could see this is the case. If you have spent any time with someone who has suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s, the signs are all there.

    The way he rambles and cannot directly answer the questions posed to him; the repeating of certain topics over and over again within a short timeframe without seeming to realize he has already covered the topic; the inability to focus on a topic for any length of time and being easily frustrated by technical discussions — these are telltale signs that he is suffering from dementia.

    Why we accepted the WH doctor’s supposed “medical assessment” that Trump was incredibly sharp and in great shape as being true still blows my mind?! Trump was 6’3 and 235# supposedly, with “incredible genes”?! I am surprised that he didn’t throw in that Trump was hung like a bull and had large, manly hands since everything else he was claiming wasn’t based in reality! He was a military doctor who had to follow the orders of his CIC, so he lied to the world as he had been ordered to do.

    The scary thing is that even though Trump seems to be in control of his thoughts a good bit of the time, there is no way to predict when his mental train will jump the tracks. Add to that his extreme narcissism and views on strength, there is no way that he is going to step back and turn over responsibilities to other people even if he admits to his condition.

    I think Trump will wait until Mueller is close to finishing his investigation and then he will step down for medical reasons and then Pres. Pence will pardon him for everything.

  33. [33] 
    Michale wrote:

    Neil,

    At any point in the election did Trump explicitly request that Russian hackers hack emails to help his campaign?

    Hint: “I will tell you this, Russia: If you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the Republican nominee said at a news conference in Florida [in July, 2016]. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

    Did Obama explicitly ask Russia for help in winning the 2012 campaign..

    Hint:
    "Please tell Vlad that if he can give me some space to win the upcoming election I can be more flexible for him.."
    -Barack Obama

    If Trump's act is treasonous, so is Obama's...

  34. [34] 
    Michale wrote:

    I think Trump will wait until Mueller is close to finishing his investigation and then he will step down for medical reasons and then Pres. Pence will pardon him for everything.

    Yea, but you also thought that Hillary was going to win the election..

    Face the facts, Russ. You have a HUGE credibility gap when it comes to politics in general and President Trump in particular.. :D

  35. [35] 
    Michale wrote:

    “There is no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime. There is no allegation that the conspiracy changed the vote count or affected any election result.”
    -Rod Rosenstein

    Once again..

    Completely exonerates any and all Americans..

    Had absolutely NO EFFECT on the election results..

    Mueller is doing great things for President Trump..

  36. [36] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    neilm [30]

    If I were to guess, I'd presume hacking is a crime, but if I said so, you'd promptly claim I'm pretending to be a know-it-all expert again.

    As to whether we should ignore it if perpetrated by foreigners, I'd guess it'd make no difference what we do.

  37. [37] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Michale [34] Trump has his delusions, apparently you have yours, such as believing that using that quote out of context will make any sort of point or rebut any sort of argument.

    You'd certainly be laughed out of court with that one.

    Trump didn't attract the attention of the FBI with some aside - according to Strzok's sworn testimony yesterday, there's classified evidence that the Trump campaign had reciprocal communications with the Russians regarding active undercover measures to affect the election (which as we know from indictments already handed down include Russian agents on the ground here in America). He also testified that in the run-up to the election, the Russians were bringing so many technical experts into the US that it alarmed the FBI, causing them to begin slow-walking Russian visa requests.

    THAT'S what they call 'conspiracy to defraud America', and that's what's got Trump on the hotseat. Asking for leeway in a negotiation is one thing, coordinating Russian deep-cover agents in the US is quite another.

  38. [38] 
    Michale wrote:

    according to Strzok's sworn testimony yesterday,

    Was that the same Storkze who said in pillow talk to his mistress that they will take down Trump however possible??

    The same Storkzit that got yanked from Mueller's team for his bigotry..

    The same Storkscum who is being fired by the FBI??

    THAT Stork??

    Yea.. REAL credible.. ;^)

    THAT'S what they call 'conspiracy to defraud America', and that's what's got Trump on the hotseat.

    Yea.. YAAWWWWNNNNNN Same old sheet, just another day...

    President Trump is not going anywhere..

    You know it.. I know it...

    The sooner you come to accept that FACT, the better off you'll be...

  39. [39] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Yea.. REAL credible..

    And under oath. Lemme see someone under oath refute it. Until then, you've got nuthin.

    YAAWWWWNNNNNN Same old sheet, just another day...

    Well then, you can just ignore this "Jaws Theme" music I'm playing in the background.

  40. [40] 
    Michale wrote:

    And under oath. Lemme see someone under oath refute it. Until then, you've got nuthin.

    I got a whole litany of his pillow talk....

    Funny how ya'all condemn Trump's marital infidelity, but over look the infidelity of those who say what you want to hear..

    Funny, huh?? :D

    Well then, you can just ignore this "Jaws Theme" music I'm playing in the background.

    ANd you have been playing that JAWS music for 2 years..

    And guess what??

    NO SHARK.. :D

  41. [41] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    I got a whole litany of his pillow talk....

    Not made under oath. Your guys don't seem to understand the difference, I guess.

    And guess what?? NO SHARK..

    ..he said, just before losing a foot. :D

  42. [42] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Funny how ya'all condemn Trump's marital infidelity, but over look the infidelity of those who say what you want to hear..

    Funny how all of the evangelical hypocrites who had demanded once that Carter drop out of the presidential race because he'd admitted that he 'lusted in his heart' are suddenly on board with a guy who uses porn stars as side nookie.

    Funny how the party that used to give long lectures about deficits, free trade and the Russian threat are now cozying up to a guy who has thrown all of that overboard, in return for a little bigotry and lots of snark-as-policy. Almost as if they'd never had any principles at all...

    Trump is just some sort of revenge porn for y'all. When you're done masturbating to Trump's latest tweets, we have a future that needs attention.

  43. [43] 
    neilm wrote:

    but if I said so, you'd promptly claim I'm pretending to be a know-it-all expert again.

    Oh, boo hoo.

    I'd guess it'd make no difference what we do.

    You don't know that yet. These guys can be placed on an Interpol list and will need to keep their heads down. Plus Putin will not last forever and the next ruler could hand them over as part of a deal to get sanctions eased.

    The noose is tightening.

    Amusing that Trump's own DOJ timed their spoiler for his visit to Windsor - talk about spitting in Trump's eye - Rosenstein is almost daring Trump to fire him.

  44. [44] 
    neilm wrote:

    New motto of the Republican Party:

    "We will defend our traitors to the end"

  45. [45] 
    rjrap wrote:

    Funny how ya'all condemn Trump's marital infidelity, but over look the infidelity of those who say what you want to hear.

    The difference is that one man has admitted his infidelity. His Orangeness is to cowardly to do it.

  46. [46] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Michale,

    Yea, but you also thought that Hillary was going to win the election..

    She won the popular vote by over 3 million.

    Face the facts, Russ. You have a HUGE credibility gap when it comes to politics in general and President Trump in particular.. :D

    When it comes to facts and honesty, YOU are the one with a HUGE credibility gap!

  47. [47] 
    Michale wrote:

    She won the popular vote by over 3 million.

    Which has nothing to do with winning the election..

    When it comes to facts and honesty, YOU are the one with a HUGE credibility gap!

    I know you are but what am I!!?? :D

  48. [48] 
    Michale wrote:

    The difference is that one man has admitted his infidelity. His Orangeness is to cowardly to do it.

    Actually, Storkczi didn't admit his infidelity.. He got caught..

    So, once again, no different than Trump...

    But you give Storkteat a pass because he says what you want to hear..

    How is that not hypocrisy???

  49. [49] 
    Michale wrote:

    The noose is tightening.

    Dood.. It's been "tightening" for over 2 years now..

    Face the facts.. Mueller ain't got shit.. He filed another do nothing case that won't have any impact on anything..

    At least he didn't frak up like he did LAST time and indict Russian corporations...

    Funny how THAT case is STILL going nowhere...

    But, we DO know, once again..

    NO AMERICANS WERE INVOLVED...

    NO EFFECT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION

  50. [50] 
    Michale wrote:

    Face reality, people..

    Mueller ain't gonna save the Democrats...

    Mid-terms are going to decimate and demoralize Dims, probably beyond recovery...

    You heard it here first...

  51. [51] 
    Michale wrote:

    A sad day..

    Captain John Christopher has died.. :^(

    'Star Trek' actor Roger Perry dead at 85
    http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/07/13/star-trek-actor-roger-perry-dead-at-85.html

  52. [52] 
    Michale wrote:

    And, since I KNOW ya'all love polls.. :D

    Sky Data poll: Britons back Trump on airing Brexit views
    The figures come after Mr Trump slams Theresa May's Brexit plans, saying they would "kill" any chance of a trade deal with the US.

    https://news.sky.com/story/sky-data-poll-britons-back-trump-on-airing-brexit-views-11435963

  53. [53] 
    Michale wrote:

    Far from believing in the coming restoration of the Democratic Party, the donkeys find themselves adrift in Lake Ontario, having gone over Niagara Falls in a barrel in a burst of high animal spirits and are now clinging to what’s left of the staves and wondering what the hell happened.

    Gone is the cocksure attitude that victory rightfully would be theirs because they are on the “right side of history.” In its place has come a series of Trump Administration Supreme Court victories (putting paid to the forced financing of public unions, upholding the Muslim travel ban in the teeth of lower-court judicial activism, and handing religious freedom a couple of major wins that have shaken the Dems to their core.)

    Lastly, earlier this week, came the unkindest cut of all: still smarting from the GOP’s refusal to give judge Merrick Garland a hearing for the Supreme Court vacancy occasioned by the sudden death of Antonin Scalia in 2016, the Democrats could only look on haplessly as Anthony Kennedy (one of their relative darlings, thanks to his tie-breaking gay-marriage vote) announced his retirement. This paved the way for Trump’s nomination of D.C. Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to cement a solid 5-4 conservative majority on the court, with the possibility of still more vacancies to come in Trump’s first term alone: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 85 and Stephen Breyer is 79.
    https://amgreatness.com/2018/07/12/over-in-a-barrel-democrats-hurtle-toward-the-rocks-below/

    I feel for ya people.. The Left has taken hit after hit after hit after hit...

    I admire ya'all's feeble attempts to put on a brave face..

    But it's only gonna get worse for ya'all from here..

  54. [54] 
    Michale wrote:

    I just checked. Still record low UE employment for minorities, record high approval of a Republican by Hispanics, record 91 approval of the president by Republicans (better than Bush's after 9/11), record black approval of a Republican President, record manufacturing jobs growth and sign on bonus signs at the local factories.

    Yea.. Trump "sucks"... :D

    I can understand why ya'all are bummed..

  55. [55] 
    Michale wrote:

    A sad day..

    Captain John Christopher has died.. :^(

    'Star Trek' actor Roger Perry dead at 85

    For anyone who is a die-hard fan, there is a novel where Kirk meets (in a manner of speaking) Captain John Christopher's son Colonel Sean Geoffery Christopher on the Saturn mission..

    It's called The Rings of Time and it's a pretty good read...

  56. [56] 
    neilm wrote:

    If you haven't seen the Brit's signs greeting Trump, you should do yourself a favor.

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-protest-signs-london-rally_us_5b48dddbe4b0bc69a786ee98

  57. [57] 
    neilm wrote:

    #1 song in the U.K.

    Green Day's "American Idiot".

    The Brits know wanker when they see one.

  58. [58] 
    neilm wrote:

    Rosenstein hasn't identified the American colluding with the Russian intelligence officers, but it is pretty likely to be Manafort. Spicer's new book details Manafort's role in the campaign (which he did for free, unless you count the Ukranian money he was being paid), and he and Trump were thick as thieves.

    Trump might want to defect in Helsinki :)

    Pass the popcorn, the fun is starting.

  59. [59] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    "These guys can be placed on an Interpol list . . the noose is tightening."

    Please, have mercy! Some of those Russian miscreants might be elderly, and guys my age shouldn't be subjected to uncontrollable fits of laughter!

  60. [60] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Pass the popcorn, the fun is starting.

    Indeed it is. Mueller is sidling up to these un-indicted co-conspirators from Trump's team, and whispering, "here's your last chance to cooperate before I charge your ass with the equivalent of treason". We do have an extradition treaty with Britain, I note.

  61. [61] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    John,

    I thought everyone BUT FOX News was already doing that?

    Actually, the media continues to be dysfunctional.

  62. [62] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    There's an interesting concept - "The equivalent of treason". Sounds right up there with 'jaywalking'!

  63. [63] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    John,

    Doesn't part of that mandate involve commenting on the President's emotional and mental state? Would they not be remiss if they ignored the issue of whether Trump is delusional or not?

    No. The media need to focus on the big picture. Which they are not yet doing.

  64. [64] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    No matter what, hard core Trump voters are a lost cause, at least for Democrats, as are most Republicans. Don't even waste your time on them. The ONLY slice of the electorate that voted for Trump that can POSSIBLY be won over at all, are the Independents and Democrats who voted for Trump simply because A) they wanted to give someone really different a chance and could not bring themselves to vote for Hillary or B) what they saw as the existing establishment. In other words, the Experimentalist who can now be persuaded that the choice for Trump is a "failed" experiment that didn't work out at all as intended and in fact made things worse off.

    Who is up to the task of doing the persuading, John?

  65. [65] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, by persuading, I mean to vote Democrat.

  66. [66] 
    Michale wrote:

    Pass the popcorn, the fun is starting.

    Yea.. Ya'all have been saying that for YEARS now..

    It get's old...

  67. [67] 
    LeaningBlue wrote:

    C. R. Stucki [28]: I can feel those 12 dudes trembling in fear all the way down here!

    Trembling, no. But there are a lot of places now where a dozen good solid intel officers might like to go, but can no longer go without getting their butts nabbed. Plus, for certain Americans, the specificity of the indictment, plus the evidence of extent of surveillance, reinforces and reminds them of the broad scope and level of detail that the FBI has on them.

    What I find so delightful about that indictment, and the announcement of it, is how well the trolling of Trump supporters segued from the previous days' trolling by the FBI of the NRFPT* Committees' Republicans.

    What do I mean by trolling? Consider this exchange, in paraphrase:

    Cong.: Who are Korn and Simpson in your email?

    Troll: I'd love to tell you, but under advice of FBI counsel, I can't.
    Cong: Did you receive any documents from David Korn?
    Troll [Smiling (maybe smirking)]: Yes.
    Was the trolling effective? Did Louie Gohmert's head explode?

    Then, in the indictment, comes word that a congressional candidate solicited damaging information on his opponent from the Russian agents, prospectively in violation of Federal campaign laws, as well as broader "fixin' to sneak" statutes. Of course, that person could not be named at this time. This threw at least two Republican congressman way off script, being forced to deny that it was them, rather than condemn the indictment as a witchhunt.

    By the way, I believe Gowdy is now a double agent. He was the one who permitted Strozk's full throated defense of himself, of the institution of the FBI, and the logical repudiation of the premise of the hearing itself. This was quite unlike the inadvertent blunders of others who left openings which allowed their questions' responses to become line-item denunciations of candidate Trump,

    Of course, the very timing of the indictiment is trolling the President himself. This was likely the real cause, and not lobbying for American LNG, of his going off on the Germans being captives of the Russians.

    In any case, trolling is a bitch sometimes, and it has become a significant part of modern political warfare. Matter of fact, this post might itself qualify as trolling.

    *Not Ready For Prime Time

  68. [68] 
    Michale wrote:

    LB,

    Welcome back, dood!! You've been missed.. :D

    Trembling, no. But there are a lot of places now where a dozen good solid intel officers might like to go, but can no longer go without getting their butts nabbed.

    For example...??? :D

    In any case, trolling is a bitch sometimes, and it has become a significant part of modern political warfare. Matter of fact, this post might itself qualify as trolling.

    "Indeed"
    -Teal'c, STARGATE SG-1

    :D

  69. [69] 
    LeaningBlue wrote:

    M. [69] : there are a lot of places now where a dozen good solid intel officers might like to go, but can no longer go without getting their butts nabbed.

    For example...??? :D

    Thanks for the welcome. But, come on, man, I'm sure you were around enough intel guys in your time that you know that if one were to tell you where he was going, he'd have to neutralize you. ;)

    Even if these guys are mainly bit-pushers who spend their days in rooms with flashing lights and tape drives, some of them evidently are cross-linguistically trained and it's not a stretch that it might be useful for some of them to go to geek conferences under, say, a Canadian or Baltic-state alter ego.

    They've probably been blown for months, but now they're essentially on the lamb.

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