Donald Trump a Prisoner in the White House?

My perfect dream casting (were she not dead): Rue McClanahan
for Donald J. Trump. Photo from source, Raw Story

It would seem by all outward indications that President Donald Trump (a phrase that still sounds like it comes out apocalyptic fiction) is not having a good time. He wanted the praise, the accolades, the title, the crown. I don't believe, and never believed for a minute, that he wanted the actual job. Oh sure, he'd take the bows, he'd love for "TRUMP" to be emblazoned upon monuments and memorials, and no doubt he'd like to leave a mark in the history books via Make America Great Again™ policy and appointments to courts.

But you can't guarantee a good legacy, and make good policy as a bull in a china shop. This is, I should note, what his followers wanted, partly. They claimed they wanted to shake things up, some went so far as "blow it up." And by his behavior, Trump certainly seems to be doing that. He is absolutely heedless of protocols, traditions, decorum, diplomacy. . .he is no different a sitting President than he was a brash candidate. He tweets and says things no other president (or upwardly mobile elected official) would say or do. He stomps all over regulations, policies and even laws, and that will probably be his undoing. Whether he quits, gets bounced, or croaks in office, it's going to be interesting (and horrifying) to see just how much damage he does on purpose versus how much he stumble-bums his way through, crashing like the Kool-Aid Man through every American institution.

And the worst part for him, is that he's apparently hating it bigly. Good. Stew, you ignorant man-baby, stew.

[Excerpt]

He doesn’t like this sh*t’: Trump reportedly hates his job and his staff after less than a month

After just three weeks on the job, President Donald Trump is reportedly frustrated with the realities of trying to run the U.S. government the way he manages his family-owned business.

Politico interviewed nearly two dozen people who have spent time with the former real estate developer and reality TV star since his inauguration — and they said Trump’s “mood has careened between surprise and anger as he’s faced the predictable realities of governing,” according to the report. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Donald Trump's Cult of Personality: What is Wrong with Trump's Supporters?

An internet comments section come to life. That is the best (and increasingly frequent) summation of Donald Trump's candidacy. I've seen it now from several sources, and it's becoming more common, because it fits so well. If you don't know what that means, it means that Trump is pure id. He will make his "point" forcefully, whether or not it makes any sense. He'll answer a question with non-sequiturs, with irrelevant, exaggerated, boasts. He goes off on tangents, sometimes several at once, embedding parentheticals inside parentheticals. All the while bulldozing everyone else in the discussion and declaring himself the victor, even if he said nothing of substance.

I'm watching Morning Joe right now, and The Donald is on the phone. For some reason, this show (and most others) is willing to have Trump appear via phone call at any moment to discuss anything, at length. But today, they're discussing Trump's over-the-top immigration comments about Muslims. His comments have drawn the ire of many prominent Republicans, and have stomped on virtually every other political story of the moment.

Trump is pulling his usual schtick, filibustering the hosts (most of which are very friendly to him), using his familiar third-grader vocabulary and argument style. When they ask him a pointed question, he regales them with tales of his standing room only crowds, his place in the polls, the weakness of his opposition, and little else. He declares himself "right," while offering very, very little of substance.

In short, he's doing what he always done. But he's terrible. No other candidate could get away with it for this long. The problem is, as I see it, moving from Trump to his supporters. What is wrong with your average Trump supporter? What are you seeing here? He's a blowhard bully, an egotistical asshat, still spewing obnoxious vaguaries, still absent any real-world specifics.  He is a complete paradox: a cult of personality, where the personality is to most rational people, simply vile. When will the spell be broken?

Presenting the Donald Trump Insult Generator, Stupid

Donald Trump is many things, most of them irritating. He's the Republican Party id, a mean-spirited bully, who they see as a "truth teller," because he says whatever is on his mind. But what is on his mind is less about truth than it is stream-of-consciousness, whatever enters his brainpan, argle bargle. Worse, though he loves to insult people, his well of extemporaneous vocabulary words is very, very shallow. Fortunately for him, much of the Republican base loves that shit. They're conditioned to mean-spirited "humor," repeated endlessly as though it's original and the most hilarious thing ever. See for example, Rush Limbaugh.

Anyway, someone realized how recognizable The Donald's patter is, and came up with an insult generator. His insults are so generic, you can plug in anyone's name. Here's the first one it came up with for me:

"Stupid James Greenlee is a total joke, a dummy who is lost! if you were smart, which you are not, you would oppose the monstrous windfarms that will destroy your country. Let's ‪#‎MakeAmericaGreatAgain‬!"


[Excerpt]

If You Don’t Click on This Classy Post, You Are a Loser and a Moron

Four days after mocking Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for being captured in Vietnam, Donald Trump is at the top of the Republican presidential polls. Despite his history of political flip flops, Trump has gained traction with red-meat-loving conservatives by skewering and belittling establishment figures such as McCain and Karl Rove, questioning President Barack Obama's legitimacy, and attacking undocumented immigrants. But he's also been quick to fling insults at anyone who ever says anything bad about him—other celebrities, journalists, legislators, and this one poor guy from Bermuda. Donald Trump insults people. . .

Read more at: Mother Jones

Huffington Post Moves Donald Trump to the Entertainment Section

Image from source, Huffington Post

I'm sure that "The Donald" will have some sort of stupid Twitter response to this, but I kind of like the boldness of HuffPo's editorial staff. Henceforth, they say, Donald Trump "news" will be relegated to the Entertainment section of their coverage, rather than the Political section. Those two subjects can often blur, because let's face it, the clown show can be kind of entertaining. But it does make me wonder why Sarah Palin wasn't treated in the same fashion. I wonder though, do they have a "Has Been" section?

[Excerpt]

A Note About Our Coverage Of Donald Trump's 'Campaign'

After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won't report on Trump's campaign as part of The Huffington Post's political coverage. . .

Read the rest at: Huffington Post

Has FOX "News" Effectively Killed Conservatism?

I love this story. . .

[Excerpt]

Fox News built a f**ked-up Frankenstein, dumb, angry and divorced from facts. Now Donald Trump will devour them

. . .Donald Trump is practically a mirror image of the Fox News psyche. Most of his speeches consist of repackaged stupidities plucked right out of the conservative mediascape. It’s kind of brilliant, really. Trump knows his audience, and he beams back at them every idiotic thing they want to hear. Which, of course, is exactly what Fox News does. . .

Read more at: Salon

Donald Trump Sued by NY Attorney General

If you think Donald Trump is looking pretty good
(for Donald Trump), it helps to know this shot is from
2004. Image from source, Chicago Tribune.

I can't stand Donald Trump. I've thought he was ridiculous from the first time I saw him, and haven't been dissuaded from that assessment in the 25 years or so since. He's a buffoon. He's proven to be a band-wagoner for any cause that he thinks will keep him in the limelight. He's been possibly the most visible "birther," an adherent of the complex web of self-contradictory (and discredited) conspiracy theories that says President Obama is secretly foreign. And in that endeavor, he has shown himself to be a transparent liar, who can't even keep the different elements of the theory straight.

So, git him, New York. There are very few prominent Americans so richly deserving of a public humiliation and takedown. And if you think I'm being harsh, rest assured I'm restraining myself.

[Excerpt]
 
Donald Trump investment school sued by NY attorney general

New York state's attorney general said on Sunday he has filed a $40 million lawsuit against Donald Trump and his for-profit investment school, accusing them of engaging in illegal business practices. . .

Read more at: Chicago Tribune

NOM's Brian Brown: Gay Marriage Worse Than Death of Parent, Divorce

The oh-so-heterosexual Brian Brown.
Image from source, Raw Story

No. The head of the badly named National Organization for Marriage didn't really say that did he? Yeah, he really kind of did. Or rather, that is the logical conclusion to draw from his badly thought out, illogical argument that same-sex marriage somehow deprives a child of a parent.* One thing I'm really enjoying though, is watching these guys--this guy--start to lose. And lose it, apparently.

[Excerpt]

Brian Brown: Same sex marriage worse than death or divorce

Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, on Wednesday compared same-sex marriage to the death of a parent. In a prepared statement, Brown lashed out at the Rhode Island legislature for approving a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

*If it is not immediately obvious why this is such a bad argument, realize that gay parents already exist. We're not talking about the legality of gay people having children, or gay people adopting. We're talking about civil marriage equality. The kids of gay parents aren't going to suddenly lose or gain a parent should same-sex marriage be legalized. It's a very stupid arguement, but it seems to be NOM's "all-in" gambit.