19 days since the National Day of Patriotic Devotion
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Donald J. Trump called Senator Ted Cruz “a pussy.”
“Donald Trump echoed a supporter during a rally on the eve of the New Hampshire primary Monday night who called his Republican presidential rival Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) a “pussy.” “You know what she said? Shout it out, ’cause I don’t want to,” Trump continued. “OK, you’re not allowed to say – and I never expect to hear that from you again – she said … he’s a pussy.” The Hill 8 February 2017
Because he’s a guy who says what’s on his mind, and that’s a good thing, all the time, even when words like “pussy” are coming out of his mouth. That’s just the way he talks. Anyway, all guys talk like that. Why wouldn’t we want the president to talk like that?
And why wouldn’t we want the president to defend his daughter at all times, even if it looks like he’s telling other people how to run their businesses?
“Nordstrom shares briefly tumbled after President Donald Trump tweeted that the department store chain had treated his daughter “so unfairly.” [Trump used his personal Twitter account, then retweeted his personal tweet using the POTUS account.] The company announced last week it would stop selling Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessory line, saying that was based on the sales performance of the first daughter’s brand.” The Chicago Tribune, 8 February 2017
“Days after Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus announced they would stop selling the Ivanka Trump collection due to lagging sales, the brand has also disappeared from Belk, Jet, and ShopStyle.” Buzzfeed, 8 February 2017
“[T.J. Maxx] told employees not to display Ivanka Trump merchandise separately and to throw away Ivanka Trump signs … “Effective immediately, please remove all Ivanka Trump merchandise from features and mix into the runs,” the note read. “Runs” refers to the normal clothing racks where the majority of products hang. “All Ivanka Trump signs should be discarded.” The New York Times, 8 February 2017
“The White House on Wednesday defended President Trump’s feuding with Nordstrom … “There’s clearly a targeting of her brand and her name was out there, so even if she’s not running the company, it’s clearly her name on it and there’s clearly efforts to undermine that name based on her father’s positions on particular policies he’s taken,” [White House press secretary Sean] Spicer said. “This is a direct attack on his policies and her name and so there’s clearly an attempt for [Trump] to stand up for her being maligned because they have a problem with his policies.” The Hill, 8 February 2017
“President Trump tweeted a jab at Nordstrom department stores from his personal account Wednesday morning, which was then retweeted by the official @POTUS account. @POTUS, the official Twitter account for the president, had so far been reserved for government issues.” CNN 8 February 2017
He’s not misusing his position as the executive of the federal government, he’s just a dad defending his daughter. A dad who happens to be president of the United States. With a POTUS Twitter account.
And why shouldn’t he collect rent from the military?
“The Department of Defense is seeking to rent space in President Trump’s New York skyscraper, Trump Tower, a move that could directly funnel government money into the president’s business interests.” The Washington Post, 7 February 2017
Enough with the snark. This is not the fine line that everybody seems to think it is. If Trump won’t give the military rent-free space in Trump Tower, then the military should rent space in an office building across the street. The president should not profit from his position, period.
Then there’s this:
“As you know I approved two pipelines that were stuck in limbo forever. I don’t even think it was controversial. You know, I approved them and I haven’t even heard one call from anybody saying, ‘oh, that was a terrible thing you did.’ “You know, usually, if I do something it’s like bedlam, right? I haven’t had one call from anybody.” — Trump lying to the press about the Dakota Access Pipeline
… because he pulled the plug on the phone lines. The phones don’t ring if you shut them down. That’s how phones work.
I don’t follow sports, so I don’t know either of these guys, but I’m pretty happy that they’re not so wowed by an invitation to the White House that they forget who they are:
“A second player from the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots has passed on a trip to the White House to meet President Donald Trump. Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty told Time in a text message that he won’t be attending any White House ceremonies celebrating the team’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons. “I’m not going to the White House,” McCourty said in the text. “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.” Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett also stated that he wouldn’t be making the White House trip leading up to Super Bowl 51 Bennett made his feelings known about President Trump.” Rolling Stone, 7 February 2017
I don’t know this woman, either, but she has a message worth ready about for Trump, too:
“On Monday, Trump accused “the very, very dishonest press” of covering up terrorist attacks around the world. His staff promised to release a list of them. What the White House came up with was full of typos and questionable examples of “under reported” terrorism. It cited 78 cases, including “two killed and one wounded in a knife attack at a hostel frequented by Westerners” in Queensland, Australia. “My daughter’s death will not be used to further this insane persecution of innocent people,” [Rosie Ayliffe] wrote in an open letter to President Trump.” The Washington Post, 7 February 2017
And speaking of people who will casually politicize a young person’s death to further their agenda:
“White House press secretary Sean Spicer had a sharp message for those who have criticized the recent raid in Yemen that resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL … “It’s absolutely a success, and I think anyone who would suggest it’s not a success does disservice to the life of Chief Ryan Owens … He fought knowing what was at stake in that mission. And anybody who would suggest otherwise doesn’t fully appreciate how successful that mission was.” He added: “I think anybody who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and [does a] disservice to the life of Chief Owens.” The Washington Post, 8 February 2017
Trump has repeatedly called the Iraq war a “huge mistake” and a “disaster,” so I guess he owes an apology to quite a few people, eh?
And then there’s the much-deserved backlash that Wisconsin’s own Sean Duffy is getting for saying that “good things” came from the church shooting in Charleston last summer:
“A Republican congressman said Tuesday that “good things” came from the shooting of nine black parishioners at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church in 2015.” The Post and Courier
Just a couple of good stories about Senator McConnell’s feud with Senator Warren:
“Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) thought he was giving a valid reason for the Senate’s decision to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday night. “She was warned. She was given an explanation,” McConnell said. “Nevertheless, she persisted.” It’s that last part that quickly caught fire on social media, almost immediately trending as #ShePersisted as soon as the words were public.” Vox, 8 February 2017
“When presiding Senate chair Steve Daines, of Montana, interrupted his colleague, Elizabeth Warren, as she was reading the words of Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor on Tuesday evening—and, then, when Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell intervened to prevent her from finishing the speech—many women, regardless of their politics or place, felt that silencing, viscerally.” The Atlantic, 8 February 2017
And this is just for color:
“Congressional Democrats are under intense pressure from the liberal base to oppose President Donald Trump at every turn, a dynamic that will color nearly every debate on Capitol Hill this year and complicate prospects for action on all issues. It’s sure to be a topic of debate as House Democrats gather for a policy retreat in Baltimore on Wednesday, but the 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won are under particular pressure. They must balance demands from their base to stand up to Trump with the need to appeal to independent and swing voters statewide.” The Associated Press, 8 February 2017
This Is Drivel 