Thank You, President Trump

by **Turtleneck** 12/21/2017, 9:08 pm

The end is great.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 12/21/2017, 9:12 pm

Happy holidays to whoever the hell made that and was like “nailed it. Run it.”

by **Frank Ricard** 12/21/2017, 9:16 pm

What? Shouldn't they put Pence in there somewhere?

by **GRR Spartan** 12/22/2017, 8:30 am

Frank Ricard wrote:What? Shouldn't they put Pence in there somewhere?

Hard to get a good video of Pence when he’s kissing Trump’s ass so much

by Guest 12/23/2017, 9:13 am

When congressional Republicans failed to enact many of President Barack H. Obama’s agenda items on looser immigration laws, gun control and “social justice” issues, they were declared by the press to be The Party of No. When Senate Democrats blocked one GOP bill after another supporting the agenda of President Donald J. Trump the media lauded them as The Heroic Resistance. When President Obama declared that he had a pen and a phone and took executive, extra-legislative action in response he was declared to be Decisive. When the pen and phone in question were placed in President Trump’s hands he was branded as Authoritarian.

Is this pattern sounding familiar?

With the end of the year just around the corner, the Democrats are grinding their teeth over the signing of the tax bill into law, while the media rushes to remind everyone that this is Trump’s “only legislative victory” in his first year. And using their unfettered platform, they’ve managed to convince a majority (or at least a plurality) of Americans that tax cuts are a bad idea and Trump’s GOP teammates will “rue the day” they decided to extract less money from people’s paychecks and employers’ bottom lines. It’s as if virtually nothing has been accomplished this year and the few achievements that managed to happen were uniformly disastrous.

But was that really what happened?

While Nobody Was Looking, Trump And The GOP Actually Got Some Things Done

Should we be surprised? There is no longer any question as to the campaign that the vast majority of the media has waged against Trump, beginning long before his inauguration. A full 91% of the media coverage he receives is negative, while the press put themselves into traction trying to avoid saying anything negative about his predecessor, no matter what he did or said. The same applies to any executive order he signs, any policy proposal he supports or any candidate he endorses.

Perhaps the most remarkable feature in all of this is the substance behind most of the complaints we’re hearing this year. In the end, what has Trump actually done to destroy the world, leading to all of this gnashing of teeth and rending of clothing? He’s gotten a few pieces of significant legislation passed, rolled back a lot of regulations and changed many of the “dear colleague” type enforcement and regulatory guidance protocols enacted under Barack Obama. Oh, and he tweets a lot.

But as for the endless attacks on the President over each and every thing he does or says, I would ask his many detractors to contemplate a couple of points during the Christmas and New Years break. If you didn’t complain when a previous president imposed new regulations absent legislative action, you look rather foolish claiming that the next president can’t undo them. If you didn’t complain when a president summoned DACA into being without an accompanying new law, you appear ignorant when you claim that a subsequent president “can’t” make changes to it. If you’re screaming about due process for Al Franken but you’ve already convicted Donald Trump of collusion with Vladimir Putin to steal the 2016 election, please don’t be too disappointed if we don’t take you seriously.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 12/23/2017, 9:16 am

Lol that’s some stupid fuckin shit goose. Some super stupid fuckin shit.

Which one were you in the video tho

by **Turtleneck** 12/23/2017, 9:52 am

He is not fixated on the dorks in DC, Travis.

Thank You, President Trump 4113017228

But he had to make sure he defended Trump in another thread.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 12/23/2017, 9:56 am

Turtleneck wrote:He is not fixated on the dorks in DC, Travis.

But he had to make sure he defended Trump in another thread.

Cuz, it’s because the heroic republicans got a bad name when they were in charge of congress but now that democrats are in charge of congress they get a nice name. Don’t you see how that is totally unfair and a totally accurate comparison?

I realize our BFF4L over at hotair.livehournal.aol are totally unimpeachably intelligent but that’s some super stupid shit

by **NigelUno** 12/23/2017, 12:20 pm

You guys will all be sorry when Al Franken un-resigns and Goose is proven right!

by **Rocinante** 12/23/2017, 12:50 pm

He is getting things done. Bad things in my opinion, but so far none of them have proven uber destructive. Another administration can undo most of the damage. The two things that bother me most are 1). Our standing in the world was in the tank under Bush 2. Britain still liked us but we were not well thought of throughout most of the world. There was a bully mentality in diplomacy and we started a huge fuck up in the Middle East. Think about all the political capital we gained from the sympathy surrounding 9/11. Bush managed to squander that and put the economy in a huge hole all in 8 years. Obama rebuilt the world reputation for US diplomacy. He was too passive at times and unwilling to really get us out of the Middle East, but he was a collaborator to a fault. Lots of missed opportunity (partially thanks to his ramming Obama care through and partially hanks to the obstructionist Republicans who blocked everything). Regardless, here we are again with a billy mentality that will not work, losing our standing and power globally because of a dumbass republican and his American exceptionalism bullshit. The net result of the last three administrations is America becoming less and less relevant.

And 2). He’s just a huge fucking idiotic asshole. Everything he says and does is stupid and hateful. He’s a sexual predators (or was. His dick probably doesn’t work anymore - lucky for melania).

So far, almost nothing he’s done isn’t fixable.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 12/23/2017, 1:05 pm

Racist roc. You missed huge fucking racist.

https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/944613786140340224

by **Rocinante** 12/23/2017, 4:48 pm

That too Travis.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 12/23/2017, 5:01 pm

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Racist roc. You missed huge fucking racist.

https://twitter.com/maggienyt/status/944613786140340224

He says what we're all thinking! Well, at least what the dumbest and most racist of us thinks anyway.

by **Turtleneck** 12/23/2017, 5:18 pm

1) I agree with the broad sentiment expressed in the article linked by Goose: perceived presidential overreach is not unique to Trump. One should be careful about labeling Trump an authoritarian simply because one sees presidential overreach, especially if one was inclined to embrace such overreach by his predecessors.

2) However, reducing the "Trump is an authoritarian" argument to presidential overreach is a strawman. Most people refer to Trump as an authoritarian for reasons that go beyond perceived presidential overreach. They call Trump authoritarian because he has an authoritarian character and often attacks American institutions and individuals (when they are critical, do not show unwavering loyalty, or do something he does not like). Simply reducing the argument to presidential overreach ignores the reality of how Trump uses his bully pulpit, as well as a range of other actions dating back to his candidacy. Trump resembles a Southeast Asian or Latin American populist more than he does an American president. Furthermore, the authoritarian argument is often put forward by those outside the media, and is certainly not limited to liberal circles.

3) I absolutely reject any data from the Media Research Center. They have zero credibility. Their methods - if you want to call them methods - are notoriously awful (which is why they are rarely fully transparent with their methods). The founder of the Media Research Center once referred to Obama as a "skinny, ghetto, crackhead." So their credibility issues extend beyond methods. The article linked by Goose also cites a Harvard study that found 80% of the news coverage of Trump's first 100 days was negative. The study said the negative coverage of Trump's first 100 days had more to do with a negativity bias than an ideological bias, and that "Never in the nation’s history has the country had a president with so little fidelity to the facts, so little appreciation for the dignity of the presidential office, and so little understanding of the underpinnings of democracy." The sentence about facts, dignity, and understanding summarize why people refer to Trump as an authoritarian.

4) I disagree with Roc that "another administration can undo most of the damage." Three quick example. First, Trump is currently trying to pack the district (and circuit) courts with loyal judges who are otherwise totally unqualified. I do not know how many will sneak through, but this is not something another administration can simply undo. Second, while the Bush administration might have acted like a bully, the U.S. was still engaged in world affairs and saw itself as a leader. Under Trump, the U.S. is withdrawing from its leadership position. Trump is choosing to weaken the U.S. abroad, which is aided by his Secretary of State's complete gutting of the State Department. The situation is not comparable.
Bush might have done harm to America’s reputation, Trump is causing structural damage. It is going to take years - more than one administration - to undo the damage to the U.S. diplomatic corps. Third, Trump's intentional efforts to create distrust (of information and each other) in society is something that will not be cured by any administration.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 12/23/2017, 5:25 pm

Lifetime appointments are bullshit that need to stop. Random notation but it’s so stupid. Your goal of politically impartial jurist is also met by a lengthy 20 year term. Fuck that nonsense

by **Rocinante** 12/23/2017, 8:49 pm

Ridiculously bad judges can be a good thing if you have a progressive congress. It could stoke them to pass laws instead of allowing everything to be decided by the judiciary like they do now. And the world wants America to lead, even if they say they don’t. A good administration that re-engages while not being passive in standoff situations can fix everything in one or two terms. Obama with a spine.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 12/23/2017, 9:29 pm

Rocinante wrote:Ridiculously bad judges can be a good thing if you have a progressive congress. It could stoke them to pass laws instead of allowing everything to be decided by the judiciary like they do now. And the world wants America to lead, even if they say they don’t. A good administration that re-engages while not being passive in standoff situations can fix everything in one or two terms. Obama with a spine.

Neat. They still don’t need to be around until they die.

by **Turtleneck** 12/23/2017, 10:06 pm

I do not see ridiculously bad judges as ever being a good thing, and neither Congress or the president can prevent legislation from being challenged in the courts. Some members of Congress have introduced legislation to modify the jurisdiction of the courts, but that idea has never gained traction.

In world affairs, it will not be as simple as picking up where we left off before Trump. That is not how world politics works. For example, as the U.S. cedes leadership, China is excited about the prospects of filling the void. China’s One Belt One Road project is designed to replace U.S. leadership in trade. China has even managed to get David Cameron, former British PM, to lead a UK-China investment fund as part of the project. If the project is successful, the U.S. will simply not be able to re-asset itself as a leader of world trade without pushback. What makes all of this even more problematic is the complete dismantling of the State Department and our diplomatic corps. We are losing career diplomats with decades of experience in world politics whose expertise will not be easily replaced.

by **Rocinante** 12/24/2017, 7:13 pm

Nobody really trusts China TN. They want to trust us.

I’m just trying to be optimistic. It’s fuckig Christmas, ok?

by **Turtleneck** 1/2/2018, 12:19 pm

More thanks are in order.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 1/2/2018, 1:48 pm

Turtleneck wrote:More thanks are in order.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!

He's also been very tough on Martians. Zero Martian attacks in 2017! You're welcome!!!

by **Turtleneck** 1/2/2018, 1:55 pm

Very good point, Pylon. Very good point.

by **Travis of the Cosmos** 1/2/2018, 1:59 pm

Turtleneck wrote:More thanks are in order.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!

by **tGreenWay** 1/2/2018, 4:21 pm

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:
Turtleneck wrote:More thanks are in order.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!

He's also been very tough on Martians. Zero Martian attacks in 2017! You're welcome!!!

by **tGreenWay** 1/2/2018, 4:23 pm

Turtleneck wrote:More thanks are in order.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!

Donnie failed to mention there have been exactly •zero• commercial aviation deaths in the U.S. going back to 2010.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2016/12/28/in-the-last-7-years-you-were-more-likely-to-be-run-over-by-a-car-than-to-die-in-an-airline-crash/amp/

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