Trump manages to visit a flood zone without having to deal with any of the actual victims
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-texas-hurricane-harvey-242148
It was a presidential trip to a deluged state where the president didn’t meet a single storm victim, see an inch of rain or get near a flooded street. But the daylong visit, during which President Donald Trump spent far more time in the air than on the ground, gave the optics-obsessed president some of the visuals he wanted, as he checked in on the government apparatus working on relief efforts and was buoyed by a roaring crowd of locals. . . . [read on]
More: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-steered-clear-storm-victims-during-texas-visit
A Washington Post analysis noted, “Yet again, Trump managed to turn attention on himself.” The piece added that as of late yesterday, “the president had yet to mention those killed, call on other Americans to help or directly encourage donations to relief organizations.” . . . [read on]
A matter of priorities
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/gop-eyes-1-billion-disaster-funds-border-wall
House GOP Eyes Cutting $1 Billion From Disaster Relief To Pay For Border Wall
Trump tries to roll out a big push to pass "tax reform" -- without telling us exactly what the plan is (because that approach worked so well with health care reform)
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-hits-the-road-promote-tax-plan-doesnt-yet-exist
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/30/get-ready-for-donald-trumps-murky-soak-the-rich-tax-reform-plan/
More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/30/with-his-tax-effort-in-peril-trump-to-push-congress-for-swift-action/?utm_term=.376f9447befa
Selling corporate tax cuts as populist policy
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/trump-tax-reform-corporate-rates-242194
Four months ago the Trump regime released their "tax plan": a one-page outline that they promised would be fleshed out later. Trump has since decided that leaving things vague will allow him to take credit for whatever happens -- while shedding blame if he doesn't get what he wants. In his big speech in Missouri, he said he plans to "work with" Congress, but then immediately shifted to "they" talk: THEY better produce something, THEY better not fail again like they did with health care, THEY better not let the American people down
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/trumps-fill-in-the-blanks-tax-reform-plan/538509/?utm_source=feed
Trump's Fill-in-the-Blanks Tax Reform Plan
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/politics/trump-missouri-tax-plan.html
Trump in Missouri Lays Groundwork for Tax Overhaul but Offers No Details
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pushes-tax-cuts-hopes-he-isnt-disappointed-by-congress/2017/08/30/a5f4fee8-8d98-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html?utm_term=.3cf8c635baa0
“I am fully committed to working with Congress to get this job done. And I don’t want to be disappointed by Congress, do you understand me?,” he said. “Do you understand? Understand? Congress. I think Congress is going to make a comeback. I hope so.”
More: https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/trump-selling-tax-cuts-he-previously.html
The buck stops . . . uh, somewhere over. . . THERE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/30/with-trump-leaving-tax-reform-to-congress-does-the-buck-ever-stop-in-the-oval-office/?utm_term=.b5587f298660
President Harry Truman had a sign on a desk that famously came to symbolize the role of the presidency. It said, simply, “The buck stops here.” At the end of the day, the final decision was the president’s. The president drove the bus. That’s not the Trump way. Whether out of indifference, a lack of familiarity with the machinations of Washington or thanks to his historically low popular support, on many issues Trump finds himself riding as a passenger. The House health-care bill is one example. The Senate version is another. Even after Trump called the House bill mean, Senate Republicans introduced much the same legislation. As it faltered, senators flirted with perhaps simply repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it at some point in the future. Trump didn’t care which approach they took, alternately arguing for one or the other depending on which appeared to be most likely at any given moment. Ultimately, it came down to this: Repeal it, or repeal and replace it, whatever! Just do something, and I will sign it.
When it didn’t happen, Trump assumed none of the blame . . . It’s impossible to avoid mentioning another bit of context. Trump made an unusual promise during the campaign: That he alone could fix the problems of Washington. It seems he can’t. [read on]
The Incredible Shrinking West Wing
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/30/trump-shrinking-white-house-242159
After a summer of distracting staff churn, the communications director job is just one of a number of top-level West Wing positions that has ultimately been filled by an existing staffer – or not filled at all – after an official has quit or been let go. Interviews with six White House staffers and people close to the president attribute Trump’s shrinking West Wing to three factors: chief of staff John Kelly’s careful review process, which has led to the paring down of an organization that many inside have complained was top-heavy; the chilling factor of five open-ended Russia investigations hanging over the White House, making it hard to attract new talent; and the president’s own dark mood this summer, which has left him increasingly isolated and in the mood to hunker down, not hire up. . . . [read on]
Two days ago Trump said "All options are on the table" with North Korea. Now he says, Talking is not an option
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-north-korea-talking-not-answer
More: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/trump-doesnt-have-the-power-to-attack-north-korea-without-congress/538425/?utm_source=feed
Trump Doesn't Have the Authority to Attack North Korea Without Congress
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-says-diplomacy-north-korea-not-the-answer
Nuclear diplomacy in 140 characters is a very bad idea.
The man they call "Mad Dog" has to correct and moderate Trump's rantings (again)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mattis-on-trump-north-korea-tweet
“We are never out of diplomatic solutions,” Mattis told pool reporters . . .
Big news: Robert Mueller is working with Eric Schneiderman, the hyper-aggressive Attorney General for New York and long-time Trump nemesis (he won the Trump U case). The focus is on Paul Manafort -- and as it appears that Trump might pardon him (relieving the pressure that Mueller is putting on him to turn state's evidence), coordinating with possible charges in New York (which Trump can't pardon) is a way of keeping the pressure on him.
The other shoe to drop is that Trump and his proxies will cite this as "proof" that Mueller is working with partisan Democrats who have it in for Trump. Bringing Schneiderman into this process is sure to make Trump's head explode
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mueller-new-york-ag-manafort-probe
The fact is, Trump's heavy hints that he might pardon his co-conspirators is itself an obstruction of justice, tacitly reassuring them that if they stay loyal and don't cooperate with Mueller, he will take care of them. Now that's being taken away, at least where Manafort is concerned -- and it's looking more and more obvious that Manafort has the Goods. That's why they're squeezing him so hard. When you cut a deal, it's because you can provide a bigger fish. I think we know who the Big Fish is
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/robert-mueller-eliminates-trumps-trump-card.html
Robert Mueller Eliminates Trump’s Trump Card
Trump calls the chair of the senate committee that will be interrogating his son to tell him he backs ethanol policies the senator favors. Just a coincidence, I am SURE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-calls-senator-investigating-his-sons-russia-contacts-about-ethanol/2017/08/30/d0152528-8dc4-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html?utm_term=.6e1f44663694
Trump tried THREE TIMES to land a big real estate deal in Russia. Now he's lying about it. The stories of why he failed are interesting
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/three-attempts-to-build-trump-moscow-tower
Kellyanne Conway insisted Tuesday that “nothing came” of a 2015 effort to build a Trump-branded tower in Moscow. “There is no Trump Tower in Moscow, no visit was made,” Conway told Fox News. “He has no business dealings there and in this case no deal was made,” she added.
But that surely wasn’t for lack of trying. In addition to extensive stateside real estate transactions with Russian nationals and immigrants from the former Soviet bloc, the Trump Organization engaged in multiple efforts to make a physical mark in Russia with a luxury hotel and condo building in the flashy Moscow City business district. Trump and his adult children made separate attempts to move forward with such a project three times in the decade leading up to the presidential campaign . . . [read on]
More: http://www.salon.com/2017/08/30/trevor-noah-the-gap-between-the-lie-and-the-truth-could-not-be-wider/
"The gap between the lie and the truth"
Hmm. . . . somebody's lying. Guess who?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kremlin-confirms-trump-attorney-reached-out-moscow-deal
Kremlin Confirms Trump Lawyer Reached Out During Campaign For Moscow Deal
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/new-york-times-cohen-vehemently-denies-dossier-allegations
NYT: Cohen ‘Vehemently’ Denies Trump Dossier Allegations About Himself
More: http://www.thedailybeast.com/someones-lying-about-the-money-for-trump-tower-moscow
You have to ask yourself why far right-wingers like Dana Rohrabacher are suddenly so eager to defend Julian Assange and promote the myth that Russia had nothing to do with the DNC hack
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rohrabacher-rendez-vous-trump-info-assang
Trump announces that Finland is going to buy lots of US-made F-18 fighter jets. Finland says. . . huh-uh
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/30/finnish-president-rebukes-donald-trumps-claim-the-country-is-buying-great-fighter-jets/
I really don't understand why people keep imagining that Trump's daughter Ivanka exercises some kind of moderating influence on her dad. There is no evidence of that
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ivanka-trump-supports-white-house-move-to-halt-equal-pay-data-rule
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/trumps-decision-on-equal-pay-is-about-more-than-ivankas-hypocrisy/
Trevor Noah: http://www.thedailybeast.com/daily-show-has-had-it-with-ivanka-trump-she-doesnt-care-about-women
Nice insight here: the key to understanding the undying devotion of Trump's hard core base is that he makes them feel that THEIR enemies are HIS enemies
https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-deplorables-run-show.html
Let's set aside the question of Trump's base. What about the Republicans who see Trump's shortcomings, but continue to support him? THAT's what is allowing him to survive. And, boy, do they have to go through some tortured mental gymnastics
http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/08/30/the-story-were-missing-by-only-focusing-on-trumps-base
“What most disappoints me is he’s such an incredibly flawed individual who has articulated so many of the values that I hold dear,” said Tony Sciullo, a Trump voter who now calls the president an “abject disappointment.” . . .
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-pittsburgh-focus-group-242158
“We know he’s a nut. Everyone knew he was a nut. But there comes a point in time when you have to become professional. He’s not professional, forget about presidential,” she said.
In favor of Universal Basic Income (UBI)
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/30/16220134/universal-basic-income-roosevelt-institute-economic-growth
The rise of wind and solar energy -- no thanks to Trump
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/8/30/16224582/wind-solar-exceed-expectations-again
Fox keeps bashing the black Democratic mayor of Houston
http://crooksandliars.com/2017/08/even-harvey-drowns-houston-fox-keeps
The loons want to respond to criticisms of Trump's handling of Hurricane Harvey by asking -- yeah, what about OBAMA and KATRINA?
https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/bizarroworld-katrina.html
[NB: No, Obama wasn't president during Katrina.]
A matter of priorities
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/gop-eyes-1-billion-disaster-funds-border-wall
House GOP Eyes Cutting $1 Billion From Disaster Relief To Pay For Border Wall
Trump tries to roll out a big push to pass "tax reform" -- without telling us exactly what the plan is (because that approach worked so well with health care reform)
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-hits-the-road-promote-tax-plan-doesnt-yet-exist
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/30/get-ready-for-donald-trumps-murky-soak-the-rich-tax-reform-plan/
More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/30/with-his-tax-effort-in-peril-trump-to-push-congress-for-swift-action/?utm_term=.376f9447befa
Selling corporate tax cuts as populist policy
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/trump-tax-reform-corporate-rates-242194
Four months ago the Trump regime released their "tax plan": a one-page outline that they promised would be fleshed out later. Trump has since decided that leaving things vague will allow him to take credit for whatever happens -- while shedding blame if he doesn't get what he wants. In his big speech in Missouri, he said he plans to "work with" Congress, but then immediately shifted to "they" talk: THEY better produce something, THEY better not fail again like they did with health care, THEY better not let the American people down
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/trumps-fill-in-the-blanks-tax-reform-plan/538509/?utm_source=feed
Trump's Fill-in-the-Blanks Tax Reform Plan
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/politics/trump-missouri-tax-plan.html
Trump in Missouri Lays Groundwork for Tax Overhaul but Offers No Details
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pushes-tax-cuts-hopes-he-isnt-disappointed-by-congress/2017/08/30/a5f4fee8-8d98-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html?utm_term=.3cf8c635baa0
“I am fully committed to working with Congress to get this job done. And I don’t want to be disappointed by Congress, do you understand me?,” he said. “Do you understand? Understand? Congress. I think Congress is going to make a comeback. I hope so.”
More: https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/trump-selling-tax-cuts-he-previously.html
The buck stops . . . uh, somewhere over. . . THERE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/30/with-trump-leaving-tax-reform-to-congress-does-the-buck-ever-stop-in-the-oval-office/?utm_term=.b5587f298660
President Harry Truman had a sign on a desk that famously came to symbolize the role of the presidency. It said, simply, “The buck stops here.” At the end of the day, the final decision was the president’s. The president drove the bus. That’s not the Trump way. Whether out of indifference, a lack of familiarity with the machinations of Washington or thanks to his historically low popular support, on many issues Trump finds himself riding as a passenger. The House health-care bill is one example. The Senate version is another. Even after Trump called the House bill mean, Senate Republicans introduced much the same legislation. As it faltered, senators flirted with perhaps simply repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it at some point in the future. Trump didn’t care which approach they took, alternately arguing for one or the other depending on which appeared to be most likely at any given moment. Ultimately, it came down to this: Repeal it, or repeal and replace it, whatever! Just do something, and I will sign it.
When it didn’t happen, Trump assumed none of the blame . . . It’s impossible to avoid mentioning another bit of context. Trump made an unusual promise during the campaign: That he alone could fix the problems of Washington. It seems he can’t. [read on]
The Incredible Shrinking West Wing
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/30/trump-shrinking-white-house-242159
After a summer of distracting staff churn, the communications director job is just one of a number of top-level West Wing positions that has ultimately been filled by an existing staffer – or not filled at all – after an official has quit or been let go. Interviews with six White House staffers and people close to the president attribute Trump’s shrinking West Wing to three factors: chief of staff John Kelly’s careful review process, which has led to the paring down of an organization that many inside have complained was top-heavy; the chilling factor of five open-ended Russia investigations hanging over the White House, making it hard to attract new talent; and the president’s own dark mood this summer, which has left him increasingly isolated and in the mood to hunker down, not hire up. . . . [read on]
Two days ago Trump said "All options are on the table" with North Korea. Now he says, Talking is not an option
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-north-korea-talking-not-answer
More: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/trump-doesnt-have-the-power-to-attack-north-korea-without-congress/538425/?utm_source=feed
Trump Doesn't Have the Authority to Attack North Korea Without Congress
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-says-diplomacy-north-korea-not-the-answer
Nuclear diplomacy in 140 characters is a very bad idea.
The man they call "Mad Dog" has to correct and moderate Trump's rantings (again)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mattis-on-trump-north-korea-tweet
“We are never out of diplomatic solutions,” Mattis told pool reporters . . .
Big news: Robert Mueller is working with Eric Schneiderman, the hyper-aggressive Attorney General for New York and long-time Trump nemesis (he won the Trump U case). The focus is on Paul Manafort -- and as it appears that Trump might pardon him (relieving the pressure that Mueller is putting on him to turn state's evidence), coordinating with possible charges in New York (which Trump can't pardon) is a way of keeping the pressure on him.
The other shoe to drop is that Trump and his proxies will cite this as "proof" that Mueller is working with partisan Democrats who have it in for Trump. Bringing Schneiderman into this process is sure to make Trump's head explode
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mueller-new-york-ag-manafort-probe
The fact is, Trump's heavy hints that he might pardon his co-conspirators is itself an obstruction of justice, tacitly reassuring them that if they stay loyal and don't cooperate with Mueller, he will take care of them. Now that's being taken away, at least where Manafort is concerned -- and it's looking more and more obvious that Manafort has the Goods. That's why they're squeezing him so hard. When you cut a deal, it's because you can provide a bigger fish. I think we know who the Big Fish is
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/robert-mueller-eliminates-trumps-trump-card.html
Robert Mueller Eliminates Trump’s Trump Card
Trump calls the chair of the senate committee that will be interrogating his son to tell him he backs ethanol policies the senator favors. Just a coincidence, I am SURE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-calls-senator-investigating-his-sons-russia-contacts-about-ethanol/2017/08/30/d0152528-8dc4-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html?utm_term=.6e1f44663694
Trump tried THREE TIMES to land a big real estate deal in Russia. Now he's lying about it. The stories of why he failed are interesting
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/three-attempts-to-build-trump-moscow-tower
Kellyanne Conway insisted Tuesday that “nothing came” of a 2015 effort to build a Trump-branded tower in Moscow. “There is no Trump Tower in Moscow, no visit was made,” Conway told Fox News. “He has no business dealings there and in this case no deal was made,” she added.
But that surely wasn’t for lack of trying. In addition to extensive stateside real estate transactions with Russian nationals and immigrants from the former Soviet bloc, the Trump Organization engaged in multiple efforts to make a physical mark in Russia with a luxury hotel and condo building in the flashy Moscow City business district. Trump and his adult children made separate attempts to move forward with such a project three times in the decade leading up to the presidential campaign . . . [read on]
More: http://www.salon.com/2017/08/30/trevor-noah-the-gap-between-the-lie-and-the-truth-could-not-be-wider/
"The gap between the lie and the truth"
Hmm. . . . somebody's lying. Guess who?
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kremlin-confirms-trump-attorney-reached-out-moscow-deal
Kremlin Confirms Trump Lawyer Reached Out During Campaign For Moscow Deal
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/new-york-times-cohen-vehemently-denies-dossier-allegations
NYT: Cohen ‘Vehemently’ Denies Trump Dossier Allegations About Himself
More: http://www.thedailybeast.com/someones-lying-about-the-money-for-trump-tower-moscow
You have to ask yourself why far right-wingers like Dana Rohrabacher are suddenly so eager to defend Julian Assange and promote the myth that Russia had nothing to do with the DNC hack
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rohrabacher-rendez-vous-trump-info-assang
Trump announces that Finland is going to buy lots of US-made F-18 fighter jets. Finland says. . . huh-uh
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/30/finnish-president-rebukes-donald-trumps-claim-the-country-is-buying-great-fighter-jets/
I really don't understand why people keep imagining that Trump's daughter Ivanka exercises some kind of moderating influence on her dad. There is no evidence of that
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ivanka-trump-supports-white-house-move-to-halt-equal-pay-data-rule
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/31/trumps-decision-on-equal-pay-is-about-more-than-ivankas-hypocrisy/
Trevor Noah: http://www.thedailybeast.com/daily-show-has-had-it-with-ivanka-trump-she-doesnt-care-about-women
Nice insight here: the key to understanding the undying devotion of Trump's hard core base is that he makes them feel that THEIR enemies are HIS enemies
https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-deplorables-run-show.html
Let's set aside the question of Trump's base. What about the Republicans who see Trump's shortcomings, but continue to support him? THAT's what is allowing him to survive. And, boy, do they have to go through some tortured mental gymnastics
http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/08/30/the-story-were-missing-by-only-focusing-on-trumps-base
“What most disappoints me is he’s such an incredibly flawed individual who has articulated so many of the values that I hold dear,” said Tony Sciullo, a Trump voter who now calls the president an “abject disappointment.” . . .
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-pittsburgh-focus-group-242158
“We know he’s a nut. Everyone knew he was a nut. But there comes a point in time when you have to become professional. He’s not professional, forget about presidential,” she said.
In favor of Universal Basic Income (UBI)
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/30/16220134/universal-basic-income-roosevelt-institute-economic-growth
The rise of wind and solar energy -- no thanks to Trump
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/8/30/16224582/wind-solar-exceed-expectations-again
Fox keeps bashing the black Democratic mayor of Houston
http://crooksandliars.com/2017/08/even-harvey-drowns-houston-fox-keeps
The loons want to respond to criticisms of Trump's handling of Hurricane Harvey by asking -- yeah, what about OBAMA and KATRINA?
https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/bizarroworld-katrina.html
[NB: No, Obama wasn't president during Katrina.]
Bonus item: What is a "natural" food?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/30/the-raging-legal-battle-over-what-makes-a-food-natural/?utm_term=.8247301f4deb
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/30/the-raging-legal-battle-over-what-makes-a-food-natural/?utm_term=.8247301f4deb
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