Earl, can we get you on record before the outcomes which sides of net neutrality and the tax bill make Trump a genius and why? And keep in mind all possibilities don't make him smart, everything isn't a win.

12/14/2017 12:49:52 PM

Trump didn’t even know what Brexit was. lol at him understanding net neutrality.

12/14/2017 1:30:06 PM

too late on the first one...feel free to interpret that in whatever way you want to call it a win for Trump's guys to repeal something that 80 some odd percent of the country wanted to keep in place

12/14/2017 1:30:54 PM

I'm not Earl but that is such a softball I have to hit it. Trump's move are just capitalism. He was elected to boost economic growth and thats what these moves are doing

Net neutrality is a socialist concept. Taking a publicly available commodity and packaging it for sell "grows the economy" and is what capitalism is all about.

The tax plan will grow the economy. The rise in stocks are really just the salivating ahead of the chance that this thing will pass. Corporate profits will continue to go through the roof.

Trump being a genius doesn't mean I like the things he does. I'm Marxist but American culture is about as capitalist as it gets. Imagine how cool the people who have premium "fast lane" internet packages are going to look in front of their friends? Thats what our social structure is all about. Remember, "If everyone had a lambo, it would have no value"

12/14/2017 9:27:27 PM

Job creation has slowed slightly under Trump, stock market isn’t an indicator of what is likely to happen, tax cuts aren’t projected to create meaningful growth and as Kansas saw, the tax cuts were very damaging on the state level.

You’re probably capturing what a trumpist shill thinks, but trump’s depiction of his policies don’t stand up to reality, just like his claims he has the largest inauguration crowd or he was elected by a landslide or anything else like that.

It’s not even fair to call Trump’s policies capitalism, capitalism requires proper regulation, capitalism doesn’t aim to intertwine gov and megacorporations.

Trump is decidedly a shameless corporatist. He wants to give public lands to corporations AND cut their taxes (privatizing profits, socializing losses), he wants chemical companies to run the EPA, mining companies to dictate land use, he wants telecommunication giants to determine FCC policy. He thinks banks should control the CFPB.

12/14/2017 10:17:33 PM

I’m not asking about what Trump or his base think about the policies, I’m asking which side of the bill passing is a win for him.

In other words, if the tax plan passes, are you going to argue that’s a win for Trump and why? Or if it fails and you see that as a win, why?

To get more to he point, are you willing to stake a claim before we know what happens that there is a possible outcome that’s not good for Trump, or are you just going to argue that every possible outcome makes him a genius?

12/14/2017 10:43:55 PM

It seems you are conflating Trump with congress. Trump is not part of the legislative branch so pass/no pass is not a "game" he's playing in.

If it passes, he signs it and gets credit for signing it, and if it doesn't pass, he gets to attack the people who voted against it for everything bad that happens in the economy going forward.

If I had to answer, then it seems like he wins bigger if it doesn't pass because there is a chance it could pass and the economy fail, then he's left with nowhere to hide. Plus he is much more effective going on the attack than sitting back in defense.

Quote :

"To get more to he point, are you willing to stake a claim before we know what happens that there is a possible outcome that’s not good for Trump, or are you just going to argue that every possible outcome makes him a genius?"

Thats the thing though. I didn't decide for Trump to be genius, but he sets situations up so that every possible outcome can be spun to his benefit. That is the essence of what makes him genius.

A president that impresses his base by implementing policy according to platform is a great president. A president that impresses his base while getting absolutely nothing done is a genius at impressing his base. It takes a genius to build a snake-oil empire.

12/14/2017 11:28:29 PM

https://twitter.com/senwhitehouse/status/941484131757838337

One of trump’s judicial nominees trying to answer questions

Amazing

Trump doesn’t care at all about the country

12/15/2017 12:04:26 AM

Cruelest, most mendacious, and most hypocritical government ever

https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/videos/1743784068977709

Wish they all never wake up from their sleep tomorrow



Fucking Nazis too, arresting and charging people with 6 felonies for making political posters, and throwing up to 70 years at protesters

https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/videos/1744569148899201


[Edited on December 15, 2017 at 1:41 AM. Reason : ]

12/15/2017 1:33:39 AM

Is there an easier mark in the world than this guy. Ego is so fragile. Still amazes me every day.

12/15/2017 9:46:53 AM

So can we say that if it does pass, and there is evidence it passed due to his brilliant marketing or pressuring some certain senators, that you would find that to be evidence he's not a total genius since you see it as a bigger win for it not to pass?

12/15/2017 9:55:38 AM

^I am saying pass is more of a risk is because I think there is a chance of the economy going into recession after it passes but that is just my analysis I could be wrong and I doubt Trump feels the same way as I do. We can't know the outcome in advance because we don't know the future but the only way for him to "lose" is for it to pass AND lead to a recession.

I think you are misunderstanding why I'm calling him a genius. You think its about the effectiveness of his leadership or policy making when it absolutely is not.

I'm not saying he's a genius because he steers things toward the outcome that benefits him. I'm saying he's a genius because he steers people towards allowing both possible outcomes to benefit him. He sets it up so that he wins either way. Thats the genius of it.

12/15/2017 3:15:45 PM

trump is not a genius and he certainly is not doing anything on a genius level.

he's not "spinning" anything to anyone. his base and gop are with him no matter what. we saw that with roy moore. the truth came out, nothing was spun, and he still nearly won and trump still supported him.

spinning has to have truth to it.

"There was a fault in the fuse box and your dryer caught fire and it spread throughout your house."

Truth: That's terrible.
Spin: Hey when it finishes burning down, at least you can build a new, better house!
Trump (during the fire): The house is not on fire.
Trump (after the fire): Democrats destroyed your house.

trump is not a spin artist, he's an opportunistic liar. it doesn't matter what happens, he just lies about what he doesn't like and then lies to create positivity around the stuff he does like. that is not genius.

he does not understand complex things. his briefings literally have to be given to him in pictures because he can't handle dense, detailed language and thoughts. his damned mannerisms aren't even complex.

to describe this current example, here's what's going on:

The GOP wants to restructure the tax code to make it more fair. That implies reducing (eliminating if they could) the progressive nature of the system. Strictly speaking about the definition of "fair" what they are doing would actually be more fair. But it also would be horribly unstable and send more people into poverty. This is a bad thing obviously.

So, the GOP says "this is what we want mr. president."

Trump goes "would Obama support this?"

The GOP goes "absolutely not."

Then Trump goes "okay, I'm on board."

Then he goes on TV and just literally makes shit up and lies to try and lobby for support. Nothing genius here.

If the bill passes, he doesn't look like a genius, he looks like a guy who accomplished some leadership, since as President he gets credit for leadership. His base won't think he's a genius, they'll just think he is keeping his promises (he actually isn't if you look at what he's promised on tax reform versus the bill for which he's lobbying).

If the bill fails, he will just blame democrats and fake news, literally the only two scapegoats he has for anything. There is nothing genius about this. He simply has a two-option mind: blame the left and media or hail the conservatives that put him in office.

The man is borderline retarded, racist, sexist, most likely a criminal and possibly a traitor. He is not a genius.

[Edited on December 15, 2017 at 3:51 PM. Reason : a]

12/15/2017 3:49:37 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/15/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-phone-call/index.html

Quote :

""It's a shame what happened with the FBI," Trump said. "It is very sad when you look at those documents and how they've done that is very, very disgraceful and you have a lot of angry people that are seeing it.""

I mean come on, LOOK at how he talks.

Quote :

""Let's put it this way, there is absolutely no collusion, that has been proven," Trump said in his conversation with reporters on the South Lawn. "That was a Democrat hoax, it was an excuse for losing the election and it should have never been this way where they spend all these millions of dollars.""

Two flat out lies, in bold, right there.


[Edited on December 15, 2017 at 4:13 PM. Reason : a]

12/15/2017 3:49:37 PM

Trump fucks over some more people who voted for him because he promised her would help them!

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/14/570889309/the-usda-rolled-back-protections-for-small-farmers-now-theyre-suing

12/15/2017 7:40:56 PM

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/cdc-gets-list-of-forbidden-words-fetus-transgender-diversity/2017/12/15/f503837a-e1cf-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_term=.ce8b728325ff

Quote :

"The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation’s top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including “fetus” and “transgender” — in any official documents being prepared for next year’s budget. Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden words at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden words are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.” In some instances, the analysts were given alternative phrases. Instead of “science-based” or ­“evidence-based,” the suggested phrase is “CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes,” the person said. In other cases, no replacement words were immediately offered."

12/15/2017 10:00:30 PM

^ came to post that

WTF is that shit???

Are the people running the country even human? I think this time I will agree with people who believe in reptilian humans and say all of them in power are lizard people.

12/15/2017 11:43:36 PM

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/us/politics/epa-scott-pruitt-foia.html

http://www.newsweek.com/ice-deports-92-somalians-plane-human-rights-747557

https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/watchdog-agency-issues-report-ice-abuse-agency?redirect=blog/watchdog-agency-issues-report-ice-abuse-agency-seeks-acquire-new-detention-centers

https://apnews.com/6377210a36f74fd791af75bcbd644886/White-House-aims-to-sway-opinion-on-immigration-overhaul?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP

I think we're officially living in a fascist state right now

EPA purging any ideological dissenters amongst career employees, ICE rounding up immigrants and keeping them in horrid conditions while seeking to expand detention facilities to house thousands more, president musing about firing the congressional special investigator looking into his wrongdoing of firing the head of FBI for investigating him, ban on using science and evidence by the CDC, the POTUS attacking all of the free press except the 1 network where he has personal relationship with leadership

Trump admin pushing baseless propaganda campaign now to demonize all immigrants, even legal ones, which Trump kicked off today by calling a class of legal immigrants garbage.

You might be thinking this doesn't hurt you if you're not a brown person or immigrant, but to push this agenda Breitbart, Fox News, and Trump himself are pushing to get radicalized evangelicals like Roy Moore into office-- this hurts everyone

On top of this, it's clear Trump is not event remotely respecting the practice of separating business and political interests, he's intertwining DTJ, Ivanka, and Kushner into government while they run their separate business empires.

12/16/2017 2:14:57 AM

^^

Its time for everyone to see the strategy I've been highlighting all this time. Its gotta be clear what he's doing with these "announcements" . Just look at the choice of words. Who hates these words and who supports them?

Its the same playbook that gave us "get those sons of bitches off the field"

12/16/2017 6:10:11 AM

it's not a strategy. his base hates science and gays. he's simply doing what they want.

12/16/2017 12:49:21 PM

5-dimension jenga

12/16/2017 2:38:30 PM

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/14/opinion/sunday/trump-lies-obama-who-is-worse.html?mtrref=digg.com&assetType=opinion

Quote :

"After we published a list of President Trump’s lies this summer, we heard a common response from his supporters. They said, in effect: Yes, but if you made a similar list for previous presidents, it would be just as bad."

Quote :

" We applied the same conservative standard to Obama and Trump, counting only demonstrably and substantially false statements. The result: Trump is unlike any other modern president. He seems virtually indifferent to reality, often saying whatever helps him make the case he’s trying to make. In his first 10 months in office, he has told 103 separate untruths, many of them repeatedly. Obama told 18 over his entire eight-year tenure. That’s an average of about two a year for Obama and about 124 a year for Trump. "

Quote :

"Separately, we have updated our earlier list of Trump's lies, which also includes repeated falsehoods. This article counts only distinct falsehoods for both Trump and Obama."

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/23/opinion/trumps-lies.html?_r=0

This one literally puts the exact quote down and then proof next to it disputing it.

12/16/2017 5:06:40 PM

12/17/2017 6:45:37 PM

Dictators (and their cronies) ban words.

12/18/2017 7:24:54 AM

https://twitter.com/johnberman/status/942728156393476098

I mean... there is a not small chance the President of the United States is insane.

12/18/2017 8:28:16 AM

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/another-amazing-milestone-ivanka-claims-no-president-gave-national-security-speech-before-trump/

Wut?

12/18/2017 9:46:56 AM

Insane is a strong word.

Is there a term specifically for someone who believes in their own delusions? Outside of schizophrenia?

12/18/2017 9:47:30 AM

^ pathological lying - which unfortunately sounds too mundane/tame for this man, so I'll stick with 'absolute batshit crazy'.

12/18/2017 10:01:09 AM

^^ he truly believes his own delusions. What would you call that? I honestly don’t think he thinks he lies.

12/18/2017 10:12:59 AM

From Foreign Policy today:

Quote :

"New strategy. The new National Security Strategy document set to be unveiled by President Donald Trump at 2:00 p.m. on Monday describes a world locked in unceasing economic competition, in which Washington has little time for things like promoting democracy abroad, and instead will focus on great power competition, economic rivalry, and homeland security. Outlining the document for reporters on Sunday, several administration officials called the document a dose of “principled realism” in an “ever-competitive world.”"

Quote :

"The strategy also jettisons the idea of democracy promotion, traditionally a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. One official said Sunday that economic relationships will guide the administration, while “ultimately it’s their choice” in how states govern at home. “America’s economic security is national security,” the official said. “We will demand fair and reciprocal economic relationships around the world. The economic piece gets much more attention.”"

Quote :

"The document is also at odds with the long-time Pentagon recognition that climate change is a problem. “Climate change is not identified as a national security threat,” one official said, noting the new strategy was “inspired by the president’s speech” in June that pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord."

[Edited on December 18, 2017 at 10:44 AM. Reason : a]

12/18/2017 10:38:53 AM

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-reportedly-considered-rescinding-gorsuchs-nomination/2017/12/18/ad2b3b68-e1c7-11e7-9eb6-e3c7ecfb4638_story.html?utm_term=.c72ba5deab23

Quote :

"For nearly eight months, President Trump has boasted that appointing Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court ranks high among his signature achievements. But earlier this year, Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination, venting angrily to advisers after his Supreme Court pick was critical of the president’s escalating attacks on the federal judiciary in private meetings with legislators. Trump, according to several people with knowledge of the discussions, was upset that Gorsuch had pointedly distanced himself from the president in a private February meeting with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), telling the senator he found Trump’s repeated attacks on the federal judiciary “disheartening” and “demoralizing.” The president worried that Gorsuch would not be “loyal,” one of the people said, and told aides that he was tempted to pull Gorsuch’s nomination — and that he knew plenty of other judges who would want the job. "

Quote :

"The president worried that Gorsuch would not be “loyal,” one of the people said, and told aides that he was tempted to pull Gorsuch’s nomination"

I am so utterly disheartened that this man is running things.

Quote :

"Trump was especially upset by what he viewed as Gorsuch’s insufficient gratitude for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, White House officials said."

[Edited on December 18, 2017 at 10:39 PM. Reason : a]

12/18/2017 10:38:32 PM

I know in the age of Trump nothing actually matters but it is probably the worst strategy I’ve ever seen the way he tethers himself to the DOW and S&P 500 Daily. One, it’s basically anti-populism and two, nearly every single forecast I’ve seen has them retreating by 2019, when he will be neck deep in potential primary challenges.

12/19/2017 8:32:43 AM

NOT CREDIBLE

12/19/2017 9:41:20 AM

by 2019 trump will be a lot more concerned about making sure he has pardons for everyone before he is impeached than how the S&P is doing

12/19/2017 9:43:56 AM

lol forecasts

12/19/2017 12:42:22 PM

Yes, projections. From expert non-partisan research firms. Imperfect but what we have to go on.

Earl, does it bother you that we have no idea how Trump stands to make out with tax reform because he is the least transparent President in modern history?

[Edited on December 19, 2017 at 2:45 PM. Reason : fwiw, in the short tun this bill should help lower/middle class but not as much as wealthy]

12/19/2017 2:42:47 PM

Of course it doesn't, it's all part of Trump's genius.

12/19/2017 2:58:40 PM

it's all part of trump's plan to fix america and drain the swamp, you just can't see it

12/19/2017 3:26:00 PM

I don't feel like there has really been a transparent president for as long as I've been following politics.

12/19/2017 3:41:56 PM

What does transparency in government mean to you? How would a transparent president behave?

12/19/2017 5:35:37 PM

of course its genius that trump buries information that would confirm his betrayal to 95% of the country. Only an idiot would provide evidence to a crime they committed.

12/19/2017 6:10:38 PM

And a genius wouldn't have done it or gotten caught to begin with.

Quote :

"noun 1. exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability. "she was a teacher of genius" synonyms: brilliance, intelligence, intellect, ability, cleverness, brains, erudition, wisdom, fine mind; More 2. a person who is exceptionally intelligent or creative, either generally or in some particular respect. "one of the great musical geniuses of the 20th century" synonyms: brilliant person, gifted person, mastermind, Einstein, intellectual, great intellect, brain, mind; More"

Stop putting Trump in the same category as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. He's doing what all criminals do when they are in the process of getting caught - he's lying and evading. That isn't genius. It's certainly not creative.

[Edited on December 19, 2017 at 6:12 PM. Reason : a]

12/19/2017 6:12:38 PM

I asked what YOU thought about it. You had opinions on other candidates transparency...

12/19/2017 7:12:56 PM

The creativity comes into play with the "under audit" story because it takes this vulnerability and uses it to enhance a "big bad government trying to take my money" narrative.

No one said it was a scientific genius. Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein wouldn't last a minute in front of a town hall in rural Kentucky but somehow Trump figured out a way to convince them that he, as a billionaire from NYC, would go to bat for them AND be more effective than anyone else.

12/19/2017 7:14:16 PM

THe fact you are even arguing about Donald Trump being a genius points to how fucking stupid a good portion of Americans are.

12/19/2017 10:00:45 PM

^^And you see genius where? The guy walked in as a political outsider and said whatever he wanted because he didn't think it would matter. Explain how that falls in even the upper echelons of intellect? Explain to me how convincing the base to vote for him (against Hillary, a Bush and a bunch of non sequiturs), a base that doesn't believe in science and thinks vaccines gives you autism and think there are inferior races of humans somehow requires a genius intellect?

If you sincerely think Donald Trump is a genius then you literally either do not understand what the word means or actually love (not like) and support the guy despite some of the posts you've written.

[Edited on December 20, 2017 at 9:30 AM. Reason : a]

12/20/2017 9:27:58 AM

there's a fine line between gullibility and genius. See: Payday Loans

12/20/2017 10:40:12 AM

What’s weird is he wouldnt consider Obama, W or Clinton geniuses despite winning re-election, getting way more (good and bad) done all with MUCH HIGHER approvals.

And yes, he does like Trump. Not for his politics but he wants to bring down the system and Trump wants to as well but is ultimately too lazy, dumb and easily manipulated.

[Edited on December 20, 2017 at 12:35 PM. Reason : X]

12/20/2017 12:33:38 PM

Guys you're just not as enlightened as him

12/20/2017 12:45:32 PM

So I have to ask. Trump is quoted right now as saying Obamacare has been repealed. This is his comment regarding the Congress passing the tax bill.

Were there provisions in the bill affecting healthcare?

12/20/2017 1:28:23 PM