President Trump: The NEW one and only politics thread

Knock me over with a feather!

 

Robert Reich:

Trump has switched entirely from press conferences and White House briefings to tweets, rallies, and Fox News interviews – where he can control the message and avoid unfriendly questions.

1. Press briefings have gone dark. The briefings, regularly conducted 4 or 5 times a week in prior administrations and in the early weeks of the Trump administration, are now being held rarely. And when the White House does give a briefing now, it’s increasingly conducted off-camera.

2. White House press secretary Sean Spicer has made just 7 total appearances before the media in the month since Trump returned from his first international trip, an unusually low number for a press secretary.

3. The 2020 presidential campaign is more than 1,200 days away, but Trump held yet another "Make America Great Again" rally — this time in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And, as he did in past campaign speeches, Trump spoke for a long time and reeled off numerous false and misleading claims (see next posting).

4. Trump’s tweets are non-stop.

5. He gave an interview that aired this morning on Fox News, filled with boasts (such as that his suggestion about having taped James Comey having the desired effect of "keeping Comey honest") and threats (Special Counsel Robert Mueller has “filled” his staff with cronies of Hillary Clinton so “we’ll have to see” if Mueller keeps his job).

A democracy depends on a free press capable of keeping presidents accountable to the people. Historically, only dictators choose how and when they’ll speak to the public.

 

Maggie Haberman of the Times made the point that it is in one on one interviews where Trump believes he is in safe territory that he screws himself over the most.

 

If it's a crime to try and "intimidate" a witness to tell the truth, then every prosecutor in America is guilty of witness tampering.

Getting truthful testimony is the goal.

 

I'm only taking issue with your apparent belief that the president is all of the sudden a bastion of truth constantly imploring everyone to do business on the up-and-up.

 

CLINTON. I thought they'd look into it. But, you know, I just think a crazy person like Larry Nichols is not enough to get a story on the television with names in it.

FLOWERS. Right. Well, he better not get on there and start naming names.

CLINTON. Well, that's what I mean. You know, if all the people who are named....deny it...That's all, I mean, I expect them to come look into it and interview you and everything, uh, but I just think that if everybody's on record denying it you've got no problem.

FLOWERS. Well, I don't think...I don't think it...I don't....Well, why would they waste their money and time coming down here unless someone showed 'em some interest? See, they weren't here tonight and they're not going to be there.

CLINTON. No, no. See, that's it. I mean, they're gonna run this Larry Nichols thing down, they're gonna try to goad people up, you know, but if everybody kinda hangs tough, they're just not going to do anything. They can't.

FLOWERS. No. They can't.

CLINTON. They can't run a story like this unless somebody said, 'Yeah, I did it with him.'

[apparent end of first segment]

CLINTON. I'll tell you what, it would be extremely valuable if they ever do run anybody by me, you know. If they ever get anybody to do this, just to have, like I told you before when I called you, is to have an on-file affidavit explaining that, you know, you were approached by a Republican and asked to do that.

FLOWERS. Mm hmm. Well....

CLINTON. [garbled] ...the more I think about it, you should call him back....[garbled]....just don't know.

FLOWERS. Well, I think that...Well, are you going to run? [laughs] Can you tell me that?

CLINTON. I want to. I wonder if I'm going to be blown out of the water with this. I don't see how they can [garbled word] so far.

FLOWERS. I don't think they can....

CLINTON. If they don't, if they don't have pictures....

 

About Justice Kennedy: He's in his '80s and if he desires to retire, that's no surprise. BUT. His job is not exactly manual labor. AND. Kennedy has to be aware of the power he wields within the Court and the country, which is a lot. It is rare when people with power walk away from it voluntarily, no matter how old they are. Look at Strom Thurmond.

 

Oh, it would be great to watch.

 

Where'd I say that?

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did. But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but I for one am not going to stand here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America! Gentlemen!

 

You said he was trying to elicit truthful testimony from Comey.

Everything in his personal history and every fiber of his character suggest otherwise.

 

I'm lost. What is the accusation against Trump in this instance, if not that he tried to "intimidate" Comey into giving truthful testimony, because the potential existence of tapes would be able to prove if he had given false testimony?