Trump continues to be Trump on Twitter
“James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press,” Trump tweeted. The remark is an extraordinary development in the ongoing feud between the President and the agencies investigating alleged ties between his campaign and Russia.
It would be “extraordinary” if it was anyone but Trump. With Trump, it’s business as usual, as we’ve come to expect it.
I’ve tired of reacting to everything Trump does as though it’s the end of the republic. This sort of tweet is Trump’s specialty, and will probably be a feature of his entire presidency. Whether such tweets are example of emotional impulsiveness, an abuse of power, a clever ploy to toy with the media, a valid complaint, or something else—feel free to talk amongst yourselves.
Yeah, it’s going to be a long 4 yrs.
Stuff like this makes him look like thin-skinned clown. Only Trump-bots are going to ignore this as no big deal; Trump just being Trump. To generally everyone else, it makes him look unbalanced and gives weight to even invented allegations. Conservatives get tainted by his words and actions, making it that much more difficult to land another Republican in office, thus tyhe end of the republic.
So I’m not a big fan of his twitter usage but I guess I have to ask what should he do. Should he just take all the attacks ala George W Bush, should he put out nice lawyerly statements, should he come out and do press conferences constantly.
Does being President just mean you have to take it even when you believe the attacks are biased and unfair and never fight back. I can only imagine what it must be like to live with the non stop attacks that have been above and beyond anything I have ever seen.
It might not be the end of the republic, but that does not mean that this isn’t a tragedy. After eight years of Obama we elect this clown.
IMO, President Trump is free to tweet away, particularly given the viciousness, lies and distortions of anti-Trump tweets and MSM articles.
Tweeting may indeed be his salvation because otherwise we are awash in a sea of absurdist propaganda and illogic, both on the right and the left. The Krauthammers and the Maddows are united in their condemnation of Comey’s firing, for example, though the timing was correct. One cannot take possession of a restaurant, then turn over the tables, fire the help, destroy the menus, empty the freezers, without empaneling some reliable replacements like Sessions and Rosenstein. A process the Senate intentionally prolonged, thanks to our public-spirited (sarc) Democrats..
As to the viciousness, I refer you to Neo’s “Feminist Scholars[sic] Eat Their Own”, also today. Said viciousness is becoming characteristic of the mainstream Left, the Schumers et al., as well as some nominally GOP like McCain. Reid and Pelosi led the charge with their slanders on the floor of the Senate and House, where they are immune from any check on their lying. When the F word is common in ‘civil’ discourse, even in speeches by the head of the DNC, conflict is not far behind.
We are inching ever closer to resolving this cultural civil war by actual combat. I welcome the sanitation that will provide, since I have no doubt which side will be victorious.
So far, in four comments, Trump has been termed “thin-skinned, unbalanced” and a “clown”.
As your sow, so shall you also reap.
How’s he doing at his job? Better than Barack Hussein, particularly since he is having to muck out the messes Obama left for him? Yes.
“Does being President just mean you have to take it even when you believe the attacks are biased and unfair and never fight back.” – Griffin
The point really is, he can do so constructively.
He’s proven that twitter (social media) can be a fabulous tool to pass above the media filters.
However, what trump is and has been doing on twitter has NOT been constructive whatsoever.
The more conservatives choose to go to bat over this lunacy (under cover of “fighting back” or whatever rationale), the more “Conservatives get tainted by his words and actions, making it that much more difficult to land another Republican in office, thus the end of the republic.” – Harry.
trump won’t change unless we hold him to account like we do with the dems.
He needs to grow support beyond his base, or we can kiss goodbye 2018 and 2020 wins (at best they may be toss up nail biters like 2016, where enough folks from either side didn’t bother showing up, that the margin of victory was wafer thin).
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“It might not be the end of the republic, but that does not mean that this isn’t a tragedy. After eight years of Obama we elect this clown.” – KLSmith
Right.
Ending the republic would take conservatives going all in on something disastrous that trump does. Superfluous twitter stupidity would probably not be the proximate cause to the end.
“Better than Barack Hussein, particularly since he is having to muck out the messes Obama left for him? Yes.” – Frog
Reversing the many of obama’s EOs is the easy part.
trump and the GOP Congress get credit for Gorsuch, and a number of other successes.
Let’s see what else he accomplishes with Congress and the results.
But, this is not a justification for his twitter behavior, no matter how it is described.
Frog: “So far, in four comments, Trump has been termed “thin-skinned, unbalanced” and a “clown”.
As your sow, so shall you also reap.
How’s he doing at his job?”
Mostly lousy. He’s failed to deliver on his key promises and its doubtful he ever will. Are those policies hard sells to begin with? Yes, very much. Its even that much harder when you have no ones respect outside of the limited numbers of true believers.
He needs to grow support beyond his base, or we can kiss goodbye 2018 and 2020 wins (at best they may be toss up nail biters like 2016, where enough folks from either side didn’t bother showing up, that the margin of victory was wafer thin).
The thing is, does he even care about that “we”, aka conservatives/Republicans, in that “we can kiss goodbye 2018 and 2020 wins”? He has always been all about Trump, and with more liberal leanings than conservative ones to boot.
Trump is just jerking everyone around. I love it.
Well, djt is what he is. I certainly would not invite him onto my front porch, as I try to stay away from weird characters. But (its a YUGE but) I remain “we’ll see”. If Trump can deliver on 50% of his campaign agenda I will be satisfied. And, in the end, we’ll see. Born January 1948, and this is the strangest time in my 69 years.
Oh well, I and Mrs parker, our children, grandchildren, and soon to be great grandchild endure. Stay salt of the earth and carry on. And if it comes down to dust I will join the geriatric sniper brigade. One needs to preserve a sense of humor when surrounded by a sh#t storm.
Cornhead
I know it’s fun, and I realize Trump has broken the mold/defied the odds/etc.
But when does “jerking people around” become counterproductive? I’d say about four or five months ago.
Trump has a big legislative battle coming up in the Senate for the AHCA. I’d rather he spend time working on that.
I also think that just shedding the last vestiges of honor and dignity from the office is going to come at a steeper price than we think. You like Trump. You may not like his successor, especially if he/she’s a liberal who learned at the altar of Trump is. And getting jerked around may start getting pretty old. I’m already tired of it.
It wasn’t immoral for Trump to fire Comey (unless he did it to cover something up). But the way he did it and what’s followed on was immoral and cowardly.
From Rod Dreher: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/trump-blackmail-comey/
Trump is trolling the media, of which he is a master of the art.
He’s also put Comey on notice that their might be tapes…
Tapes that would not embarrass Trump but which would shame Comey if he ‘invents dialogue.’
You’ll note that Comey is frustrating the MSM which wants him to dish dirt,
THIS is the source of the howling.
Lockjaw.
Watergate was Watergate because the FBI went after Nixon.
BTW, it’s a lie that the FBI rank and file were happy with Comey.
He and McCabe totally politicized the FBI.
McCabe took Clinton Crime Syndicate cash… in the form of campaign contributions to his wife… directed that way by Hillary… using a cut-out… while McCabe was in charge of investigating e-mail-gate.
Holy cow!
The MSM: crickets.
Bill, the Director of the FBI is supposed to have a tight mouth.
So, our vaunted FBI under Comey needs more than 5 months to determine whether or not the “Piss Dossier” is for real; can’t come up with the list of American private citizens who were unmasked by the Obama administration to save their lives; is unable to publicly confirm or deny after nearly 4 months in office whether POTUS has done something nefarious with the Russians – knowing full well that all this feeds into the MSMs daily onslaught against the White House.
How are you supposed to fight this? Carry on, President Trump. Use every means available. The idea that honor and morality are being ruined is nonsense. They’re long gone. We’re fighting for survival here.
blert, Im guessing Donald Trump can do no wrong as far as you’re concerned.
If you think his “trolling” has been “masterful”, you have an odd view of what victory should look like. To me it looks like he’s continuing to needlessly dig himself deeper into a hole the democrats started for him out of nothing. I dont consider that masterful.
I’m surprised you guys don’t get it. Why is Trump creating this circus? Because he knows there is no collusion, so when all the investigations come back with zilch, he will be able to spike the football about nine times.
Not a trumpster, but if there was Kremlin/Trump Tower collusion it was known about way back in mid 2016. Barry and his lovers were searching right up till Comey was fired. Nothing to see there, except hrc’s server shennagins.
Looks like the Commentariat has come to the same consensus as the wider Public.
Which is, there is no consensus on Trump.
In another long line of Trump nastiness and incompetence we learn he gets TWO scoops of ice cream to everyone else’s ONE. Thank God we have a free press to keep us apprised of this monster’s monstrosities.
Richard Saunders: “I’m surprised you guys don’t get it. Why is Trump creating this circus? Because he knows there is no collusion, so when all the investigations come back with zilch, he will be able to spike the football about nine times.
Im afraid you Trumpsters dont get it. The investigation doesnt have to come back with squat. Ever. Im not sure why you dont get that. No accusation from the left need ever have any basis in anything other than a compelling narrative that your boy genius cluelessly plays into. You make your guy out to be some kind of mental wunderkind when he continuously proves he’s anything but.
Harry – I was thinking the same thing. I don’t remember the Benghazi hearings ever reaching much of a conclusion, but they certainly didn’t help HRC (and I think she was fatally negligent and politically ruthless the night of those attacks). It doesn’t matter. If Trump were smart he would focus on what he got elected to do. Continuously drawing attention to an investigation of your compaign may be some form of 4D chess, but I don’t see it.
I am perplexed at all the joy about this on the Trump-train side. “Look at the liberals! They are hysterical over this! I love it!”, etc. Etc.
Trump is the one who appears hysterical. This latest episode just is another example. He’s purely reactionary now.
Remember the whole “pivot to Presidential” Trump advocates (and Trump himself) promised during the campaign? Good times…
“I am perplexed at all the joy about this on the Trump-train side. “Look at the liberals! They are hysterical over this! I love it!”, etc. Etc.” – Bill
If life were like a boxing match, then, short of a KO blow, it is all about scoring points.
But who are the scorekeepers in our republic?
The citizens, of course.
To get our way, to “Win!!”, to get the legislative changes we desire, we have to move at least 50.1% of the voters to our side. (That leaves too much of a risk margin for loss, we ought to shoot for 55% to 60% on a consistent basis).
So, rather than getting “joy” out of all this, we ought to be asking how is all this helping us persuade more people that our ideas are better.
We also ought to ask how long will the changes the current POTUS and Congress make will last if we are not persuading enough people to continue to vote for GOP candidates in future.
Big Maq, “trump won’t change unless we hold him to account like we do with the dems”
How are we holding the dems to account? Passing Obamacare without public or bipartisan support, “Fast and furious”, IRS scandal, illegal violation of our immigration laws, etc, etc. I live in California, examples, please.
I took this tweet to be a humorous dig at the “tapping” of the Trump Tower and “taping” at the White House.
Are rooms in the White House set up for recording? Of course. Much easier than having a stenographer in there taking notes or everyone getting together later to recall what was said. Phone calls recorded – why not since it is the government’s business. However, it should be covered under executive privilege so people can have honest conversations.
Considering the discussions concerning the airport tarmac meeting between B.Clinton and Lynch, it would not seem out of place for Trump to ask Comey if he were under investigation. If Comey responded with a yes, then Trump should have terminated the meeting or bring in many more people to witness it.
By the way, did y’all hear about the two EOs about election process and cybersecurity? The cybersecurity one is long and very detailed as to what everyone is to look at from technology, security, powergrid issues, bots, internet security, labor, etc. Considering the news about the ransomware attacks across the world, this is timely.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/11/presidential-executive-order-strengthening-cybersecurity-federal
The second EO on election integrity has the VP running a commission with public meetings looking at the practices which enhance as well as undermine confidence in the voting process. It will also look at voting systems. No deadline to submit a report, but the commission does end 30 days after the report is submitted. The EO does not mention the 2016 election, but is obviously in reaction to it with the noise about Russian hacking the election as well as the voter fraud & vote counts. If it improves the overall process, then it is good to look into it and stop future conflicts.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/11/presidential-executive-order-establishment-presidential-advisory
Just read this, and it seems to fit this recent line of discussion…
“The smart – never mind honorable – response from conservatives to all this should be the Jerry Maguire response.” – Jonah Goldberg
http://www.nationalreview.com/g-file/447594/donald-trump-james-comey-debacle-fbi-director-fired-certified-letter
Jerry Maguire, “Help ME, Help YOU!”… (warning, nudity)…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1B1_jQnlFk
“Rather than rationalizing and enabling this behavior, conservatives should be doing everything they can to convince Trump that he’s his own worst enemy. Mike Pence would do himself, his party, and his country a favor by telling Donald Trump, “If you humiliate me like that again, I will resign and run against you in 2020.” It may not work. But it’s a far better approach than bending over and shouting, “Thank you, sir! May I have another!?””
“Thank you, sir! May I have another”…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFLPn30dvQ
This is what Trump does on twitter. He’s been engaging in twitter slap-downs and feuds for years (particularly with Rosie O’Donnell). I had thought this habit would lead to the end of his candidacy, but here we are.
The one good thing about this is that it endlessly annoys the press. They never know when he’s going to tweet something that disrupts the newscycle (crashes their OODA loop). He’s like the human with the flashlight making the cats chase the light.
@Sharon – do you seriously believe that folks on the right have been quiet wrt the dems? Had nothing to say about how their ideas are bad for us? Had no concerns whatsoever in their conduct? Were/are shy about responding to the dem’s identity politics?
We’d all love to be able to hold our political leaders to account and it automatically result in the policies we’d like to see. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way.
In the end, if we just make our calls for accountability based on what is personally good, or what is good for our “team”, then what standard is that?
In a democratic republic, how does that help bring people to our side, our cause?
Without some reasonable level of consistency, without regard to what party label to those we are holding accountable have, we will have absolutely NO credibility to anyone not already on our “team”, as they will just see hypocrites all the way down.
“The one good thing about this is that it endlessly annoys the press.” – Liz
That is only “good” if it serves a “good” purpose, given the alternative use of that time and resources (media attention).
Thus far it seems very much counter productive towards trump and Congress getting their agenda through.
In this latest case on Comey, it seems to put even MORE focus on the trump / russia connections, not less, and it overrides their recent “success” at passing obamacare’s repeal in the House – momentum is lost.
Should have said “momentum is squandered”.
“Trump doesn’t face crises so much as manufacture them. In a way he is the crisis, and his presidency is in danger of being defined not by any legislative or diplomatic achievement but by his handling of the multiplying and daunting obstacles he creates for himself.
…
The best-case scenario is that the crisis is limited to Trump, who is defined by it, needs it.
And the worst-case scenario?
I leave that to your imagination.” – Matt Continetti
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/447606/trump-crises-endanger-republicans-policies-message
Biq Maq-Agreeing with the idealogues among my family and friends who lob their charges from the safety of their keyboard and are not willing to engage in face-to-face interchange is not going to bring them along either. That so many have dispensed with the principles and standards handed on by our parents so they can count themselves among the ‘anoited’ (Thomas Sowell’s descriptive cannot be improved upon) feeling superior in all their virtue-signalling is a testament to the shallow environment where the escalation of useful idiots is manifest. The few times I’ve actually had a real face-to-face discussion and some Trump criticism is presented, I always counter with one of the Obama/Hillary/Pelosi etc etc issues (a full arsenal indeed) and ask if they held similar disdain. Now we are on an even playing field. I do not feel the need to defend or excuse this President. I may agree or disagree with something, but once their wholesale willingness to ignore the same BS from their favored politician is exposed, we can have a real conversation. In the meantime I will not publicly pick up the weapon that my political enemy is using to destroy what remains of the Republic. (Circular firing squad-something the Democrats do not engage in and is a factor in their continued success.)
Sharon W: How are we holding the dems to account? Passing Obamacare without public or bipartisan support, “Fast and furious”, IRS scandal, illegal violation of our immigration laws, etc, etc. I live in California, examples, please.
I don’t understand this. Here’s how the Democrats were held accountable: they lost the Congress and, now, the Presidency (and, in progress, the courts)
We held them accountable. Republicans are going to be held to the same account, if they are not careful.
Bill–And exactly what has changed or how have any of those things been altered? You are addressing someone whose 100% paid for health insurance disappeared the day Obamacare was signed, has a skeleton of the policy for double the money (for which I am contributing) and has been denied the drug prescribed by my doctors 4 times already when formerly for my entire life (because we have chosen to pay for excellent insurance) paid $10-$25 for any prescribed drug. Has anyone been held to account for Fast and Furious or the IRS debacle? A friend told me a hotel that she stays at in Sacramento became very expensive and now is completely unavailable to the public because it is now housing refugees at taxpayer expense (all from Syria). And in the court of public opinion, I don’t see any changes from my nice liberal friends and family that have brought them around on any of these issues. So again I ask, how are we holding anyone to account?
I am so through with giving this clown, this jackass, this scam artist liar and attention whore any more of my time. His adolescent ignorance and hubris is breathtaking. George Will sums it up well:
What is most alarming (and mortifying to the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated) is not that Trump has entered his eighth decade unscathed by even elementary knowledge about the nation’s history. As this column has said before, the problem isn’t that he does not know this or that, or that he does not know that he does not know this or that. Rather, the dangerous thing is that he does not know what it is to know something.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/will050417.php3#jTklEq6UGZoAeSmd.99
I love history and I don’t feel alarmed.
Has anybody heard that somewhat at DOJ might have discovered tapes that Comey made of his conversations with Trump? Is it possible that this is what Trump was referring to in his tweet? It was also interesting that Trump put the word “tapes” in quotations.
Sharon W. I’m sorry your health insurance has gotten more expensive and complicated. I’m certainly not here to defend Obamacare.
But what changed as a result of the passage of O-care was the dominant party of all three branches of government, as a direct result and payback for all the things you mentioned. I understand your frustration about the IRS and Fast and Furious. But the voters did what only they can do – and voted the bums out.
Trump and the Republicans have promised to fix your problems. My only point here is that Trump is squandering all his political capital (not to mention the honor and dignity of his office) on stupid cruelties and unforced errors. What I, personally, want him to be doing is working to fix Sharon Ws problems. If he does that he won’t have to worry about the Democrats or the press.
I realize Trump being Trump is fun or cathartic for a lot of you. But I don’t believe it’s accomplishing what Trump supporters thought they were voting for.
@Sharon – If your expectation is to convince anyone and immediately see the results, then you will continue to be disappointed.
Even Neo’s own story shows that it is a long process and not guaranteed.
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I have no idea the specifics with the people you are encountering, but, I am willing to bet that, in such conversations, if we indicated that we have the expectation that others shouldn’t treat the issues like a team sport…
“but once their wholesale willingness to ignore the same BS from their favored politician is exposed, we can have a real conversation.
… wouldn’t they have something of an expectation for us to be honest and forthright too?…
In the meantime I will not publicly pick up the weapon that my political enemy is using to destroy what remains of the Republic. (Circular firing squad-something the Democrats do not engage in and is a factor in their continued success.)”
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This is very much what I am talking about. We are afraid that any ounce of criticism we may have of trump or the GOP is automatically giving more power to the dems.
The silent but real price for that is our credibility.
Without credibility it is rather hard to get away from the team sport style conversation that we wish the others would break away from.
Sort of a chicken and egg game that no one wins.
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Anyway, it is a false impression. How the dems organize in DC (which is where this meme originates and applies to) is very different from how people behave one on one.
All I can say is that venturing outside one’s normal circles, where folks don’t already know you, with a bit of listening and probing, we can find that there is disagreement among dem voters.
Folks who vote dem are not a monolithic whole.
How else is it possible that trump swung as many regular dem voters as he has?
On persuasion, and why we cannot just rely on “logic” to win the day in getting our conservative message across, see the linked video.
It takes a certain skill set to be persuasive. It certainly is more critical the more one is a leader of some sort.
Here is a video that might be inspiring for some on how we might be more persuasive.
No kidding, it is hard! But it is a skill that can be acquired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZKrot9IwkI
(Hint: Put it on 2x speed to reduce the time listening – it is still very audible).
He also has some interesting things to say about trump (lest you think it is anti-trump, you are in for a surprise)…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcNe3eYF0Nc
Trump NEEDS to tweet right now. It’s the only way to get his unfiltered message out to both his supporters and his haters. He loves to troll the MSM. It’s a joy to watch him work.
@Pancho – if entertainment is what we seek, then you are 100% correct.
It’s sad that Bill, Big Mac, Harry the Extremist, The Other Chuck, and the rest of the NeverTrumpers missed the chance to get an education into classic American literature. Obviously, they’ve never read the tale of B’rer Rabbit. So Sad!
“tale of B’rer Rabbit” – Richard S
Very appropriate for trump.
Only, he seems to be the B’rer Fox who is constructing his own tar doll and proceeds to get mired in the muck of his own making every time.