Donald Trump is undergoing his own “extreme vetting.” And we are learning a great deal about the quality of his public pledges.
In no particular order, Trump has shifted his position on raising the federal minimum wage (against it, for it, get rid of it, leave it to the states, put it at $10 an hour); on fighting the Islamic State (bomb the “hell out of them” and take the oil fields, let our regional allies take the lead, declare war and send in troops, let Russia take care of it); on taxes for the wealthy (increase them, cut them dramatically, make the wealthy pay more, make everyone pay less); on his Muslim ban (exclude all Muslims, keep Muslims out except for members of the military and current residents, it was “just a suggestion,” ban Muslims from countries with a history of terrorism, impose “extreme vetting”); on the national debt (eliminate it in eight years, prioritize massive infrastructure spending, renegotiate debt with creditors, just “print the money”).
Now, concerning his defining promise to round up and deport 11 million undocumented men, women and children, Trump is undergoing a rapid, convulsive transition from Mr. Hyde into Dr. Jekyll. In the movies, this role would require hours in the chair of a highly skilled makeup artist. Trump has Sean Hannity.
For much of Trump’s fan base, these details couldn’t matter less. The Trump revolution is mainly a matter of personnel, not policy. Put the right man in charge who will hire the “best people” and fire all the corrupt, stupid failures. Trump’s primary appeal — and his main source of self-regard — is his skill as a negotiator, manager and talent scout.
Here we are also getting a good feel for the candidate. Trump’s campaign has been a roiling, noxious, dysfunctional mess from the start, characterized by public feuds, subject to sudden leadership changes and unable to fulfill key functions (like actually having a campaign apparatus in key states). And Trump’s personnel selections have been both instructive and disastrous.
What does all this say about Trump as a prospective president?
First, it means that the ideal of leadership Trump displayed as a reality television star is his actual view of leadership. It is not an act. In Trump’s view, leaders elevate themselves by belittling others. They yell and abuse and bully. And their most important quality is absolute loyalty to the great leader, the star of the show. This is a view of leadership that would make H.R. Haldeman cringe.
Second, Trump has managed to pick a team that directly undermines many of his campaign objectives. Need to appeal to women? Include a man in your inner circle accused by many of misogyny. Need to appeal to minorities? Elevate a figure associated with the racially divisive alt-right. Need to challenge the corrupt status quo in Washington? Hire a consultant for oppressive governments. Trump’s rhetoric is belied by his choice of friends and associates.
Finally, ideology doesn’t seem to be the main criteria in Trump’s selections. The hiring of Bannon does make Trump’s appeal to the alt-right explicit. But Breitbart News is mainly known in this election for slavish devotion to the cult of Trump. This attribute may well guide most of Trump’s top-level personnel choices, including for the Supreme Court.
Trump, more than most, needs to surround himself with people who compensate for his alarming weaknesses. Instead, his choices demonstrate and amplify those weaknesses, becoming one more reason to utterly reject his leadership.
Before Breitbart, before Trump, Bannon bullied people in Biosphere 2 The Breitbart chief and Trump campaign CEO's sexist bullying was evident in the early days of Biosphere 2 in Arizona, then a quasi “space colonization” and environmental research project. Aug 26, 2016 Stephen K. Bannon, who recently took a leave from running Breitbart.com to become Donald Trump’s chief campaign executive, once bullied women in the historic environmental research project known as Biosphere 2. He called a female science researcher who wrote a report about safety concerns a “deluded” “bimbo,” and threatened to “ram it down her (expletive) throat.” He also threatened to “kick her ass.” [...] http://boingboing.net/2016/08/26/before-breitbart-new-trump-ca.html [with comments]
Donald Trump Fine With Supporter Who Called For Hillary Clinton’s Execution
Trump also said he’d never heard the widely reported comments.
By Arthur Delaney 08/26/2016 11:21 am ET Updated August 26, 2016
In July, Al Baldasaro, a Republican state representative in New Hampshire, said Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hillary-clinton/ ] “should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.”
And Trump didn’t know that? The reporter asked again if Trump condoned Baldasaro’s call for Clinton’s execution.
“I don’t know what he said,” Trump insisted. “You’d have to show me what he said.”
Of course, Trump loves to be vague, or say he’s not saying something the same instant he’s saying it [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-rhetorical-device_us_56c358cbe4b0c3c55052b32b ], or even say he doesn’t know something that he clearly knows. Like when he said he didn’t know who David Duke is, or he didn’t know he’d mocked someone with a disability. Like when he himself suggested that maybe somebody could shoot Clinton if she becomes president.
“The FBI didn’t hold her accountable. The Justice Department won’t prosecute her. Despite her crimes she will not be tried in a court of law,” Baldasaro said. “But she CAN be tried in the court of public opinion! Hillary Clinton is NOT above the law. Her actions were treasonous.”
Arthur Delaney is a co-host of “So That Happened,” the HuffPost Politics podcast:
[audio ("Let's Talk About The Clinton Foundation") embedded]
Justice Department to handle Arpaio case 08/27/16 [...] Last week, U.S. District Judge Murray Snow ruled [ http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/joe-arpaio-racial-profiling-court-order-227226 ] that another judge should rule whether Arpaio and a deputy should be held in criminal contempt of court for repeatedly ignoring court orders to stop racially profiling Latinos. Arpaio, who is is known as "America's sheriff" and who has endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump, has been sheriff of the metropolitan Phoenix area for 23 years and is running for reelection for his seventh term. He was found in contempt of court in May, with Snow ruling that he and his aides had repeatedly ignored court orders to stop racially profiling Latinos. Arpaio could face criminal fines or jail time. The Republican sheriff of Arizona’s Maricopa County would need to step down from his position if convicted of a felony. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/joe-arpaio-justice-department-227468 [with comments]
Maine’s Republican Governor Goes Full Trump in Expletive-Ridden Threat In the message LePage demanded that Gattine prove LePage is a racist, threatened the legislator, and peppered the message with homophobic obscenities for good measure. And then he demanded that Gattine make the message public, as if proud of his temper tantrum.
Pastor Mark Burns attended Donald Trump's meeting Thursday with minority supporters, and he joins Morning Joe to recap the discussion and to explain why he supports the candidate for president.
Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump Has Shown Us Who He Is (Full Interview) | Morning Joe | MSNBC
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joins Morning Joe to discuss why she says Donald Trump has built a campaign on 'prejudice and paranoia' as well as the Clinton Foundation.
Sean Spicer On Hillary Clinton: ‘Desperate’ Move To Call Donald Trump Racist | MSNBC Live
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC Live
RNC Communications Director, Sean Spicer, joins MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle to respond to Hillary Clinton’s interview on Morning Joe and also defends Donald Trump’s stance on immigration policy.
Harvard Republicans Decide Not To Back Donald Trump | MSNBC Live
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
For the first time in its 125-year history, the Harvard Republican Club will not back their party’s presidential nominee. Two of its members, Miguel Undurraga and Sapna Rampersaud, elaborate on the Club’s sentiment and explain why many young Republicans are not throwing their support behind Donald Trump.
Evaluating The 2016 Racial Conversation | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
Donald Trump attempted to brush off criticism from Hillary Clinton that his rhetoric over the past year has fueled white supremacist groups. Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, comments on how Trump is linking himself to the extreme right.
Trump's immigration pivot a buzzkill for Coulter's book tour
In her new book, Ann Coulter says there is only one truly mortal sin Donald Trump could commit. As it turns out, he committed it the same day the book was released. August 26, 2016 "Until the bleeding has stopped, there's nothing Trump can do that won't be forgiven. Except change his immigration policies," Coulter wrote in her new tome, "In Trump We Trust." Coulter's Trump hagiography hit shelves on Tuesday -- the same day the Republican nominee told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he is open to "softening" the very immigration proposals that inspired Coulter and legions of other conservatives to support him. His comments have made the rest of the week very awkward for her, forcing her to explain his apparent apostasy when she expected to be taking something close to a victory lap, and very publicly so. [...] http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/media/ann-coulter-book-in-trump-we-trust-immigration/ [with embedded video], http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8mKtofmtH8 [same as the embedded video; with comments]
Ann Coulter is currently experiencing every nonfiction author’s nightmare Ann Coulter rides back to her hotel after appearances on Oct. 23, 2013, in Washington.
Julian Assange tells Megyn Kelly why WikiLeaks isn't releasing dirt on Donald Trump
Peter Weber August 26, 2016
On Wednesday's Kelly File, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Megyn Kelly that his organization would release potentially "significant" information [ http://theweek.com/speedreads/644997/julian-assange-warns-upcoming-hillary-clinton-leak-that-could-have-significant-impact-election ] on Hillary Clinton before the November election, and on Thursday's show, Kelly played the part of the interview where Assange talks about Donald Trump. "You're clearly not rooting for Hillary, but are you rooting for Trump?" Kelly asked. "No, I mean, if we have good information on Trump, we publish that," Assange said.
"You know, some people have asked us, 'When will you release information on Donald Trump?'" Assange said later. "And of course we're very interested in all countries, to reveal the truth about any candidate, so people can understand, but actually it's really hard for us to release anything worse than what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth every second day. I mean, it's part of his charismatic appeal that he speaks off the cuff, but, you know, that's difficult for Donald Trump to overcome, a lot of those things, even with a lot of great material coming out by WikiLeaks and other publications."
If that sounds like WikiLeaks is trying to help Trump, remember, Assange says he isn't taking sides. And he doesn't want you to blame Russian hackers for the Democratic National Committee leaks or other Democratic Party cyber-infiltration, as the U.S. intelligence community does [ http://theweek.com/speedreads/642245/democrats-brace-leaks-suspected-russian-hacking-case-widens ]. "The allegations by the Clinton campaign that everyone is a Russian agent are really disturbing," Assange said. "Why is that? Well, bizarrely, Hillary Clinton, the Democrat, has become, has positioned herself now, as being the security candidate. She's palled up with the neocons responsible for the Iraq War and she's grabbed on to this sort of neo-McCarthyist hysteria about Russia, and is using that to demonize the Trump campaign."
2 men plead guilty in armed standoff near Bundy ranch Blaine Cooper, 37, and Gerald DeLemus, 61. August 25, 2016 Updated August 25, 2016 Guilty plea agreements were accepted Thursday for two men who are part of the federal prosecution of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Gerald DeLemus [ http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/bundy-blm/first-defendant-bunkerville-standoff-case-plead-guilty ], 61, of Rochester, New Hampshire, and Blaine Cooper [ http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/bundy-blm/bundy-brothers-three-others-refuse-enter-pleas-bunkerville-standoff ], 37, of Humboldt, Arizona, were the first of 19 co-defendants to take plea deals to felony charges connected to an armed standoff with federal officials near Bundy’s ranch in Bunkerville in April 2014. In March 2014, Bureau of Land Management officers began to execute federal court orders to impound Bundy’s cattle that were trespassing on federal public lands for more than 20 years without permits or grazing fees. Members of the Bundy family are alleged to have recruited hundreds of followers to use armed force against the federal officials. Each defendant pleaded guilty Thursday to two charges and now face up to 25 years in prison and as much as $500,000 in fines. As part of the plea agreements, prosecutors recommended that the men be sentenced to six years in prison and no fines. Both men were accused of being mid-level leaders who recruited gunmen for the self-styled militia that blocked the BLM roundup. Both men admitted that fact and said they also acted as security for Bundy. During Thursday’s hearing, Cooper admitted that he participated in a plan to obstruct a federal court order. He said he knew that firearms were used to intimidate an officer on April 12. [...] http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/bundy-blm/2-men-plead-guilty-armed-standoff-near-bundy-ranch [with comments] [and see in particular (linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=101374546 and preceding and following]
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Anti-LGBT Pastor Arrested On Child Molestation Charges
Ken Adkins in a Glynn County booking photo. Glynn County Jail
The controversial pastor has fought back against claims that his post-Orlando tweet was anti-gay.
Adkins ignited controversy two days after the Orlando shooting with a tweet that many interpreted as condemning the victims.
“Been through so much with these Jacksonville homosexuals that I don’t see none of them as victims,” wrote Adkins, whose tweets are now private [ https://twitter.com/Pastorkenadkins ]. “I see them as getting what they deserve!!”
On this Friday, August 26 edition of the Alex Jones Show, we cover Hillary Clinton calling out Alex by name in her speech and her attacks on the "alt-right". We also analyze Jimmy Kimmel's response to Alex saying Hillary's pickle jar stunt was faked. Researcher Marc Morano of ClimateDepot.com joins the broadcast to discuss "global warming" and more. Also, we dissect Megyn Kelly's interview with Julian Assange.
It’s a life philosophy that helps him cope with doing shows and thousands of people dying.
08/26/2016 04:25 pm ET
There’s a new movie about the Obamas’ first date, and not once does the Barack character use the words “radical Islamic terrorism.” Paul LePage apologized for calling someone a “son-of-a-bitch socialist cocksucker” and Al Baldasaro said he regretted “the way” he said Hillary Clinton should be shot by a firing squad, so civility is still alive in our politics. And the Trump campaign hired a guy Chris Christie fired for the Bridgegate scandal, which means America can expect a hell of a traffic jam on its way home from Hillary Clinton’s inauguration. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Friday, August 26th, 2016:
HOW DONALD TRUMP HANDLES STRESS - This old Trump quote from 2004, a response to a Larry King Live caller asking how he handles stress, made the rounds today: “I try and tell myself it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. If you tell yourself it doesn’t matter, like you do shows, you do this, you do that and then you have earthquakes in India where 400,000 people get killed. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. That’s how I handle stress.” [CNN [ http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0402/27/lkl.00.html ]]
How many Trump products were made overseas? Here’s the complete list.
“Trump’s products have been made in 12 other countries.” - man in Clinton campaign ad, “Shirts”
August 26, 2016 The Hillary Clinton campaign has at least two ads attacking Donald Trump for outsourcing the production of his merchandise. Given Trump’s rhetoric against companies shipping jobs out of the United States — he vowed not to eat Oreo cookies anymore after Nabisco moved some U.S. factory jobs to Mexico — this is a frequent attack on his record as a businessman. [...] The Bottom Line The Clinton ad claims that “Trump’s products have been made in 12 other countries.” This is correct. We know of at least 12 countries where Trump products were manufactured (China, the Netherlands, Mexico, India, Turkey, Slovenia, Honduras, Germany, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea). Further, Trump products transited other countries through the packaging and shipping process — meaning workers in more than 12 countries contributed to getting many of Trump’s products made, packaged and delivered to the United States. As our inventory shows, manufacturing is a global process. Components of a product of an American company are made in different parts of the world, depending on who offers the most competitive prices, and ultimately imported into the country to be sold to American consumers. It’s not as simple as deciding not to eat an Oreo because Nabisco found a cheaper place to employ some of its workers. Trump’s practice as a businessman is not consistent with his current rhetoric against trade as a presidential nominee — this vulnerability is backed with more than enough factual evidence. If Trump brand customers took the same stance against his products as he did against Nabisco, it is clear they would be left with few Trump items to buy. However, we do know of at least four Trump products made in the United States: “Make America Great Again” hats, bedding, water and cologne. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/08/26/how-many-trump-products-were-made-overseas-heres-the-complete-list/ [with emedded video same as the first included YouTube, and comments], http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5s-m4ld7jo [via http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/24/1563380/-New-Clinton-ad-Shirts (with comments); no comments yet], http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8qUhXzr43o [the first/earlier ad, from c. August 4, 2016; comments disabled]
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Hillary Clinton Is Winning The Ad War — And Americans Have Noticed Americans say that even though they see more ads from Clinton, they're talking more about Trump. Americans say they’re seeing more ads from Clinton, but more news about Donald Trump. 08/26/2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clinton-trump-campaign-ads_us_57c0a61ce4b02673445018c3 [with comments]
and, to have here the original MSNBC YouTubes of the four Maddow segments which appear at the end of the post to which this is a reply:
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Donald Trump Dance Card Empty With Economic Advisers | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
Rachel Maddow reports on the history of the White House Council of Economic Advisers and points out a report by the Wall Street Journal that asked everyone who has ever served on the council, 45 of them, going back to Nixon, and found none who support Donald Trump.
Donald Trump Mainstreams Fringe With Breitbart Hire | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
Rachel Maddow shows how billionaire Robert Mercer is the link that connects the Donald Trump campaign and Steve Bannon's fringe-right news outlet Breitbart News, and how that is leading to the mainstreaming of previously obscure ideas.
Donald Trump Loses Public Pushing Fringe Priorities | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
Rachel Maddow describes how the Trump campaign, influenced by fringe-right media like his campaign CEO's Breitbart News, tried to rally supporters in Mississippi around European nationalist politics by introducing British "Brexit" leader Nigel Farage as a guest speaker.
Racist-Right Finds New Prominence Via Donald Trump | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC
Published on Aug 26, 2016 by MSNBC
Daryle Lamont Jenkins, founder of One People's Project, talks with Rachel Maddow about exposing leaders of the racist-right, and the new prominence of fringe racist elements in the Republican Party via the Donald Trump campaign.
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