Archives for February 2017

Trump To Skip Correspondents’ Dinner But Does Not Say Why

February 26, 2017 By John DeProspo 6 Comments

Donald Trump has tweeted he will not be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner slated for April 29^th, making him the first president to skip the event in over 30 years.

Trump tweeted:

I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!

Notice something missing?

The usually “straight-talking” president fails to give a reason why he will not be attending the usually festive event. He does not even offer a plausible “alternative fact.” Sad.

This has caused many pundits to speculate about Trump’s possible motive.

The conventional wisdom seems to be that Trump does not want to confront the national press, who he has repeatedly called “fake news”and “enemy of the people.” Some are calling the president a coward.

While that may be a possibility, I believe the answer is more basic.

The man simply does not have a sense of humor. And when he does attempt to make a joke, no one can tell for sure if he is trying to be funny or announcing some actual policy proposal!

We got a glimpse of Trump’s standup routine at the annual Alfred E. Smith charity dinner in New York last October. His material, and delivery, was so bad the crowd booed the then GOP presidential nominee.

Many have wondered whether our president has the ability to be funny or even knows how to laugh. He certainly has shown an inability to laugh at himself.

Remember Barack Obama’s brilliant take down of Donald Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondent’s Dinner hosted by Seth Meyers? As Obama was delivering his killer material, the camera kept focusing on a stone-faced Trump. Obama succeeded that night in turning Trump into a laughingstock.

If Trump were to attend the press dinner, that would undoubtedly invite comparison to Obama’s silky smooth performances at past events and his ability to take a joke.

No, there really isn’t any wonder why Trump has decided to take a pass. He’s just not up to the job of being comedian in chief. The thin-skinned president, for sure, does not want to be the butt of jokes that might hit too close to home.

Or maybe, just maybe, our vain president has something more important to do that night … like Windex all the mirrors in the White House? Bada bing!

Photo | someecards.com

Trump’s Unrequited Love For The First Amendment

February 25, 2017 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

At this week’s annual meeting of the right-wing lovefest, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Donald Trump professed his profound love for the First Amendment.

“I love the First Amendment — nobody loves it more than me,” said the besotted commander in chief.

Unfortunately, the object of Trump’s affection does not love him back.

“How could he love me when he is so mean to me,” said the First Amendment. “If only his actions matched his words.”

The First Amendment has a valid point.

Soon after Trump’s proclamation of love for the much-cherished amendment, White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, barred reporters from numerous major media outlets from participating in a regularly scheduled press briefing. Singled out were: The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, BBC, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Politico.

“And it’s not just freedom of the press that I’m all about,” said the First Amendment. “If he truly loved me, he’d love all of me. He hasn’t shown any of that.”

“What about my other guaranteed freedoms?” asked the sometimes misunderstood amendment. “Yes I stand for freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. But I also forbid Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. And don’t forget, I assure the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.”

“I’m not going to be taken in by Donald’s pretty words, his actions go against almost everything I stand for,” said the amendment so beloved by the Founding Fathers that they ranked it first among many. “ Others have claimed to love me but they proved to be bogus lovers. Donald is repulsive to me. Not only do I not love him but I’m afraid he will cause me harm.”

It is unfortunate the First Amendment is so frightened of the new president that it may need to seek a restraining order against the man and his false protestations of love.

Photo | cnn.com.de

Trump: “When I’m Golfing, I’m Working”

February 22, 2017 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

Donald Trump criticized Barack Obama for the amount of golfed he played while president. Now, Trump is coming under heavy criticism himself for the amount of times he has hit the links in only his first month in office.

As of last week, Trump has golfed three weekends in a row … six rounds in 30 days! Because of the apparent hypocrisy, Trump’s staff has tried to down play the number of times our new president has teed it up.

This past weekend, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a top White House press aide, told reporters Trump had played “a couple of holes” Saturday and Sunday. In truth, Trump played 18 holes with four-time major champion and third ranked player in the world, Irish golfer Rory McIlroy.

When confronted by an intrepid reporter about the inordinate amount of golf he has been playing, Trump replied, “golf is all about business.”

“I play with world leaders and other important people,” said the president. “Some of my best deals have been done on the golf course. When I’m golfing, I am working for the people.”

The reporter asked Trump if he considers Rory McIlroy a world leader.

“No, but he is a very important person,” said Trump. “ I plan to build my presidential library on a golf course. And what better place than Ireland? That’s what Rory and I talked about.”

The president was asked if there was any truth to the rumor he would be inviting Pope Francis to Mar-a-Lago for a weekend of golf. The two men have been at odds with each other ever since Trump entered the presidential race.

“Yes,” said the commander in chief. “ I am inviting the Holy Father to play a round with me. But we have a strict dress code at our club. The Pontiff must wear golf pants and a collared shirt. No dresses are allowed … for both women and men.”

The odds are great that, if Trump remains in office for two terms, he will outnumber the rounds of golf played by two of our nation’s most golf-addicted presidents … Woodrow Wilson at 1200 rounds and Dwight Eisenhower at 800 rounds.

Trump’s staff may try to cover-up the amount of golf he is playing, but they need to do what Trump is rumored to do on the course … improve their lie.

Caution – some of this story may be “fake news”

Photo | latimes.com

Mark Twain Was Right … Never Argue With Idiots

February 21, 2017 By John DeProspo 4 Comments

Fifty-four percent of Americans did not vote for Donald Trump yet they are being asked to make nice-nice with the forty-six percent who did.

“Try to see their point of view,” the majority of voters are being urged. “You’ll never get anywhere by calling them racist, xenophobic, uninformed and uneducated morons,” they are scolded.

The problem with this “try to understand” nonsense is that it is just that … nonsense.

How do you accept a person who does not accept verifiable facts? How do you have a rational discussion with someone who believes the mainstream media is feeding them “fake news?” How do you convince someone the earth is round when they believe it is flat?

Mark Twain famously said, “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”

At his 2020 reelection rally in Florida last week, Trump mentioned the terror attack in Sweden. Of course there was no such attack. Trump tried “clarifying” things by saying he heard about it on Fox News. Well, problem solved! To many gullible Trump supporters, the big bad media is just “covering up” the story and the attack did happen. (Funny how Trump loyalists do not consider Fox News part of “the media?)

How do you have an intelligent discussion with someone who does not believe in the primacy of logic or the theory of gravity?

The answer is you can’t. So why waste your breath?

Trump is nothing but your typical cult leader whose disciples will follow him to the gates of hell. If you question what the leader says, you are the enemy.

Just last week Trump tweeted this statement that should have every freedom loving American petrified:

The FAKE NEWS media (failing ‪@nytimes, ‪@NBCNews, ‪@ABC, ‪@CBS, ‪@CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

No, you won’t get anywhere trying to talk sense to the willfully ignorant. It is best to just ignore them … granted, calling out these misguided souls may make some of you feel better, if only for a moment.

Photo | scoopnest.com

Glimmer Of Hope For “Old Buck”?

February 20, 2017 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

On this President’s Day, it is a good time to look back at our past presidents and see how they stack up against one another.

The newly released 2017 Presidential Historians Survey finds Abe Lincoln once again leading the pack, with James Buchanan, the president preceding Lincoln, scraping the bottom of the barrel.

It is worth noting George W. Bush ranks a dismal 33 while Barack Obama comes in a healthy 12.

Here is the full list:
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt
4. Theodore Roosevelt
5. Dwight D. Eisenhower
6. Harry S. Truman
7. Thomas Jefferson
8. John F. Kennedy
9. Ronald Reagan
10. Lyndon Baines Johnson
11. Woodrow Wilson
12. Barack Obama
13. James Monroe
14. James K. Polk
15. Bill Clinton
16. William McKinley Jr.
17. James Madison
18. Andrew Jackson
19. John Adams
20. George H. W. Bush
21. John Quincy Adams
22. Ulysses S. Grant
23. Grover Cleveland
24. William H. Taft
25. Gerald R. Ford Jr.
26. Jimmy Carter
27. Calvin Coolidge
28. Richard M. Nixon
29. James A. Garfield
30. Benjamin Harrison
31. Zachary Taylor
32. Rutherford B. Hayes
33. George W. Bush
34. Martin Van Buren
35. Chester Arthur
36. Herbert Hoover
37. Millard Fillmore
38. William Henry Harrison
39. John Tyler
40. Warren G. Harding
41. Franklin Pierce
42. Andrew Johnson
43. James Buchanan

With Donald Trump getting off to one of the worst starts in presidential history, there is hope “Old Buck” Buchanan, also known as the “Bachelor President” and “Ten-Cent Jimmy,” may finally escape the cellar.

Photos | talkingpointsmemo.com

Trump Kicks Off 2020 Reelection Bid in Florida

February 19, 2017 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

Less than one month since his inauguration, Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail. Yesterday’s rally at the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport in Florida is sure to be the first of many such events.

It seems Trump is giving new meaning to the term “perpetual campaign,” an idea that has been floating around American politics since 1980, when Sidney Blumenthal used it as the title for a book.

As unorthodox as this first reelection rally may be, it is not Trump’s first push towards 2020.

After winning the election in November, Donald Trump took a victory lap by holding a series of rallies in states that delivered him to the White House. And, after all, Florida is a key swing state.

Some political observers are calling Trump’s early start to 2020 “presumptuous.” Shouldn’t one master the art of governing before one begins to campaign for a second tour, many are asking? Some are even pointing out the odds of Trump finishing his first term are slim. There certainly is enough talk of impeachment or forced resignation to warrant some restraint, many are saying.

After Trump’s first 29 days in office, the White House does indeed seem to be in a state of chaos.

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after misleading the vice president and the American people about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Trump’s nominee for labor secretary withdrew when it became obvious he would not be confirmed. Federal courts have brought Trump’s immigration executive order to a grinding halt. Isn’t there enough in Washington, many are asking, to keep Trump busy?

As has been the case since first entering the presidential race, Trump is having a problem with “size.” While he described the crowd at yesterday’s Florida rally as “huge,” the local police estimated the crowd at about 9000. This is much less than the estimated 15,000 who appeared at the same venue for a Trump campaign rally in September 2016.

If history is any guide, Trump will get on the media for underreporting the crowd size. He already prepared his loyal followers by telling them the media will not “show the crowd” … even though the pool feed on every cable channel showed the crowd when he arrived.

The fact is the current crowd size was not as big as his last, a sign Trump supporters may be starting to have regrets. Perhaps a good reason to get a jump on 2020?

AP Photo/ Evan Vucci

When Trump Says 100% False, You Know It’s True

February 17, 2017 By John DeProspo Leave a Comment

Everyone knows the joke about when you know a politician is lying … his lips are moving. Now we have a tell about when Trump, or any of his acolytes, is telling the truth … a statement is labeled “100% false.”

Remember when the president-elect floated the idea of cutting the CIA staff and restructuring the agency? This is how Trump’s then spokesperson, Sean Spicer, described the situation: “There is no truth to this idea of restructuring the intelligence community infrastructure. It is 100% false.”

How about when Trump ally, Roger Stone, said during the Republican primary, reports of turmoil within the Trump campaign were “100% false.”

Then there was that time, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, when Trump described himself as a victim of a smear campaign and accused Hillary Clinton of “character assassination.” Said Trump, “These allegations are 100% false, as everybody knows.”

The key to knowing for sure something is a bald-faced lie is the addition of “100%.”

Today the Associated Press (AP) released a story that the Trump administration is considering mobilizing as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants.

The “leaked” draft memo says participating troops would be authorized “to perform the functions of an immigration officer.”

The White House was quick to respond. While not denying the document is real, Sean Spencer told the press corps Trump never considered implementing such a plan. “It is irresponsible to be saying this,” he said, calling the report “100% not true.”

The “100%” rule also works in reverse.

Donald Trump senior adviser, Stephen Miller, last week weighed in on the controversy surrounding WH press secretary Sean Spicer’s decision to comment on Nordstrom pulling Ivanka’s products from their stores.

“I’m not going make a comment on that,” said Miller. “I don’t have any information on it. I do want to say that Sean Spicer, as always, is 100 percent correct and that what he said is true and important.”

So there you have it. The next time you hear “100%” being bandied about by Trump or his surrogates, you know the opposite of whatever is being claimed is actually the case.

Photo | cnn.com

Trump: The Leaks Are Real … But The News Is Fake!

February 16, 2017 By John DeProspo 4 Comments

Huh?

In perhaps the most bizarre presidential press conference in the history of the United States, Donald Trump today took a page from one of his biggest boosters while on the campaign trail … Sarah Palin. Not only did his answers to reporters not make any sense, but they also resembled the “word salads” for which the former half-term governor of Alaska is most famous.

No statement from Trump was more Palinesque than this: “The leaks are absolutely real, the news is fake, because so much of the news is fake.”

Of course Trump was referring to leaks from U.S. intelligence agencies that his national security advisor, Michael Flynn, discussed sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the U.S. before Donald Trump took office.

The leaked news led directly to Flynn offering-up his letter of resignation, almost immediately after the story broke, which Trump accepted.

If the news media was simply reporting the “real” leaked information, how could the story be fake? Better yet, why would Flynn resign his office as soon as the news came out?

Or was Trump saying the leaked information from the intelligence agencies was fake … that there are no secret recordings of Flynn and the Russian ambassador discussing possible easing of sanctions under a Trump administration?

At today’s press conference, Trump was standing by his man, claiming the controversial retired general “did nothing wrong.” The media is to blame for his resignation.

It borders on the surreal that Trump would blame the media for his national security adviser’s downfall when it was he who asked for Flynn’s resignation!

Trump tried to clarify the situation by offering up this pretzel: “You know, he was doing his job. The thing is, he didn’t tell our vice president properly, and then he said he didn’t remember. So either way, it wasn’t very satisfactory to me.”

Huh?

It is obvious Trump is trying to confuse the American people by suspending the rules of logic and speaking in “word salads.” And, of course, blaming everything on the big bad media and all its fake news.

It remains to be seen how this tactic will work, especially for those Trump voters who are not part of his oblivious base.

Photo | abcnews.go.com

Utah Rep. Chaffetz Won’t Look Into Flynn … Says More Important Fish To Fry

February 14, 2017 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

With the growing controversy, and confusion, surrounding Michael Flynn’s resignation as Trump’s national security advisor, many Americans were hoping this might merit a hearing within the House of Representatives.

People want to know if Gen. Flynn was asked to offer up his resignation because of his improper, maybe treasonous, contacts with Russia prior to Trump assuming office or was he asked to leave because he ‘inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding … phone calls with the Russian Ambassador.”

House Oversight Committee chairman, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R), is not too concerned about the growing political brouhaha. He believes investigating the Flynn matter, at this point, is unnecessary since it is “taking care of itself.”

Chaffetz did not, however, rule out a probe at a later date.

“Our schedule is pretty much set right now. We will begin our next hearing into Hillary Clinton and Benghazi early next week. Once that is done … we’re hoping by the end of the year … we will look into the Flynn matter, if it is still an issue.”

Caution: This could be fake news

Photo | washingtonpost.com

You Are Right, Stephen, Trump Has Done “More” Than Most Presidents

February 13, 2017 By John DeProspo 2 Comments

Stephen Miller, the White House policy adviser, made some bold and controversial statements across an array of Sunday political talk shows yesterday. One of his favorite talking points was also summed up in one of his tweets:

“We have a president who has done more in three weeks than most presidents have done in an entire administration.”

Of course we all understand what the conservative, 31-year-old “senior” adviser means by the word “more.” He, no doubt, is thinking along the lines of accomplishments.

While most would dispute such an interpretation of Trump’s performance, in a real sense, our neophyte president has done more in his first three weeks in office than most presidents do in an entire term … just not in the way Miller, former press secretary of Michele Bachmann, cares to acknowledge.

Trump has done more …

to undermine our rule of law by questioning the legitimacy of our court system.
to make our country less safe through his thinly disguised Muslim travel ban.
to alienate our friends and allies with anti-NATO talk.
to trash our free press (except Fox News) as purveyors of “fake” news.
to question the integrity of our voting system through unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
to tangle with a publically traded company because of a business decision they made.
to create a diplomatic crisis with two close allies, Mexico and Australia.
to belittle the civil rights movement by defaming icon, John Lewis, through racist tweets.
to insult our intelligence agencies by comparing them to Nazis.
to attack the first amendment by claiming protesters are paid professionals.

All this in only three weeks!

What we, and the world, desperately need from Donald Trump is for him to do less, not more, Stephen!

No, we do not care how many golf vacations our chief executive takes. The further away from Washington D.C., and a pen, the safer we, and our beleaguered democracy, will be.