Politics ain't beanbag.
The setting was "presidential" -- a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
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| Click for the YouTube video |
Trump was in campaign rally form, with smash-mouth politics at a Cabinet meeting. Voters looking at Democrats auditioning for the role of party leadership should have no illusion of "presidential decorum." Don't expect a candidate to "respect the office" or observe the courtesies of Congress ("the honorable gentleman from Kentucky. . . ."). Courtesy reads as weakness. It is avoidance, not confrontation. Trump lays bare the situation: Democrats need a commander in chief at a time of political war.
00.36 "It's also obviously for great defense. We have the greatest military in the world. We built it largely in my first term. Some of it was stupidly given away to Afghanistan."
At three minutes Trump made a Biden-autopen reference:
03:33 "'What's the problem with eggs?' That was caused by Biden or whoever was operating. The autopen actually caused it, I guess because I don't think he knew too much about eggs."
At minute 26 Trump starts mentioning Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and then Democrats hinting at a presidential run.
26:31 "No. He's going… It was funny, 'No, it's a trap. Don't do it.' And then I saw this poor stupid Chuck Schumer, the guy, he looks like he's aged 100 years. And I don't like getting into looks. Looks don't mean anything, right? When you're in politics, looks don't matter. I look at Pam, I would never say 'she's beautiful' because that'd be the end of my political career."
27:09 This slob of a governor you have in Illinois. This poor guy got thrown out of his business by his family. I know the family. I was partners with the family, nice family. I like the family, but he was no good. They threw him out. He's governor of Illinois and he goes, about Trump, 'We don't need his help.' Chicago is the worst."
29:07 "It's out of control. In New York, it's out of control. Not as bad as Illinois, by the way. Not even close. In California, you would've not had the Olympics had I not sent in the troops, sent in the National Guard. They did a fantastic job. We had the Olympics, we have the World Cup coming."
35:56 "It's nice. And those are tough troops too. Those are not politically correct troops. We don't have politically correct anymore. We have tough guys, tough people, including some tough women. But we have tough people. And when you look at them, I'll tell you, they showed one scene where a bunch of Tren de Aragua guys or whatever, maybe MS-13. Maybe MS-DNC, okay? Because to me they're worse, I think they're worse. MSNBC maybe is worse than Tren de Aragua, real scum, real scum, real dishonest people."
39:53 "Baltimore, Wes Moore was telling me he wants, 'I want to walk with the president.' Well, I said, 'I want to walk with you too someday, but first you got to clean up your crime because I'm not walking with you, I'm not walking in Baltimore right now, Baltimore is a hellhole.' And this guy, I don't even think he knows it, he's another candidate for president. Between him and Newscom, you've got some real beauties, I'll tell you. But if we didn't go into Los Angeles, you wouldn't have the Olympics in my opinion. You wouldn't have the Olympics. And I'm telling Gavin Newscum by this conversation right now, 'Turn the rest of the water on, turn it on.' So things are done that are so sad in this country. Lack of common sense. I like to say the Republican Party is the party with common sense. We're smart, we're sharp, we're this and that."
42:41 "They're smart, but they're radical left people and they can't help it. They're very smart, but they're radical left and they're destroying our country, but they're not going to destroy it anymore. So we picked up millions of people in the Republican Party, they lost millions of people and I think we're going to do very well in the midterms."
03:33 "'What's the problem with eggs?' That was caused by Biden or whoever was operating. The autopen actually caused it, I guess because I don't think he knew too much about eggs."
At minute 26 Trump starts mentioning Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and then Democrats hinting at a presidential run.
26:31 "No. He's going… It was funny, 'No, it's a trap. Don't do it.' And then I saw this poor stupid Chuck Schumer, the guy, he looks like he's aged 100 years. And I don't like getting into looks. Looks don't mean anything, right? When you're in politics, looks don't matter. I look at Pam, I would never say 'she's beautiful' because that'd be the end of my political career."
27:09 This slob of a governor you have in Illinois. This poor guy got thrown out of his business by his family. I know the family. I was partners with the family, nice family. I like the family, but he was no good. They threw him out. He's governor of Illinois and he goes, about Trump, 'We don't need his help.' Chicago is the worst."
I
27:50 "I watched a man from Maryland who said to me, 'Sir, you're the greatest president. You're doing an unbelievable job. What a great job.' Governor Moore, has anyone heard of him?"
[Audience 28:06 'Mm-hmm.']
28:07 "He's another hopeful for president. I don't think so. But I met him and I didn't realize it was on camera. Did you see they caught him on camera? I was at a game, I don't know, the Army-Navy game or something. And I met him in a hallway. And as usual, you do your job very well. One of these great cameramen had it on tape. But I met this gentleman, I never met him before. 'Sir, you're doing a great job. You're doing an unbelievable job. Thank you very much.'"
28:34 "But then he goes on television and says, 'Oh, Trump is a dictator. He's a dictator.' And a lot of people have heard. . . .So the line is that I'm a dictator, but I stop crime. So a lot of people say, 'If that's the case, I'd rather have a dictator.' But I'm not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime. And you would think that Illinois, where they have such a problem with crime, such a bad governor, he should be calling me and he should be saying, 'Could you send over the troops, please? It's out of control.'
29:07 "It's out of control. In New York, it's out of control. Not as bad as Illinois, by the way. Not even close. In California, you would've not had the Olympics had I not sent in the troops, sent in the National Guard. They did a fantastic job. We had the Olympics, we have the World Cup coming."
35:56 "It's nice. And those are tough troops too. Those are not politically correct troops. We don't have politically correct anymore. We have tough guys, tough people, including some tough women. But we have tough people. And when you look at them, I'll tell you, they showed one scene where a bunch of Tren de Aragua guys or whatever, maybe MS-13. Maybe MS-DNC, okay? Because to me they're worse, I think they're worse. MSNBC maybe is worse than Tren de Aragua, real scum, real scum, real dishonest people."
39:53 "Baltimore, Wes Moore was telling me he wants, 'I want to walk with the president.' Well, I said, 'I want to walk with you too someday, but first you got to clean up your crime because I'm not walking with you, I'm not walking in Baltimore right now, Baltimore is a hellhole.' And this guy, I don't even think he knows it, he's another candidate for president. Between him and Newscom, you've got some real beauties, I'll tell you. But if we didn't go into Los Angeles, you wouldn't have the Olympics in my opinion. You wouldn't have the Olympics. And I'm telling Gavin Newscum by this conversation right now, 'Turn the rest of the water on, turn it on.' So things are done that are so sad in this country. Lack of common sense. I like to say the Republican Party is the party with common sense. We're smart, we're sharp, we're this and that."
42:41 "They're smart, but they're radical left people and they can't help it. They're very smart, but they're radical left and they're destroying our country, but they're not going to destroy it anymore. So we picked up millions of people in the Republican Party, they lost millions of people and I think we're going to do very well in the midterms."
A great many Democrats tell me they are exhausted by politics. Trump has "flooded the zone" with abrupt firings; with impoundments of appropriated money; with norm-breaking and law-breaking assertions of presidential power; with firings targeting Blacks, especially Black women; with white-washing of American history; with tariffs; with pardons: with self-enriching sales of meme crypto coins. . . The list goes on. It is too much. They can't keep up, and they are frustrated that their Republican friends seem perfectly happy to watch Trump contradict every value and policy that Reagan, both Bushes, Dole, McCain, Romney and every other Republican said was patriotic and good. They tell me they want to tune out the professional wrestling circus. They seek a return to "normalcy," when people can debate issues, find compromise through reasonable bipartisanship, and govern. They imagine some better, earlier, golden age. They want America to be great again. They want a Democratic leader who will bring them back that better America.
Normalcy is not available. It doesn't serve Trump's purposes and Trump is the dynamo in the center of American politics. He has brought the fight. There is no peace. The political war is underway.
Democratic leaders are being tested. Do they know how to handle themselves in a fight?
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14 comments:
It's a fight, but with whom? Clearly not these demented ramblings. Everyone in that cabinet and beyond aspires to be the successor, otherwise why suffer the humiliation? For now they watch and wait for their moment, but who knows which one will come out on top? MEANWHILE MAGA IS LOSING THEIR MINDS OVER THE EPSTEIN BETRAYAL. WAS IT ALL A LIE? IS IT ALL NOTHING BUT LIES? THE MEDIA AND THE OPPOSITION NEED TO REALIZE THAT THIS ISSUE IS KEY TO BREAKING THE MAGA FEVER AND THE FIRST DOMINO.
True confession time: Trump has revived my love of the Village People. I downloaded the original YWCA music video and watch it regularly, remembering the time when I was young and dancing at the disco. It didn't make me vote for Trump, but it makes me feel good and happy and nostalgic.
Senator Mike Lee recently created a silly AI video of the Cracker Barrel man getting up and dancing with Trump, to the tune of YMCA. It made me smile. It's cute.
The GOP can make me feel happy about being an American, full of nostalgia.
Maybe the Democrats could try it.
Epstein is all the Democrats have? That’s going to work about as well as Russia, Russia, Russia.
It could work better than Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, and Russia, Russia, Russia.
The above Anonymous post about the YMCA song was made by the poster known as Ayla. I just didn't hit all the right buttons.
I have been thinking, tho.. when was the last time a Dem had a song? Clinton/Gore, Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by Fleetwood Mac.
What was Obama's song? Hillary's? Biden's song? I can't think of one.
Gavin Newsom needs to pick an upbeat, pro-America song, get permission to use it from the artists, and make it his theme song. Make it so we think of Gavin whenever we hear it. Basic campaign task 101.
Mr. Blue Sky. Good lyrics. Right color. Upbeat. Cowbell. Return of joy. Why did it have to go away so long?
No, we've also got the economy. We're well aware that Republicans don't care about his sex abuse or other crimes. But he said he'd lower prices on day one. How's that working for you?
Too true! I especially like the videos of Trump getting’ down to YMCA. It’s hard to imagine another politician who can move to the groove quite like him – maybe Mitch McConnell or Bernie Sanders. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Trump is a better dancer than president.
I vote for Dancin' in the Street, because we will be once we get rid of the man who would be king.
This song would fit Gavin Newsom perfectly.
Even with the economy the way it is, the Republican Party is still more popular than the Democrats. There must be something wrong with this theory.
Dancin' in the Street as you've never heard it.
On the contrary. Trump is conditioning us to having U.S. troops in American cities because that’s what it will take for Republicans to win the midterms once his tariffs kick in. As prices rise, the popularity of the party in power plunges.
The President needs a song ? What the hell is going on around here?
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