Donald Trumps spectacular collapse: Full political meltdown, a week before taking office

[babylonsister]

Donald Trump’s spectacular collapse: Full political meltdown, a week before taking office
Trump looks and acts guilty, compares America to Nazi Germany — and clings to Putin's leg like a drowning retriever
Bob Cesca


We haven’t performed a full search of the transcripts, but this week could very well mark the first time that an incoming president has successfully trampled Godwin’s Law. The informal rule, invented by author Mike Godwin, suggests: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Hitler approaches one.” Tweeting once again in the early morning hours, President-elect Donald Trump observed that leaks from the intelligence community, reported by CNN and alleging that Russia has been collecting salacious blackmail material on the incoming chief executive, are reminiscent of the Third Reich.

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump

Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to "leak" into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany?
7:48 AM - 11 Jan 2017

The Nazi tweet, among many others, illustrates an embattled president-elect — a president-elect with historically dismal approval ratings and a president-elect who’s a political novice, bungling and botching his way through what could be the most devastating political-meets-constitutional crisis in modern American history, perhaps fully eclipsing Watergate, Iran-Contra and the Lewinsky affair combined. In this case, Team Trump, possibly acting as a consequence of the aforementioned blackmail material, is vocally flacking for Putin and the Russian intelligence services in opposition to the flawed but patriotic U.S. intelligence community — not to mention the American press.

Trump followed this up with another tweet.

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump

Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is "A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE." Very unfair!
7:13 AM - 11 Jan 2017

This response is, naturally, a fantastic way to goad other leakers into dropping further evidence to the contrary. Smart! Additionally, by blurting crap like this, Trump is directly questioning the veracity of the intelligence community tasked with protecting American interests here and abroad. It’s entirely possible that the 35-page document published by BuzzFeed and other outlets, which features all sorts of sloppy allegations about the president-elect’s personal behavior, was deliberately leaked in direct response to Trump’s ongoing social media tirades about the (his quotes) “intelligence” community. Anyone with even a basic understanding of the intelligence community operates knows that its first mandate is to defend the nation, not its president. Therefore, any indictment coming from a high-profile figure like Trump will never be met with complacency.

Grade-school level politics — systems with proven track records of efficacy — dictate that the best response to a scandal of this magnitude is to do the following: 1) Express outrage at the attack on American sovereignty, 2) demand an independent investigation into the charges and 3) vow to punish those responsible. It’s as simple as the rules to Candyland. Do these three things, then move on. Political problems solved. Trump and his people appear totally unaware of the correct reaction, or they’re cognizant yet foolish enough to ignore it.

more...

http://www.salon.com/2017/01/12/donald-trumps-spectacular-collapse-full-political-meltdown-a-week-before-taking-office/#.WHeVrGgeoSt.facebook

[2naSalit]

1. K&R

[denbot]

2. K&R

My last hope is that he is so politically incompetent, he might save us from himself.

[jalan48]

3. I don't see the collapse.

He basically told the media at his press conference yesterday to get in line or STFU and except for one CNN reporter, they were all silent

[Cosmocat]

5. Yep

A BIG chunk of the media is fully on board, 95% of the rest can't roll over quick enough.

Worse, 2/3 f the people of the country either fully support trump/the republicans or are willing to accept what is coming.

[JustAnotherGen]

18. Agreed

Our media 'talks a good game' when it suits them but at the end of the day most are spineless gutless wonders who won't CONSISTENTLY tell the readers and viewers the truth.

[uponit7771]

19. +1

[Bettie]

28. That's the problem

the press is not only compliant, but fully brought to heel.

So, our press is not free anymore, it also belongs fully to Putin and his poodle.

[Eleanors38]

32. Again, tRump will cut off MSM & go full-Twitter.

[DK504]

46. The media needs to be boycotting his 'press conference's"

If the other media infotainment channels will be better treated than CNN, they have never been more wrong in their life. We need to shut his ass down.

[TrekLuver]

48. The next reporter he called on asked the same question as Acosta....or for Acosta.

[jalan48]

50. Thanks-I missed that.

[lark]

4. They are total and dangerous fools,

that much we already know. Oh yeah, we also know they and he are total traitors as well and out to establish the oligarchs in firm control of this country by having them take money from the middle and lower classes.

[Richard D]

6. Really though . . .

. . . it's not a spectacular collapse until he either doesn't take office or is removed from it. Otherwise it's just theater.

[uponit7771]

20. +1, meaningless bs

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. Agreed

[JNelson6563]

7. It just hit me, this is just like that one time

when Mary, Queen of Scots, ran off and married the guy suspected of murdering her husband. Tinyhands and Mary, the Helen Kellers of the political world.

[loyalsister]

10. Helen Keller who?

The near communist, or the inspirational docile victim?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. The Helen Keller's of this world.... what?

If it's a "blind and stupid" (i.e. "Deaf, dumb, senseless&quot , remark, you've really mischaracterized Helen Keller.

[JNelson6563]

54. Deaf and blind.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

56. Ah. I see.

I'm a professional Sign Language interpreter...I know a lot of Deaf people and even some Deaf-blind people who are anything but "deaf and blind"!

And Helen Keller was no slouch, herself.

[secondwind]

8. I would like to believe that Americans will NOT take this laying down, including some Republicans..

I have faith that this country and its people will fight back, and that the press will find its backbone..

[JudyM]

27. We all "would like to" believe that, no question. Whether it's even remotely realistic is quite

another thing, though.

[Blanks]

34. I agree...

The press corps has a chain of command. They can't just go rogue at a press conference.

They'd look stupid taking some kind of stand on their own and then the individual who took the stand would be disgraced and fired.

They had no way of knowing how Trump would react. This time.

They'll have a plan to deal with this now that they know how he's gonna behave.

[Big_K]

40. Wish I could have your optimism....

But I'm in a black hole of despair, frustration, and anger.

People in this country are STUPID, and getting stupider by the minute. They're going to get fucked, eventually, but I'll end up the same way. Almost ready to call the North Koreans and give 'em my address for that missile of theirs. Payload probably won't work but maybe it'll hit me on the head and send me to dreamland.

[Eyeball_Kid]

44. We've never had a bully and an autocrat in charge of the country. He got in. He's prez.

And he's dangerous.

You can be optimistic about the good will of people who can do something about Trumpy that would be in the best interests of the nation, but we've already seen barriers fall like dominoes this past year.

There's only one way out, IMO. Trumpy has to be impeached, convicted, ousted from the White House, and THEN prosecuted for various felony charges. That's it. Otherwise, he'll destroy the nation and possibly a whole lot more.

It's that simple. The GOP tries to make it more complicated than it really is so they can obfuscate and equivocate, yet still keep their power. But that's the coward's way to deal with Trumpy, and cowardice will destroy the nation right now. It's time to oppose and resist. Republicans need to do that as well.

[lambchopp59]

52. Oh and won't that be beautiful karmic justice for "Hillary for Prison"

Ergo, I wonder if his followers might consider returning their "Make America Grunt Again" hats to China for a refund, where they came from?

[NCTraveler]

9. While giving the appearance of a mental collapse.

It will simply endear him more with his crowd of hate filled and unstable deplorables.

He is mentally unstable. They love him for it.

[Initech]

12. The right loves them some Hitler comparisons, don't they?

I mean remember when Lewis Black pointed out that Glenn Beck used more Nazi imagery than the History Channel? The sad thing is they're the ones taking pages from Hitler's playbook. Classic example of pot calling the kettle black.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

29. More like the pot calling a snow covered field black.

[Texin]

13. Seems to me...

that the more he shouts about the "disgraceful" British intelligence dossier, the more he reinforces his guilt.

Of course, this cretin did this. I don't doubt it in the least and, frankly, he's probably engaged in even more kinky stuff than allegedly with those Russian prostitutes. Interestingly, his attacks at his so-called presser yesterday seemed to have been more critical of CCN's reference/link to the Buzzfeed article than they were in the actual content, which weakened his refutations.

I think the orange cretin has to give Putin, a/k/a a tongue bath every day because he is more than just deeply kompromised. This guy is no doubt deeply indebted to the Russian oligarchy and knows (or more ominously has been warned) that to begin harsh criticisms of the Russian government and Putin's activities would probably result in him receiving the full force of his wrath, and realizes he or one of his more vulnerable family members (but more likely him) might meet with the same fates of the half dozen or more political "opponents" like Litveneko. He's in bed with the Russian mob and any "made man" like him knows that they're going to call in their markers one day and to defy them is to die.

[Eyeball_Kid]

45. Yours is an exercise in intuitive thought.

I agree. We don't have all of the facts, and we never will get all of them. This isn't a criminal trial. The DNI has to protect sources. That's the way the world works. But we DO have a timeline of events and we have the content of the events. And from an intuitive perspective, we can see the poetry lines as they are being written. We can sense the innuendo, the tone, the pace, the animus. And more. And we pull all of it together and we get something like what you wrote.

[H2O Man]

14. Recommended.

It is apparent that segments of the "intelligence community" -- including "retired" folks -- are actively opposed to Trump et al. This dynamic obviously has caught his attention.

Objectively speaking, there are both potential benefits and risks associated with this.

[panader0]

23. I think that many in the intelligence community,

and many in the services will retire after Trump takes over.

[H2O Man]

26. Right.

Throughout DC, there has been a "witch-hunt," thus making it likely that retirements will not be limited to those who do so based upon principle.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. We have been predicting his "collapse" for over a year.

He has a huge group around him, along with the media, that keeps him propped up.

[Eleanors38]

33. So noted. Trump has the most advanced knowledge of how to use the "new media."

He has made the internet and social media work for him in a "mass media" way. No one else has done that because they don't know how to simultaneously propagandize AND legitimize the message (as MSM used to do). He doesn't need MSM, but at this juncture he DOES need Twitter, or a reasonable facsimile. He IS the new media.

Trouble is, it is a shtick in a fast-moving time, and like bell bottoms, it will wear thin without a reasonable replacememt.

[Blanks]

35. More like disco...

In a few months all the Trump supporters out there will be asking "how could anyone vote for this guy".

[Eleanors38]

37. Heh. Hope you're right.

[Blanks]

39. Yeah, me too...

I remember Nixon in '72. Everyone loved Nixon in '72. In '74 nobody had voted for him.

I expect it'll be like that.

[TrekLuver]

16. Ok so let me get this straight...the Assident Elect is quoting Russia as a source to confirm that

this report is not correct? Oh Ok....then we can all just shut up now because we all know that Trashpot doesn't lie and that Putin is a reputable respected leader. One lies and the other one swears to it.

[Eleanors38]

38. Assident or Accident Elect or both?

[JustAnotherGen]

17. I'm not seeing it - the full political melt down

That doesn't happen until we have a substantial number of House Republicans and Senators blocking him at every turn.

That's when I will believe it.

[Orsino]

22. Nope. This just Trump flailing about. SOP.

Meltdown will come when it stops working.

[Stonepounder]

21. Obama said something to the effect that the best advice he could give Trump was

the best advice that Bush had given him. "Don't piss off the intelligence community." Remember, these are the guys who run the very black ops. You piss them off, or worry them enough and they WILL take you down.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. All they have to do is stand out of the way. Give regular briefings but don't push for attendance

... and don't push for tRump to pay attention.

If they just do their job, quietly, and build the record, and let tRump flail around, ... he will bring himself down.

Many Republicans loathed him from the beginning. Many more have come to loath him by now, even before taking office. The more time goes on, the more they will loath him.

Of course, though, the corrupt Republicans in Congress love power more than they loathe tRump.

[truebluegreen]

49. You're asking them to practice journalism

--drop the "access journalism" beloved of Chuckie Toad and his ilk. That would certainly be a sea change...and a very good thing.

But I fear even that will only solidify his support (even Bush left office with 28 or 30%) and the Republicans in Congress can't afford to alienate that bunch.

The Democratic Party may be more obviously on the rocks, but the Republicans are not much better off. How many friends will they have left when they start messing with Medicare / Social Security and giving yet more big tax cuts to the rich?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

53. Stonepounder & I were talking about the intelligence community, not the media. . . . nt

[Cha]

42. trumpee has been intentionally pissing them off to

kill the messenger.

How's that working out for him?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. tRump trusts Russian Intelligence Agencies more than US citizens in US agencies

What does that define?

[KamaAina]

30. A drowning retriever?

Golden retriever?

[keithbvadu2]

31. The Nazis in this country supported Trump.

He is just being politically correct.

[Cha]

41. "Donald Trumps spectacular collapse: Full political meltdown, a week before taking office

Trump looks and acts guilty, compares America to Nazi Germany — and clings to Putin's leg like a drowning retrieve"

Bob Cesca

Excellent, Bob Cesca.. thank you, babylonsister!

California Liberal
‏@California_Lib
The guy who works with Neo-Nazis, and said Muslims should carry special religious ID cards asked, Are We Living in Nazi Germany?


https://twitter.com/California_Lib/status/819302102610518016/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[Turbineguy]

43. This is one of those

illnesses that will have to run its course. All we can do is hope the patient doesn't die.

[truebluegreen]

47. I'd call this report a shot across the bow

from the Deep State. Just putting Cheeto on notice...but I doubt if he will get the message.

[still_one]

51. I don't see trump collapsing. I see him getting caught in his own lies, but that is far from

collapsing

In his press conference,e when he went after CNN for "fake news", which was a LIE on trump's part, I didn't see a very strong push back from the MSM.

Until that happens, I don't see any collapse occurring.

In fact I would be amazed if any of his nominees did not get confirmed.

[nikto]

55. Are the mainstream GOPers really less-scary than Trump?

Mainstream GOPers like Pence give me no comfort.