The US public, the US media and the GOP-candidates finally start to take Donald Trump more seriously, but is it too late? Bill Maher and his guests explored this question in a fascinating conversation, which is well worth watching. Bill Maher states that "Donald Trump is like climate change - We knew it was coming, we didn't do anything about it, and now it's too late."The website "Mediaite" also published the following clip.
Also, in this clip, one of his guests asks whether Bill Maher really believes if Marco Rubio would be a better president than Donald Trump. In his reply, Bill Maher sort of "denies" that Rubio would be better, but at this point I have to "pull a Scalia" and strongly voice my dissent: Yes, Marco Rubio would be indeed a much, much better President than Donald Trump, because he is not an insane and unhinged fascist. Which, however, does not mean that Rubio would be a good President!
WASHINGTON – Retired Gen. Michael Hayden, who recently led the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, said the U.S. military would likely refuse to follow certain orders from Donald Trump if he is elected to the White House in November and follows through on campaign promises.
“I would be incredibly concerned if a President Trump governed in a way that was consistent with the language that Candidate Trump expressed during the campaign,” Gen. Hayden said during an interview will Bill Maher on Friday.
Mr. Trump, the frontrunner in the GOP primary, has vowed to use torture techniques against suspected terrorists if he wins the White House, going beyond waterboarding and doing things he described as a “hell of a lot worse.”
He has also suggested he would order U.S. forces to kill the family members of terrorists, a charge that some have alleged would be in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Gen. Hayden, who had been an adviser to the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush, said the military would be required to refuse to obey these orders if Mr. Trump handed them down from the White House.
“You are required not to follow an unlawful order,” Gen. Hayden said. Some of Mr. Trump’s proposals “would be in violation of all the international laws of armed conflict.”
This statement by Michael Hayden did not come as a surprise to me, as I assume that many, if not most members of the military establishment will have similar thoughts. These are soldiers who were educated according to the values of the Western world, and the pure thought that a US President would make gross violations of the Geneva Convention like gruesome torture and summary executions (and potentially even worse) his "official policy" will certainly give some people in the military sleepless nights.
These are people who also studied closely how for example the German Army was abused by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, how professional soldiers, who were in many cases even opposed to the Nazis, fulfilled the demands of a ruthless dictator over and over again and openly resisted only when it was too late.
I do not believe that the US military would allow such a thing to happen in their own country.
Finally, as so often, some cartoons about Donald Trump. He just provides too much material... Have a good weekend, everybody!
Finally, the last cartoon is particularly remarkable, because it is from 2015, and I think some of these predictions already came true...
Today is "Donald Trump time" again, but unfortunately, it appears to be necessary. "The Donald" is systematically doing something which should be a "No Go" in a civilized democratic society, but for him, it is the recipe for success: He stimulates the "dark side" of his audience by starting to propose excessive plans for execution and torture, and I believe that we will hear more of that.
After inciting hatred for example against "Mexicans", Muslims and all kind of Asian countries (China and Japan in particular), his rhetoric against "ISIS" becomes more and more violent. Oblivious to the fact that we cannot fight war crimes and massacres with our very own war crimes and massacres, Trump is letting the world know that he wants the torturers to be tortured. In addition, his shocking announcements are not a coincidence, but they are an important plan of his campaign plan: It allows Trump to get more headlines and whip up his fans into a frenzy. This is Donald Trump's "Shock and Awe" campaign of 2016, and it appears to be far from over.
So on Friday in a speech in North Charleston, SC, Donald Trump's rhetoric got even more violent - the "Daily Mail" reports:
Donald Trump shared a story about the murder of 49 Muslim prisoners during a speech in South Carolina on Friday.
Trump told the audience about US Army General John Pershing and his killing of prisoners during the 'early 1900s.'
'He caught 50 terrorists that did tremendous damage and killed many people and he took the 50 terrorists and he took 50 men and he dipped 50 bullets in pig's blood, ' said Trump.
'And he had his men load his rifles, and he lined up the 50 people, and they shot 49 of those people, and the 50th person, he said; "You go back to your people and you tell them what happened,"' said Trump.
'And for 25 years, there wasn’t a problem. For 25 years there wasn’t a problem. All right? So we better start getting tough.'
Not only is this story about the execution with bullets covered in pig's blood fake and never happened, but even more importantly, Donald Trump has no hesitation to further radicalize his already pretty extreme audience by telling them these outrageous murder fantasies. The Nazis used very, very similar rhetoric during their speeches, and it is also a fact the Nazis were the biggest believers in "fighting murder with murder." They imposed for example an automatic death penalty on people who fought in an "irregular" way against the Nazis in WWII, for example the "partisans" in Russia or the resistance in France. The main justification for the mass executions against those groups which were carried out by the Nazis was the fact that they were regarded by the Nazis as "criminals" and not regarded as regular soldiers.
This is very comparable to "ISIS", as these people are also usually regarded simply as terrorists, and not as a "regular army." While there is not controversy about the fact that "ISIS" should be beaten militarily, the question remains: Should we simply execute these people after capture? It appears to me that Donald Trump would have no difficulties in proposing such a solution, and he apparently would also be more than happy to use bullets covered in pig's blood for the executions.
The most unsettling thing about Trump’s aside isn’t that it’s false, though. It’s that he’s indulging an openly racist murder fantasy—in which an American military officer uses dead Muslims he had killed with bullets dipped in the blood of swine (an animal whose meat and other byproducts are considered impure, and thus forbidden from consumption, by the Qur’an) to terrorize many more Muslims—in order to convince South Carolinians to vote for him.
Presidential candidates are certainly not immune to promulgating fake Internet memes. Nor has Trump been friendly to Muslims, either: In the past few months alone, he’s endorsed preventing Muslims from entering the United States, shuttering a certain number of mosques (while placing the remainder under surveillance), and registering every practicing Muslim in a national database. In that sense, today’s utterance differed in degree, not kind: Trump will say anything, for any reason, if it benefits him. At the same time, this tale gives us a good sense of what kind of person Trump is pandering to, and what exactly such a person would believe.
Here is a very good example of how the Nazis manipulated their audience by openly suggesting violence against their "enemies." It is a very appropriate comparison to Trump's speeches, because it is an "early clip" from February 10, 1933, just several days after the Nazis came to power, and the Nazis still had to be a bit more careful at this point. But Joseph Goebbels was of course giving his audience what they wanted to hear, through his suggestive warnings.
The experience with the Nazis is the main reason why this type of manipulative, violent rhetoric today is an absolute "No-Go" in many democratic countries, and would even in many cases constitute "hate speech." But in the USA, with "hate speech" firmly protected by the courts, the boundaries are vague - and Donald Trump has no hesitation to exploit this fact.
Just yesterday, "Politico" published an extremely interesting article with the title"Trump’s Exceptionalism Explained." The author makes some very good points, but I also get the impression that the media still struggles to find the reasons for Trump's success. Quote:
Donald Trump doesn’t cross the line. He erases it.
Time and again Mr. Mouth Almighty has recklessly insulted, defamed, mocked and affronted his fellow citizens. He has instigated stupid feuds and is now quarreling with the pope. He has gaffed repeatedly on policy matters. He has indulged himself in nutty conspiracy theories. And—how to put this delicately?—he has lied like a con artist, and when caught has squirted ink into the water to obfuscate. Two weeks ago, he denied having called John McCain a “loser,” which he did in July 2015. This week, after getting busted for falsely claiming in the South Carolina debate that the George W. Bush administration lied to smooth the way for war in Iraq, Trump told the Today show, Bush “could have lied. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I guess you’d have to ask him.”
What makes Trump immune to the political forces that routinely sink other candidates? What accounts for Trump exceptionalism? If I knew the answer I could sell it to his infuriated Republican opponents, or bottle the stuff and offer it to the Democratic Party’s nominee this summer. But I don’t know. All I can offer is a measure of conjecture—subject to refutation, of course—and that starts with amassing the many positives that have allowed Trump to slither his way past his critics and naysayers.
The secret to Trump’s campaign is his relentless optimism. It doesn’t matter than he has a deficit of real plans, genuine programs and identifiable advisers. Quite the opposite: These shortcoming are actually strengths. If he were better anchored to reality like some of the other candidates, all that accountability would weigh his balloon down. The ad hoc quality of his politics, the endless winging and self-contradiction, allow Trump access to all the tools we associate with a salesman or a con artist. Trump need only tell his supporters what he thinks they want to hear—that everyday will bring three extra hours of sunshine—and package it in the braggadocio that has served him so well in real estate, TV and the merchandising of this name.
The final conclusion of the author:
Trump’s exceptionalism looks less and less to me like a political phenomenon as the campaign progresses and lot more like a cult of personality, residing somewhere on the sliding scale between that of Mao Zedong and L. Ron Hubbard. This critique will never touch Trump, who must be having the time of his life, and probably has no chance of reaching his supporters, who have tuned to the other frequency. But let’s hope it does, because unlike a failing Trump company, a failing Trump presidency could not sneak away into the night by declaring bankruptcy.
Yes, this author is definitely correct, there is definitely a "cult of personality" surrounding Donald Trump. While this might be one of the reasons, I strongly believe that the main reason for his current success is the following: After having been told for so many decades by politicians and parts of the media, especially Fox News, that a liberal democracy is neither desirable nor effective, many citizens have started to believe that an authoritarian approach might be the better alternative. Whenever I read the comments of the many Trump-supporters on the internet, one thing is obvious: They want a "strong man" to clean up the "mess." They loath the "Washington establishment." They hate the "system." They hate "liberals." It is no surprise that they love Donald Trump. They would love to have him as an authoritarian ruler.
Which brings us to another interesting question: Would Donald Trump as US president actually be an authoritarian ruler, or not? It is incredibly fascinating that this lingering question has recently been answered by none other than the leader of the American Nazi party, an old white man with the "not-so-aryan" name Rocky Suhayda. His opinion, and I believe that this man is actually absolutely correct: Donald Trump could only implement his proposals through "presidential decrees."
(...) He then got to the point, Trump’s plan would never happen.
“Unless Trump plans on ruling by Presidential Decree, I don’t see how he would implement ANY of his ‘plans,’ the rest of the sold out ‘mainstream’ political whores would block his every move,” he said.
And, Suhayda pointed out, he doubted Trump’s sincerity.
“I seriously doubt if he even believes all what he says, but its nice to have someone like him saying it,” he said in an email.
Suhayda also pointed BuzzFeed News to past American Nazi Party reports where he had mentioned Trump. In one September report, the Nazi wrote that Trump’s statements showed the Nazi viewpoint wasn’t as unpopular as portrayed by the media.
“We have a wonderful OPPORTUNITY here folks, that may never come again, at the RIGHT time,” he wrote. “Donald Trump’s campaign statements, if nothing else, have SHOWN that ‘our views’ are NOT so ‘unpopular’ as the Political Correctness crowd have told everyone they are!”
“But, and here’s the kicker - so WHAT do we DO - sit back and heartily congratulate ourselves that our viewpoints are NOT the pariahs that we have been told that they are, and get all warm and fuzzy feeling,” he continued. “OR, do we FINALLY get SERIOUS about what we are supposed to be engaged in?”
Yes, exactly: There is absolutely no way that Donald Trump would obtain congressional approval for his outrageous plans, from building a huuuuge wall to Mexico, deporting 11 million illegal immigrants, banning Muslims from entering the USA to starting an even huuuuger new US torture program. The only way, as US Nazi-party leader Rocky Suhayda says, would be to implement these plans be via presidential decrees. I believe that this is exactly what Donald Trump would do. I am not sure, however, if the mainstream in the USA has realized this. Just because it hasn't been done for doesn't say that it cannot be done. Donald Trump would simply say that he has been elected to bring these plans to life, and he would try to bully everyone else into submission.
This article is really important, as it totally destroys the myth that Trump's campaign was spontaneous and improvised. In fact, the campaign was planned for years, and Trump knows exactly what he needs to do in order to catch the attention of the media and of the right-wing audience:
What they heard as they ate deli sandwiches around Donald Trump’s hulking wooden conference table sounded like the businessman’s typical bravado. These 25 New York political operatives had come to ask him to run for governor. But Trump had another plan—a very specific plan—to run for president.
“You guys are going to be very helpful when I do the big thing,” he said, according to people who were in the room that day.
To the GOP county chairs and assemblymen there in Trump Tower’s glass-enclosed conference room overlooking Fifth Avenue and Central Park, Trump’s aspirations seemed far-fetched and the plan itself sounded downright implausible.
“He said, ‘I’m going to walk away with it and win it outright,’” a long-time New York political consultant recalled. “Trump told us, ‘I’m going to get in and all the polls are going to go crazy. I’m going to suck all the oxygen out of the room. I know how to work the media in a way that they will never take the lights off of me.’”
This gathering of New York’s political class was not held on the eve of Trump’s announcement. It was much earlier than that – 25 months ago, in the weeks before Christmas of 2013, a period well before most Americans and even many politicians were thinking about the 2016 presidential contest. Well before Trump would come to utterly dominate the GOP race from the very moment he declared himself a candidate.
In this meeting, Trump showed his cards, laying out the route he would take to tonight’s Iowa caucuses.
Notoriously frugal, Trump insisted he wouldn’t need to spend much money on paid advertising, drawing disbelief from the professionals gathered around his table.
“You can’t run for president on earned media,” one attendee recalled telling Trump.
The billionaire looked up, and paused for a long moment. “I think you’re wrong,” Trump said.
“Are you going to do all those little events at the Pizza Ranches?” another person asked, referring to the Iowa fast-food franchises that are a staple of presidential campaign stops.
“Maybe a little,” Trump replied. “But it’s really about the power of the mass audience.”
Yes, "the power of the mass audience." We already covered this above.
Donald Trump is serious, and fortunately, people are starting to wake up. It is quite easy to abuse a democratic system, if you are really serious about it. People will fall for your lies and your BS, if you only repeat it often enough. Find lots of enemies to blame for the troubles of the nation. Make your fans believe that you are the saviour of the nation.
Marco Rubio is happily shaking hands with President Obama - or is he?
By Patrick
Yes, finally a post about Ted Cruz again! We have missed him dearly, right? The 2016 campaign has largely been a Trump-show so far, but we shouldn't forget the that Ted Cruz is also part of the game. Some people even think that Ted Cruz is more dangerous than Donald Trump. I personally do not agree with this view, as a Trump-presidency would cause complete political and economic chaos worldwide, however, it is obvious to me that the habitual liar and religious extremist Ted Cruz is dangerous as well. However, he is dangerous in a slightly different way in my opinion.
But what I would like to talk about in this post is a photoshopped picture which brilliantly symbolizes the ugly face of Ted Cruz and his campaign. On the photo at the top of this post, Marco Rubio is shaking hands with Barack "The Antichrist" Obama, and Marco has a happy smile on his face, just like a little child. He clearly is in cahoots with the enemy, isn't he, the treacherous Marco Rubio, a friend of the Democrats and a part of the despicable Washington establishment! Who would vote for such a dishonest creature? Boooooo, Marco!
There is only one problem: The photo used by Ted Cruz's campaign is fake. It is a photoshopped "stock photo", but Ted Cruz had of course no hesitation to use it extensively. And, in order to put the cherry on top, the Cruz campaign then lied about the fact that it was a photoshopped picture. Thankfully, we have the internet to quickly expose such tricks.
In detail:
Here is a slightly larger version of this picture:
And here is the "stock photo" which it is based upon - the Cruz campaign simply photoshopped Marco Rubio's and President Obama's heads on this photo:
The people from the Cruz campaign might change their story later, but seriously, these people are obviously in a real competition with Donald Trump's campaign for "Huuuuugest liars of the universe."
We keep our fingers crossed that the American voters will keep these people far, far away from the White House! :-)
Yes, we are lucky, are we not. More free entertainment tonight by the people who want to fundamentally change America, the Republican candidates for President. It's a shrinking field, but there surely will be no lack of excitement tonight with Donald, Ted, Marco and the rest of the crazy bunch. The winner then only needs to be elected by the voters in the general election and can then proceed to start many more wars and do other fun things. Watch for the zingers, the feuds and the gaffes. The show must go on! The debate will start tonight at 09.00 ET, and the CBS live stream can be found here (the program already started there with pre-debate reports).
Leave your impressions in the comments, as usual! Kathleen and I probably won't be watching, but this should not stop you from watching the carnage and have some strong drinks as well.
Today, I have got three very good pieces for you, and it is still all about the man about continues to poison the hearts and minds of far too many Americans, Donald Trump.
Yes, this man is still relevant, because if he succeeds, which is still possible, then the USA will truly become a different country. Also, he is already changing the political landscape, as he proves that authoritarian politicians can have success in the USA, if they only push hard enough.
First, there is the German magazine "Der Spiegel." It is the most important news magazine in Germany, founded in 1947. The magazine has become famous in Germany for brutally honest reporting especially about politicians. Now Donald Trump receives the "Spiegel treatment", and the cover story from last week really was in finest journalistic tradition of this truly invaluable magazine.
On the cover the Spiegel calls Trump "America's rabble rouser Donald Trump", and the article itself pulls no punches and is very informational at the same time - excerpts:
Former Obama campaign manager David Axelrod wrote recently that Trump's success is based on the same principle as the campaign victories of his former boss. In fact, he added, he had explained this recipe for success to Obama himself when he first ran for president: When a president leaves office after eight years, voters tend to prefer a candidate who is as different as possible from the incumbent, in terms of politics, character and habits.
By that logic, Obama the integrator, who fought against discrimination against blacks and gays, would be followed by a President Trump who stirs up hatred against minorities and claims that "political correctness" is the greatest threat to the United States. While Obama sought to explain complex problems, often sounding like an intellectual in the process, studies have shown that Trump speaks at a fourth-grade reading level. Problems, according to Trump, are "totally easy" to solve. And while Obama appealed to the common "we" in his campaign slogan "Yes, we can!" Trump's version reads "Yes, I can!" -- the solution of a strong leader.
Currently, America is running the risk of falling for a self-proclaimed leader with a low opinion of fundamental democratic values. Shortly before the Iowa Caucuses on Monday, all national polls showed Trump as the leading Republican candidate by a wide margin. He is also polling at the top of the Republican field in almost every state in the country. In Iowa itself, with its large religious population, the race could end up being a close contest between Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Christian hardliner.
Trump announced his candidacy just over seven months ago. Since then, much has been written and said about his hairstyle. His plain and sometimes embarrassing statements, his muddled speeches and his incomprehensible narcissism have been a source of amusement. There are lists of the most outrageous statements Trump has made in the past, such as this one about women: "You know, it doesn't really matter what (the media) write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."
But his candidacy ceased to be amusing long ago. Trump's demands are too extreme for that, and his view of the world and humanity too dangerous. And the chances are too great that he will be named as the Republican presidential candidate. Some polls show that Trump even stands a realistic chance of winning the White House in a possible face-off with Hillary Clinton. The combination of his views and the possibility that he could soon hold the planet's most powerful office make him the most dangerous man in the world at the moment.
For a long time, neither Republican Party officials nor the media recognized the true dimensions of the movement that Trump was forming. They continued to poke fun at him, even as he was creating a revolutionary mood on the right margin of society. Now it could be too late, and Trump could be the one getting the last laugh.
Like it or not, it is time to take Donald John Trump seriously. So what can be said about the character of this man who is determined to capture the White House? And what could America and the rest of the world expect if he truly became the 45th president of the United States?
It's no accident that Trump expresses great admiration for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, who seems to impress him far more than politicians seeking to champion the values of democracy with their painstaking and often vain search for compromises.
"He is a nicer person than I am," Trump said of the Russian president. "In terms of leadership, he's getting an A." The reason, according to Trump, is that Putin is "making mincemeat out of our president."
Putin returned the compliment in December, when he said: "He's a really brilliant and talented person, without any doubt. He is the absolute front-runner in the presidential race." Trump, who judges people purely by whether or not they praise him, promptly shot back: "When people call you brilliant, it's always good, especially when the person heads up Russia."
While politicians like Le Pen and Orbán inveigh against "Brussels," Trump rails against "Washington" as the symbol of a degenerate political system "that doesn't get things done anymore." Just like his European counterparts, Trump is calling for isolation in the form of protective tariffs, entry bans and border walls. He inflames tensions against ethnic minorities and offers anxious citizens the authoritarian vision of a strongman who will solve all problems on his own -- while ignoring democratic conventions. Trump is presumably only the shrillest and most prominent embodiment of a trend that is becoming pervasive throughout the Western world.
Packer sees the 2008 financial crisis, which caused parts of the US economy to unravel and deprived millions of Americans of their economic foundation, as the main reason many Americans are receptive to a man like Trump. The economy has been growing again since then, but in absurdly unfair ways, says Packer, as inequality becomes more and more glaring. According to Packer, many Americans feel they have been left alone with their concerns, and they feel disconnected and betrayed.
The current primary race underscores how much this frustration has already changed the country. It has enabled Bernie Sanders, an extreme leftist by American standards, to become a serious threat to Hillary Clinton. And it is preparing the ground for Trump's campaign against all the elites, even though Trump himself has spent his entire life as a member of the country's economic elite.
Many Americans, especially whites and those with relatively little education, are now more receptive than ever to audacious promises and simplistic solutions. But they are also receptive to a form of politics that blames immigrants and minorities for their own fate, and for the race-baiting that has been part of every authoritarian movement to date. Trump offers all of these things, and he offers them more skillfully, professionally and self-confidently than all other candidates.
During an appearance two weeks at a Toyota dealership in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a young woman in the crowd said she had two questions for Trump. The first one was about the college financing system. Trump's reply contained the word "college," at any rate. This was her second question: "Can I take a selfie with you?" The owner of the dealership felt that the question was inappropriate and quickly said that perhaps she could do it later. But Trump was already saying "Of course! Of course!" and waved the woman onto the stage.
His biographer talks about the dark sides of Trump's self-absorption. "Trump lacks any self-irony, any form of critical self-perception." The entire family is like that, he explains. When he tried to joke with Trump's children about their father's penchant for gold and glitter in his buildings, none of them understood what he was getting at. "They don't notice when something is ridiculous," says D'Antonio. "This is the most telling characteristic of the entire Trump clan: the persistent denial of reflection."
But what worried him the most, says D'Antonio, is Trump's belief that he is genetically superior to most people in the world. In all of their conversations, he notes, Trump kept returning to the notion that by virtue of his birth, he is simply better than other people in many areas -- from playing golf to being a businessman. "I'm a big believer in natural ability," Trump said.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., shares his father's conviction. He said he was a firm believer in the concept of breeding, in "race-horse theory." Then he pointed at the ceiling with his finger, in the direction of his father's office. "He's an incredibly accomplished guy, my mother's incredibly accomplished, she's an Olympian, so I'd like to believe genetically I'm predisposed to (be) better than average."
Apparently this sort of belief also helps Trump portray himself to voters as a strong man, as the person who will save the country.
It makes sense that Trump doesn't seem to care much about freedom of religion or other cornerstones of democracy. In his rhetoric, he could hardly be more contemptuous of the Congress in Washington. Freedom of the press also seems to annoy him. And before every event, he has his announcer point out that he respects free speech "almost as much" as the right to bear arms.
On some evenings, Trump even has potential audience members questioned about their views. Before his appearance in Burlington, Vermont, a security official dressed in black stood in the lobby and asked every visitor: "Are you a supporter of Mr. Trump?" Those who said no or were undecided were turned away, even if they had tickets to the event. In a democracy, an election campaign is supposed to be an opinion-forming process. But in Trump's case, people are either for him or they are thrown out.
Trump uses the term "the lying press," now famous in Germany, in many of his appearances. "The journalists are miserable people," he says to his supporters, pointing to the corner where the cameras are. At his events, journalists are herded together into a fenced area, under the watchful eyes of zealous guards. The biggest paradox of this campaign is that Trump, while sharply berating the media, is the one who benefits the most from the coverage it provides him. The major TV networks devote more airtime to him to Trump than to all his rivals combined. He is the only Republican candidate who provides the networks with the ratings they crave, and yet he is also the one who mocks them for that very mechanism.
His last-minute refusal to participate in a televised debate hosted by the right-wing Fox News network last week, because he felt unfairly treated by Megyn Kelly, one of the moderators, is not only a first in the history of American election campaigns. It is also the latest climax in the game Trump is playing with the media.
But many democrats aren't panicking yet. They're betting on Clinton's campaign coming around and gaining momentum once she secures the nomination. At the same time, they are anxious that this could become the dirtiest duel in the history of American presidential campaigns.
If it does, Roger Stone will be the man to blame. The unscrupulousness that has come to define Trump's campaign is largely Stone's doing. He learned the tricks of the trade from Richard Nixon in the 1970s, and later helped Ronald Reagan get into the White House. By the end of the 1980s, Stone was already trying to convince his friend Trump to run for president. Almost everything Trump knows about politics and power, he learned from Stone -- including the art of manipulation. Stone is considered a master of defamatory rumors.
Stone also helped Trump lay the foundations for his campaign last spring. Then in summer, he was abruptly fired. Trump's people cited a disagreement between the two, but observers now believe the split could have been staged, a trick.
"I remain an unabashed Trump supporter and Trump enthusiast," Stone said when reached on the phone last autumn. "I just finally made a decision that I could have a greater impact on the outside. Trump is still a very close friend." As before, the two talk regularly and Stone obviously gives Trump important advice. And just like old times, Stone spends nearly every evening on TV touting Trump and his "movement."
Since he is no longer an official member of Trump's campaign team, Stone has the freedom to be even more ruthless in his derision of Trump's opponents, without the risk of the mud-slinging coming back to haunt the candidate. Trump biographer D'Antonio describes Stone as "pure evil." He is a "deeply disgusting person," someone who doesn't understand anything but "brute force."
The second piece is from the UK, a documentary created by one of the main TV-stations in Britain, Channel 4, called "The Mad World of Donald Trump." It is truly excellent, and also provides deep insights into his "base", the confused and manipulated part of the US population.
Finally, many thanks to our friend Nomad for finding this amazing, "must-listen" report about conservative, Christian talk show host Tony Beam who is thoroughly disgusted when he suddenly finds out the a large part of his listeners support Donald Trump. I have hardly seen another report which hits so "close to home" - CLICK TO LISTEN.
When I said above that Donald Trump already changed the political landscape in the USA, this is exactly what I am talking about, and this talk show host finds it out the hard way. +++ Have a nice weekend, everybody!
The music still keeps on playing on the Trumptanic,
and there will be no room for Sarah Palin on the last lifeboat
By Patrick
We have long waited for this post, but good things eventually come to those who wait!
Sarah Palin, Alaska's worst export ever, continues to support Donald Trump, New York's worst export ever.
Then, being the fanatic Trump Trooper she has become, Sarah starts slamming Ted Cruz and his campaign as liars.
In a new facebook post published today, Sarah goes after Ted Cruz - accusing him of "lies", "dirty tricks" and - worst insult ever in her book - she compares him to President Obama. Booooom!!! Sarah has spoken.
But this post as well has her support for Donald Trump has some unintended consequences, because booooom there also goes her support from the conservative base! In an epic display of mass rage and anger, about 80-90% of the comments on her own facebook post are negative towards her, and lots of of former fans voice her disappointment with the "sell-out" Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin is burning all her bridges with her support for Donald Trump, and her criticism of Ted Cruz. When Trump's campaign is over and the Trumptanic has inevitably hit the bottom of the sea, there will be nothing left for her. She might even be forced to take a real job again, LOL! No, not really, she is a multi-millionaire, and she will be fine financially. But the adulation of her fans will be a thing of the past, which definitely will hit Sarah hard, being a world-famous narcissist.
Here is Sarah's facebook post, and some random comments under the post. There are hundreds of similar comments, and I have never seen anything like this before. The usual 80-90% agreement with Sarah has turned into the complete opposite, and there is no doubt in my mind that the game is finally over for her.
You may have heard that last week, rather than participate in the #GOP Debate, Donald Trump took his toys and went home encouraged supporters to contribute to a charity website (paid for by his political organization? Hmm…) to support Veteran’s groups. Why didn’t he appear at the debate? Well, Donald Trump had a sad, and ended up doing a #DonaldDucks of the event. Can you imagine? The #ShortFingeredVulgarian’s fee-fee’s got hurt real bad when FOX News honchos (any of ‘em, all of ‘em) just wouldn’t make that bloody “coming out of her wherever” Megyn Kelly go away for the debate! Trump wanted her to sit down and shut up. What nerve of FOX News, to stand up to him!
Josh Schoenblatt (red T-shirt) on stage in Davenport, Iowa on January 30, 2016 with two unidentified persons and “Service Dogs” accepts ceremonial check from Donald Trump.
The $100K check was the first presented of the night andthe first of an implied “more to come” from Donald Trump. Or is it from the Donald J. Trump Foundation? Well, the check is from the Donald J. Trump Foundation. However, Donald Trump, the GOP Presidential candidate prompted those donations. Hmm… I can see 50 Shades Of An IRS Audit from my front porch. And why not, when the “Service Dog” organization’s Founder has seen the inside of Iowa’s Newton Prison Program? And no, Becky – you don’t get to call it “rehab” with all your associates – call it what it was: PRISON.
So – it’s a fair question: Why did Trump select the Puppy Jake Foundation as the first organization to receive funds? In order to understand where I’m going, you have to know where I’m coming from, and you can read more about Becky Beach's criminal convictions here ( ←required reading). It helps to have lots of friends, connections, and acquaintances… and to be a former half-baked, 100% flake Alaskan half-term Governor’s BFF of 5 years. How could Trump have not done Due Diligence? Google is everyone’s friend. A simple background check would have shown that Becky, despite being a political mucky-muck, is no stranger to a prison cell. Strangely, not many people know that. Find details here at that Politicalgates article.
OK, so now you’re sort of up to speed; you know that Becky Beach is well-known in Republican political circles, and a formidable fund-raiser. She can also get into your face (at 3:39) when questioned about anything to do with past fundraising events. She’s feisty, and she’s savvy. This makes her comment regarding Trump’s donation all the more curious; it’s pretty damn hard to separate Becky, dog handler & Becky of formidable political clout:
The Iowa website "Random Lengths News" explained in October 2014 in detailthe fact that Beach has been a Republican political operative for decades… and that she has "very close ties" to Sarah Palin and #SarahPAC. Its very clear: while Beach holds no elected office, she enjoys tremendous political power within the Republican Party and has many decades-long partisan connections. Did Beach’s organization receive preferential treatment from Donald Trump because of what they do – or because of who she is? Given Beach’s background, could one reasonably believe political agreement with Donald Trump, and presume or imply quiet promotion of him to the reticent RNC - while her Foundation benefit$? $100K can adjust many people’s attitudes… and Trump is a master schmoozer, a deal-maker. He delivered a check – what can Beach deliver for Trump? Isn’t this exactly what campaign activity looks like? Will Beach put in a good word for Trump with Karl Rove and The Powers That Be? Will the IRS wake up and notice?
These are reasonable questions, because obviously, Donald Trump doesn’t know all the facts. Or does he? Would he have made that donation to the Puppy Jake Foundation if he’d know the following…?
Did Donald Trump know that 5 year old “Jack O’ Lantern” Jack - the dog seen in nearly all promotional materials as “Puppy Jake” - and perpetually at Beach’s side was not initially owned by the organization known as Puppy Jake Foundation? He was owned by Paws & Effect, another local Service Dog training center. Jack / Jake lived with Beach, long before Beach started The Puppy Jake Foundation. Note in the photos below – Jake is wearing a Paws & Effect Service Dog Vest.
The
dog now known as Puppy Jake was trained through and owned by the Iowa
Service Dog training organization Paws & Effect. He was born and was
raised in 2010 by Iron Hill Retrievers
Did Donald Trump know that “Jack O’Lantern” Jack, aka Puppy Jake was removed from the Paws & Effect training program following an incident in February 2012, when Jake bit General Timothy Orr of the Iowa Army National Guard? That Jake is essentially a pet, being used as a fundraising gimmick, and that as a dog with previous bite history he is unsuited to any type of service dog duty?
Did Donald Trump know that Becky Beach was released from the service of Paws & Effect under strained circumstances because Beach simply could not keep dog training and its fundraising efforts separate from her political fundraising – which could lead to the very real possibility of losing IRS non-profit status for a 501(c)3 organization? Did Donald Trump know that Becky Beach and the Board President of the Puppy Jake Foundation , Republican operative Jeff Lamberti, came under intense media scrutiny following extremely dubious financial dealings with the "Pacific Battleship Center", another 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which is run by Becky Beach and Jeff Lamberti?
Did Donald Trump know that Assistance Dogs International is the “Gold Standard” for The Veterans Administration for accredited Veteran Service Dog organizations, and that The Puppy Jake Foundation is NOT ACCREDITED by the ADI?
Did Donald Trump know that Becky Beach, Founder of The Puppy Jake Foundation in 2013, only last year began Dog Training Education Classes and was finally Certified as a Dog Trainer in early 2015? And that it happened only AFTER the Palin scandal broke in the media? (Trig Palin was photographed by Sarah Palin standing on his Puppy Jake Foundation “Service Dog’s” spine; a public outcry ensued, but Becky Beach never made a comment regarding the situation regarding Palin's dog). Beach has been in business, claiming to be training service dogs and collecting money for it for several years with out a certificate. So – if Beach had no formal training - what Standards were used to train and evaluate her “Veteran’s Service Dogs” prior to that date?
A few months after gaining her certificate and just 2 weeks after the arrest of one of the owners of Canine Craze, trainers of The Puppy Jake Foundation’s dogs, Becky Beach filed paperwork with the Iowa Secretary of State to open her very own dog training organization – It’s A Dog Thing. Seems she’s going to do it all herself!
It's obvious that Mr. Trump didn't do his due diligence regarding the Puppy Jake Foundation, or he would never have picked it as a recipient. It would seem that his donation has more to do with the world of politics than veterans. That he is more interested in raising his profile through giving lip service to veteran causes rather than seeing that the money collected goes to genuine veteran organisations.
So
why Mr. Trump, is Beach still accepting donations for The Puppy Jake
Foundation? And why are you going to give her more, when its clear –
she’s a utter fraud?
