monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Lindsey Graham ✔ @LindseyGrahamSC
Russia is trying to break the backs of democracies – and democratic movements – all over the world.

Missing trope alert! Missing trope alert!

One of the most commonplace tropes in right wing US rhetoric over the years has been - "Chamberlain! Appeasement!" This was always wielded from the right and directed at leaders on the left as a device to solidify the notions that Republicans were real tough and manly re foreign threats while Dems were soft and feminine, that Republicans had the spine and grit to stand up to enemies while Dems could be counted on only to back down, plead and toss delicate diplomatic doilies about the room.

This has been an observable commonplace for decades, the most recent example was "the Obama apology tour" which was featured broadly and repeatedly across right wing media and in speeches by GOP politicos. Conversely, you have Bush in a flight suit on a carrier deck (in that most blatant of Leni Riefenstahl style propaganda presentations).

Now, consider Trump and Putin's Russia. What complaints have we seen from the right on this one? But notice this is merely an indictment of Russia. There's no component where Trump is described as an appeaser, as for acting like Chamberlain.

Trump's Budget Director Pick Spoke at a John Birch Society Event
The group, best known for anti-communist paranoia, now embraces conspiracy theories about Obamacare and the United Nations.

...Update 3:45 p.m.: Mother Jones obtained audio of Mulvaney's speech to the John Birch Society chapter. In the speech, Mulvaney blasted the Federal Reserve, saying its actions have "effectively devalued the dollar" and "choke[d] off economic growth." He praised bitcoin as a currency that is "not manipulatable by any government." He told his audience, "You all put out some really good stuff and it's always interesting." He said he was "looking forward to reading The Shadows of Power," a 1988 book by James Perloff with the subtitle "The Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline." The book advances conspiracy theories about the New York-based think tank, alleging that it advocates "the creation of a world government." After referring to this book, he told the crowd, "Keep doing it."

Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas.5 Their number is negligible and they are stupid.

georgeob1 wrote:

His commentary, posted here by Blatham, presumes insights into Trump's mode of thinking

My impression of Trump's selections

pretty much even for value eh

I suspect that distrust comes from what is obviously his profound intellectual insecurity — no actual smart person goes around saying things like “I’m, like, a smart person” and “Let me tell you, I’m a really smart guy” and “I have a very good brain” and “Look, if I were a liberal Democrat, people would say I’m the super genius of all time” and “Look, I went to the best school, I was a good student and all of this stuff. I mean, I’m a smart person,” unless they have some serious issues.

But for whatever reason, Trump is positively contemptuous of those with expertise, as we saw over and over during the campaign. Trump would assure us that “I know more about ISIS than the generals do,” or “I know more about renewables than any human being on earth” or “I think nobody knows more about taxes than I do, maybe in the history of the world.” These are things he actually said and seems to believe.

Alex Jones Warns Trump That The CIA Is Trying To “Assassinate” The President-Elect
Jones Previously Said The CIA Was Involved In 9/11 And The Oklahoma City And Boston Marathon Bombings

I read an insightful remark a few days ago (don't remember from whom) to the effect that the liberal media are reading Trump literally while missing and ignoring his real meaning;

"The Embassy of Kuwait allegedly cancelled a contract with a Washington, D.C. hotel days after the presidential election, citing political pressure to hold its National Day celebration at the Trump International Hotel instead.
A source tells ThinkProgress that the Kuwaiti embassy, which has regularly held the event at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, abruptly canceled its reservation after members of the Trump Organization pressured the ambassador to hold the event at the hotel owned by the president-elect. The source, who has direct knowledge of the arrangements between the hotels and the embassy, spoke to ThinkProgress on the condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak publicly. ThinkProgress was also able to review documentary evidence confirming the source’s account.

I think that is a sign that the last couple of generations have failed to teach and learn critical thinking skills.

So now lies are accepted on A2K, corrections are downvoted?

journalists could find themselves prosecuted for the crime of reporting the news