Thursday, April 27, 2017

Staying Focused (UPDATED)



A "firehose" of distractions and inept attempts at multiple "policy" initiatives have been the hallmark of the first 100 days of the regime of neo- fascist dangerous incompetent Donald "Rump" Trump. When he's not tweeting inane comments about "wire tapping" or judicial reviews of his authoritarian dictums, he's desperately trying to give the impression his regime is achieving its goals when, in fact, it's a befuddled sh*t show.

In that context, E.J. Dionne, Jr., puts his finger on the "greatest single achievement" of Rump's first 100 days:
In the outpouring of commentary on President Trump’s first 100 days in office, his greatest single achievement is almost never mentioned, which is itself a sign of what a major triumph it is: We are not talking much about whether Russia colluded with Trump’s campaign to help elect him. 
... Given the substantive emptiness of Trump’s presidency so far, his greatest achievement is that he is still standing there, making pronouncements as if he means them and moving noisily but without any clear plan from one thing to the next. Every day he can postpone his reckoning with Russia is a victory.
With his one- page Trickle Down Tax "Reform" "plan" that even economists of Rump's party are calling a "magic unicorn" proposal built "on a fairy tale," the temporary revival of an even more draconian "Trumpcare" proposal, and crumbling positions on NAFTA and funding a border wall taking up so much news media oxygen, Rump's reckoning on his Russia ties is being delayed, as Dionne notes. But it's such a profoundly sinister story that -- with the intelligence community engaged (and leaking) and the likes of Sen. McCain promising "more shoes to drop" --  the reckoning will come as long as there is a continuing focus amidst the noise and clutter.

UPDATE:  "Nevertheless She he persisted!"
Newly released documents reveal that the Department of Defense warned former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn against taking money from foreign governments — but nevertheless, he persisted. 
CNN reports that the new documents show Flynn was warned by the Defense Intelligence Agency to not accept cash from foreign governments in 2014 as he entered retirement. Flynn nonetheless took money from both the Russian and Turkish governments for paid speeches and for lobbying work, respectively. 
“These documents raise grave questions about why General Flynn concealed the payments he received from foreign sources after he was warned explicitly by the Pentagon,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who released the documents on Thursday. 
 Lock him up! Lock him up!

(Image: via Wonkette)

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