Friday Reads: Rearranging the Deck Chairs in Das Führerbunker
Posted: August 19, 2016 Filed under: 2016 elections, Afternoon Reads, Andrew Breitbart | Tags: Donald Trump, Katrina Pierson, Kellyanne Conway, Paul Manafort, Stephen Bannon 51 CommentsGood Afternoon and Welcome to Day 32 of America Held Hostage by the RNC!
When is an apology not an apology?
When the campaign mommy makes you do it and you can’t even bring yourself to mention all the folks you trashed,hurt, bullied and sicced the League of Angry White men on like reporters, women, and helpless children who just want their families to stay together, etc. This blatant, pandering play for the votes of suburban white women comes from the same Kellyanne Conway that tries to stop Republicans saying dumb things about women’s bodies and specifically rape and abortion. This woman makes Phyllis Schafly and Cersei Lannister look like your average fairy godmother. Snakes would be embarrassed to compare their tongues with hers. They would definitely come up very short and straight.
Conway spent time on Hardball last evening patiently explaining how women were the real victims of abortion service providers and it was a matter of time before the wonderful people in the forced birth movement would get Donald to use the right code words. That’s what it’s all about now. She also wants to unleash the inner Trump again but oddly enough it includes teleprompter speeches that appear to be written by Stephen Bannon and edited for woman appeal by Cersei Conway.
They’ve gone full throttle Breithbart while trying to fake it at rallies with teleprompter speeches to get educated white people and white women in the suburbans to ignore the Stormfront material and realize that Donald is just being Donald and just doesn’t select his words quite right since he’s not a real politician. She followed the ever-delusional Katrina Pierson in the increasingly-disgusting MSNBC guest schedule yesterday. Pierson diagnosed Hillary Clinton with Dysphasia on MTP Daily. Too bad the Doctor diagnosing the Donald can’t do another weird diagnosis and the fake one they tried earlier didn’t pass muster. Meanwhile, Pierson–who actually works for Kellyanne now–spewed this weirdness yesterday.
The Trump spokeswoman was at it yet again, telling MSNBC’s Kristin Welker that Clinton is suffering from a rare brain disorder known as dysphasia.
In the MSNBC interview, after she tried to blame Michael Cohen’s #SaysWho exchange on technical difficulties, Pierson decided to diagnose the former Secretary of State with a rare brain disorder. Basing everything on fake reports from4chan,
In a later interview, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza remarked that the Pierson segment “was among the five most remarkable” Pierson interviews he’s seen, acknowledging that while she’s known to say crazy shit all the time, this was truly off the deep end. He also stated that the hit showed that there would be no pivot, other than the Trump campaign is going to triple down on crazy.
Just to recap Katrina Pierson’s last week or so:
— says President Obama started the War in Afghanistan
— states that liberal reporters are “literally” beating up Trump supporters
— denies that there was a campaign shakeup after Trump placed two new people into leadership roles
— diagnoses Clinton with brain damage
Less than 90 days left of this folks. I think we can make it. I hope so.
Kellyanne–when asked by Tweety if this tact wasn’t a bit ratfuckerish–explained that she wasn’t a doctor and wanted Trump to stick to the issues. If that’s
the case, why don’t we see Katrina Pierson’s real unemployment check today? Believe me, just watch an interview with this woman and you’ll realize what a twisted sister she really is. Actually, either of them–but especially Kellyanne –can spin a tale that sounds somewhat plausible if you’re into wicked twisted stepsisters.
Let’s sum up the possible folks who really deserve a specific apology instead of a generic mea cupa event meant to endear the press and confuse white women.
https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/766676858498932736
The press seems to have a short memory but he’s really relying on key white voting constituencies to have even shorter memories. Will this really make them feel okay voting for this small-fingered vulgarian?
Three and a half months after sealing the Republican nomination, Donald Trump pivoted to contest the general election on Thursday night, expressing regret for his past failures to “choose the right words” and delivering one of the most comprehensive, on-message rationales for his candidacy to date.
Speaking from prepared remarks on the heels of another staffing shakeup, Trump positioned himself as the champion of voiceless Americans against a corrupt and incompetent elite and the leader of an inclusive movement who repeatedly condemned “bigotry.”
His address, delivered at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, presented the sort of message Republican leaders have been waiting months to hear. But with 82 days left until the election and early voting only weeks away, even a flawless sprint to the finish line may be too little too late for Trump to salvage his flailing campaign.
Early in his remarks, the New York businessman nodded at the months he has squandered, acknowledging that his own mouth had hindered his candidacy. “Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues you don’t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that,” Trump said to laughter and cheers from his supporters.
“And believe it or not I regret it. And I do regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake is for us to be consumed by these issues, but one thing I can promise you is this. I will always tell you the truth,” said Trump, who did not specify which words he regrets saying.
The press is probably more gullible than Walmart or Security moms.
Meanwhile, Paul Manafort has quit and will undoubtedly be facing a number of FBI inquiries. Bye Bye now!!! Out the moondoor with you!!
Trump campaign chairman and chief strategist Paul Manafort resigned on Friday, following a staff shake-up this week that reduced his role in the campaign.
GOP nominee Donald Trump confirmed the resignation in a statement: “This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign. I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success.”
Meanwhile, lurking at the edge of darkness remains Stephen Bannon who put the Go in Goebbels. Every one’s hair continues to go on fire about this dude including people that have worked for him as BB indicated yesterday.
A former Breitbart News spokesman slammed Donald Trump’s new campaign chief executive, Stephen Bannon, for allegedly using racistrhetoric during editorial meetings at Breitbart that he said sounded “like a white supremacist rally,” while a Trump ally calls the new CEO a positive addition to the team. Both men joined this week’s episode of ABC News’ Powerhouse Politics podcast.
Kurt Bardella, who worked with Bannon at Breitbart for two years, says the former Breitbart News chairman regularly disparaged minorities, women, and immigrants during daily editorial calls at the publication.
ABC News reached out to Bannon for comment but did not receive a response.
“If anyone sat there and listened to that call, you’d think that you were attending a white supremacist rally,” said Bardella, citing what he called Bannon’s “nationalism and hatred for immigrants, people coming into this country to try to get a better life for themselves.”
“This is someone who has a very low moral compass,” he said of Bannon, “and the idea that this is the type of person that Donald Trump, as the Republican nominee, as president, would have closest to him is very disturbing.”
Bardella joined this week’s episode of “Powerhouse Politics” podcastwith ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and ABC News Deputy Political Director Shushannah Walshe to discuss the recent shakeup in the Trump campaign.
“I think it’s incredibly concerning and dangerous actually to have someone have this kind of influence with the person who is running for president of the United States, who would be a top adviser if he were to win the election,” he cautioned.
Bardella quit Breitbart in March in protest over how he believes the news organization handled allegations by then-reporter Michelle Fieldsthat she was manhandled by Trump’s campaign manager at the time,Corey Lewandowski. Police charges filed against Lewandowski in the case were later dropped. Bardella said he believes the Breitbart News organization did not defend Fields over the incident.
Who would ever thought that we’d have an Epic Cartoon Villain and his team against Hillary Clinton this time out?
Donald Trump
Is the Lex Luthor of our time
When, exactly, did Donald Trump cross over—going from rank assholery into real-deal, can’t-not-watch, like-chugging-spoiled-milk super-villainevil? If we had to place it, it started after he called the good people of Mexico rapists, but definitely before he called for a ban on all Muslims. Because what’s so delightful about Trump’s villainy is how lazy it is—how drowsily he shifted from hollering about his BEST AND CLASSIEST campaign to pure, raw racism and misogyny. Maybe Donald Trump hates women, and Muslims, and our socialist Kenyan president. (Okay, he definitely does.) But the super-villain-y part is that he didn’treeeally hate them until it was politically expedient.
Trump is truly the villain we deserve in 2016—and not because he wants to take over the world. It’s because he’s after something far, far scarier: applause. — Sam Schube
Stay tuned. It’s likely to get much worse.
As an example, check out the new Trump ad.
Last night, Donald Trump delivered a speech in which he spoke in soothing tones about the need to unify the country and expressed “regret” about any remarks that have caused “personal pain,” though he didn’t specify which particular remarks he regrets. This led some commentators to suggest that another “pivot” is underway.
This morning, Trump released his first general election ad, an ugly and dishonest production which shows he isn’t changing a thing.
In fact, the new ad is filled with precisely the same sort of dark, dystopian themes and content — and even some of the same sort of grainy, dark footage depicting illegal immigrants as invaders — that marked one of the first ads he ran during the GOP primaries.
Meh, more of the same!
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Hey, Happy 71st Birthday to Bill Clinton!! First dude -to-be.
Hope they can get a nice night out on the town somewhere to celebrate!! Or home with the grandkids!
Happy Birthday Clinton, you deserve to have some time off, and celebrate with family.
Actually, it’s his 70th (born in 1946).
Roz in NJ/NYC
Great post.
I can’t believe that people who claim to be “journalists” are praising Trump’s last two speeches. And how many times has Hillary specifically apologized for using a private email server? I’d guess it’s in the thousands, but it’s never enough. Trump makes some vague statement that he regrets some of his words, and he’s suddenly “presidential.”
I just stuck a Plum Line Tweet up to that effect.
Nothing about Trump is presidential. The media are locked into their horse-race template and have no sense of proportion. Screw ’em.
Ayup
For sure BB.
Media Bar For Trump Speeches:
“He only sh!t his pants a little that time! I think he has turned the corner!”
“That smell? Oh, that’s a pivot.”
Lol
Outstanding post, Dak!
Eva Braun, lol.
Now that he’s gone full Breithbart, the NAZI references are completely in order.
When the nationalist theme persisted, along with the hyper-violence at rallies, which Trump strongly supported, “fascism” immediately jumped into my mind. The cartoons of Trump with crown and regal attire seem apt in predicting his anti-democratic nature, (hell, we’ve fought that revolution two centuries ago). He called for more police in these troubled racial communities like that would be the first item on blacks’ want list, more racist cops.
More Americans should study the Nazi era and tour a concentration camp, as I did at 20, in order to hear these unimaginable dog whistles, especially when there’s this clueless, idiot, narcissistic nominee with this much popularity.
Actually, “neofascism” is the more accurate description of what Trump speaks about even if he doesn’t know he’s playing with fire, or is joking. Words matter.
I’m wasn’t familiar with the term dysphasia before. Aphasia I’m familiar with. I guess they mean the same thing. How Katrina could thing Hillary suffers from it is beyond me. Maybe Katrina has brain damage.
Dysphasia is impaired or difficult speech production (mechanics of speech) or impaired word ordering (speaking words all out of order — the meaning is not understandable), due to an acquired brain lesion.
Dysphasia sounds similar to dysphagia, which is impaired swallowing.
Aphasia is inability to speak (mechanical) or to understand speech or language, due to acquired cerebral lesion.
The “a-” prefix in a work of Greek origin indicates the absence of whatever the rest of the word means. Ex: aphonia = loss of voice (mechanics of speech) due to injury of larynx rather than brain. “phonia” = voice, sound (Greek).
I work in neuro-rehab, and Hillary Clinton has NO indication of any CNS damage. Snort! Trump, OTOH, does sound like he has mild dysphasia. The disordered words, etc.
I’ve also seen some comments that Bill Clinton has early Parkinson’s when he has none of the signs. Gad, they always have to make up something.
The “Parkinson’s” rumor about Bill may come from his eulogy at Muhammad Ali’s memorial service. He did exhibit noticeable shaking in his hands and I confess I wondered about that myself. I have an Aunt who suffers from Parkinson’s.
I imagine that sort of thing can happen for many innocuous reasons, though.
The entire premise of using someone’s health issues (real or imaginary) to harm them is particularly vile, isn’t it?
Yes, vile indeed.
Benign tremor is relatively common as people age. And common at any age if too much caffeine, or anxiety — not that Bill would have that about public speaking! Unless there’s accompanying muscle rigidity, such a tremor is very unlikely to be Parkinson’s. Bill’s gait looks nothing like a Parkinson’s gait, and he also doesn’t have the mask-like expression.
That’s a comfort to hear! My aunt does have the mask-like expression now that you mention it.
I’m sure I’ll end up shaking like a leaf as much caffeine as I imbibe every day…
Katrina has trouble constructing a sentence and she also has trouble with pronunciation as in ” manyerisms. Maybe a form of dysphasia? Maybe just poorly educated or not very smart.
I noticed her pronunciation of “manyerisms” too. It seems amazing to me that nobody has corrected her on that. She seems like a bright person but that makes her look uneducated.
My mom had dysphasia or aphasia after a stroke. It sounded nothing like either candidate really although I’m sure there are different forms. My mom would speak a sentence normally and feel as if she had said everything perfectly except that the listeners knew that one of the words in her sentence was…off. She would substitute another word for the correct one or another person’s name for the correct one. She was visiting at my house and came down for breakfast and seemed just fine until she said a sentence and one of the words she used made no sense. I asked her to repeat it and she repeated the sentence and used the same totally wrong word again. That’s when I called 911 because I knew she would never have done that normally.
You did the right thing, janicen! What you describe is textbook for dysphasia after a relatively small stroke.
At the time, my daughter was 5 years old. My mom had actually slept in her room with her. When the EMT’s got to the house they wanted to know approximately when my mom might have had the stroke, whether or not it was within the 30 minute window to give that med that they give but I had no idea whether it had happened during the night or if it just happened. My daughter was standing there watching and I asked her if she noticed anything unusual about Grandma when she was up in her room with her and she thought for a moment and said, “Grandma was saying things that were confusing.” So we could tell from that it had been more than 30 minutes since the stroke. I was so proud of my daughter for remaining composed and telling us what we needed to know. My mom eventually got over the aphasia. When she came to a word she was struggling with she would spell it. Somehow that worked until she was able to speak clearly again.
Wow
Many of you know I struggle with grammar, and I try to work on spelling, and sentence structure. I forgot how words are spelled, you know don’t what it’s like to forget names, I know faces, but the names don’t come to me. My right arm was affected by the stroke, and it’s hard to type, and to pick up things, use my hand. So many things, I’ve tried to explain, and wish I felt otherwise, but I am very sensitive at times.
Just to let you know, my doctor said I had the kind of stroke, she wished many of her patients had, that didn’t really help me.
Hey thank you Janicen, and all of you.
Hugs!!!
Oh boy, been there, and couldn’t believe it was really a stroke.
I had no idea you have suffered a stroke, Fannie. I’m so happy that it was mild enough for you to recover but it’s never really mild, is it? It’s something that stays with you even if you fully recover physically. I know my daughter says she is always frightened when she gets even a mild headache wondering if it’s happening to her again.
It is only about trying to hide their true beliefs and intentions sufficiently to get elected. The “apology” was just a ridiculously transparent ruse; except that the media, which I now think is almost as dangerous as the fascist Trump and his fascist and neo-Nazi advisors, fell all over itself to help him get away with it.
Anyone who believes that Trump is a changed person, is either a brainwashed zealot, or beyond stupid. Now from behind this media supported facade, he is going to unleash attacks on Hillary that will be despicable, invented, deranged. The idea that one of Trump’s advisors could be allowed to get on the air and make up a ludicrous diagnosis of Hillary, is all you need to know about the media. It is of a kind with the utter lies the swiftboat group unleashed on John Kerry, which the media also enabled, and which cost him the election. Maybe the constant barrage of “the media is rigging things against me” by Trump, is having its intended effect, as indeed yesterday’s group of guests on MSNBC was completely stacked, and has been so for at least a week.
I am not much of a fan of this “Commander in Chief” forum put together by veterans groups, coming up on September 7. Trump is going to accuse Hillary of starting every war, every intervention; of killing veterans. She is going to be spending the entire time trying to explain complex international policies; while Trump, who is allowed by the media to get away with changing positions at will, and contradicting his own past statements; and who has never held any position where he would have been forced to take an on the record position, gets to punch away. I wasn’t there, and I haven’t read too much about it, because it is simply too awful to even think about it, but I am pretty certain that, with some era-mandated differences in technology, this is how the Nazis took over. We’re already seeing people thrown out of rallies for looking like protesters, and the press being threatened. When Trump and his forces come for the media, who will be left to save them?
The media is searching for ratings and they can’t get out out of their mindset that each side has goods and bads
Yes, and in this case the only good thing on the Trump side is that he’ll lose.
How many Veterans really want Trump as Commander in Chief? He’s the type of captain that ends up catching a loose cannonball hurtling down the deck.
“but I am pretty certain that, with some era-mandated differences in technology, this is how the Nazis took over.”
William, according to my wonderful history survey prof in college several decades ago, Hitler had a unique advantage in having mastered the new propaganda outlet of radio. Worldwide radio was new on the earth at that time, and Hitler was one of the few politicians to recognize its power.
In a far less sinister vein, many have said that Kennedy won his close election in part because his mastery of television put Nixon at a disadvantage.
Now Trump has cable news. Or rather, they have him. Since 1996 or thereabouts, the media have been putting their collective thumb in the scales to tip them in favor of the rich, the male and the white. Because that’s who owns them. It’s a reversal of Hitler: radio was his puppet, Trump is the media’s.
Insightful, and thanks. Yes, I miss the days of studying history and literature in college. One can read on one’s own, of course, but a great professor can distill things for you.
The point about cable is telling, and reinforces my sense that cable news is actually a negative force. I was reading an interesting piece by John Dean about how HIllary never lied or misled anyone about her emails. And yet on an hourly basis, the cable media has been insisting that she did, apparently because they are too obtuse to actually understand their story; or they just are doing it for spite. When people go on and on and repeat and reinforce a false narrative, it is propaganda, it is not news.
Definitely a negative force, propaganda for sure.
Fox has always been out loud and proud in that respect, but the “liberal” channels haven’t been far behind.
I see Trump and Pence was in Louisiana, for a photo opt in their $10,000 suits unloading 2 lbs boxes, one at time! WTH, the governor told him not to do that, but you know Trump.
CNN is getting massive orgasms toi
I actually share today’s birthday with Bill Clinton (I’m exactly 10 years younger!)…
To celebrate for me and Bill – here’s a real short vimeo of a Perseid fireball complete with smoke trail:
(There are also awesome short vids of Arizona monsoon time lapses for any other weather geeks here.)
Happy Birthday!!! And many more!
Excellent post, dak but I really have to take issue with calling Kellyanne Conway, Cersei Lannister. Cersei is an incestuous, murdering, sociopath but to say she is like Kellyanne Conway is really going too far. Kellyanne strikes me as much worse than Cersei. 😀
Happy happy! Cool vid.
Happy Birthday!
I’ve started muting people like Kellyanne Conway and Katrina Pierson because the first one has been an advisor to Republican losers and doesn’t, I feel, have the national woman voters’ pulse, and the latter one is an idiot like the nominee. I hope many Americans have had enough of Trump, as I have, and will close him off as well. He’s way over-exposed himself and his inability to run a presidential campaign. I don’t need anymore of the same.
I do the same thing with Chris Cillizza. Gawd I hate the sound of his voice. Why does he still have a job?
I can only take about 30 minutes going back and forth from MSNBC to CNN before I have to skedaddle away to Netflix, DVR recordings or something else non-commercial.
I do find the pro-Hillary ads uplifting. Even her attack ads are attacks using his own words or statements from conservatives – nothing else required. Normally voters do not react well to attack ads but hers are effective and don’t reflect negatively on her because they don’t come directly from her.
Trump will likely alienate voters with fearful paranoia in his.
ThinkProgress will give you a red baseball cap with: Make America
Think Again
in white letters on the forehead part, if you donate to their site.
LOL! I want one of those!
Hold on to your hats. Just saw that Trump will begin airing commercials.
Link to the nasty things is at the bottom of the post. It’s highly anti-immigrant.