Friday, January 05, 2018

The President's Grip on Reality is Getting All Sweaty


The President of the United States is losing the thread.  That tweet isn't the only indication that he can only think in campaign mode, or that he is repeating himself because he thinks it will make something happen, or even mean something.

Yeah, about that:  there's a reason the DJIA is not a leading economic indicator:

I'm guessing FoxNews is suddenly "The Fake News Media."
Michael Wolffe says he interviewed Trump on the record.  Who you gonna believe?  Trump, or your lyin' eyes?  Or his lyin' Twitter feed?
No, we've covered that already.  Funny, though, the lack of statistics on "jobs jobs jobs" is telling.  And if that $6 trillion in value all went to shareholders, it's not exactly evenly distributed across the nation, is it?  Or is it trickle down, which the fellow described as:  "The horse gets the oats, you get what trickles down."  In support of that, let me just add this to the mix:

With that said, it’s worth remembering that most stocks in the U.S. are owned by millionaires. The top 10 percent of Americans, with net-worths of $1.1 million or more, control almost 84 percent of household-owned stocks (that includes the mutual funds in retirement accounts like 401Ks). While there’s some evidence that Americans spend a bit more when stocks are up, which helps the real economy, the bull market is directly benefiting a relatively small, wealthy slice of the country.

Like the people Trump REALLY hangs out with; or at least plays golf with.


Yeah, that's a reasonable response to a criminal investigation and the work of several grand juries, and the indictments and plea agreements of four people so far.  Oh, and corrupting the FBI and DOJ by using it to investigate your "enemies."  Hell, Nixon was impeached for just threatening to do that.


Isn't there something else you should be doing?  Besides watching FoxNews, I mean:

But here’s what is shocking: After comparing the president’s tweets with Fox's coverage every day since October, I can tell you that the Fox-Trump feedback loop is happening far more often than you think. There is no strategy to Trump’s Twitter feed; he is not trying to distract the media. He is being distracted. He darts with quark-like speed from topic to topic in his tweets because that’s how cable news works.
And if you're hoping the 25th Amendment will save us:  just don't.

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office. 
Do you see Pence and a majority of the principal officers of the executive departments doing that?  Why do you think Trump regularly holds those public tongue bath sessions?  Even if they did, even a nominally Democratically controlled Congress couldn't muster the votes for removal from office.  A two-thirds vote would require a replacement of Republicans at a rate literally impossible before 2020, since only 1/3rd of the Senate is up for election in 2018, and some of those are Democrats already.

No, we just have to ride this one out, and impose what controls we can through what elected representatives we can elect.

Happy New Year, y'all. 
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