Donald Trump’s immediate reaction to the neo-Nazi terrorism in Charlottesville, Virginia was muted, quite literally. This is a man who is regularly glued to his phone, with the cable news constantly on, and yet he said and did nothing about the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville on Friday night. Saturday morning came and went and still there was nothing. A neo-Nazi plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters and killed a young woman, and left more than a dozen injured. There were other stories of neo-Nazis attacking and brutalizing protesters and African-Americans throughout Saturday. When Trump finally said something, he only laid the blame on “many sides,” meaning that sure, neo-Nazis were committing atrocities in an American city, but hey, black people, amirite?
Trump’s lack of empathy and his blatant cohesion of thought with the white supremacists was there for everyone to see. Republicans – in Congress and around the country – made special note to denounce white supremacists by name. Many Republicans urged the president to make some kind of additional statement, this time explicitly denouncing these motherf–kers which represent his “base.” Finally, Trump appeared at the White House on Monday and made a statement, carefully following the words on the teleprompter. This seemed like a hostage video.
Yeah, too little, too late. This couldn’t have been a more obvious attempt to clean up the mess he created, and I’m not just talking about his mess of this weekend, where tone-deaf Trump was incapable of reading the national mood of abject horror. The mess started when Trump spent year attempting to delegitimize and otherize the first African-American president. The mess started when Trump built his campaign on racism, misogyny, bigotry and hatred. The mess started when millions of white people chose to vote for an incurious, bigoted, bloated, narcissistic sociopath just because he’s a white dude.
White House sources tell the Daily Beast that Trump is not planning on traveling to Charlottesville to deliver any kind of healing or unifying message. Of course not. That’s what President Obama would have done! Trump cannot do anything that Obama would have done.
The latest Gallop poll is out too – Trump is an all-time low of 34% approval rate, with 61% of Americans disapproving of Trump.
Last night, hours after Trump’s statement, he tweeted this:
Made additional remarks on Charlottesville and realize once again that the #Fake News Media will never be satisfied…truly bad people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2017
Pathetic. He’s angrier at the media than he is at white supremacists.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I HATE him. I really, truly do.
I cant even press play on a clip of him as I rage when anger inside when I see him. He is truly a horrendous person
I can’t watch clips of him anymore. I just read the quotes in the accompanying article, but I cannot watch and hear him speak. He makes my blood boil. I know we are not allowed to say this and he is a husband and a father but..if only….
If I may, I suggest praying, meditating or whatever you prefer for those around him to do the right thing. You’ll feel a bit better and you won’t end up in a very dark place.
I channel some of my anger into pulling weeds. I literally picture pulling his combover out by the roots. He makes me feel violent and turning to gardening helps calm me and my flower beds look better.
Giddy yes ! You could start an anti-fascist community garden
I just cannot believe that he can so easily refer to the press as “truly bad people” but it’s like pulling teeth to get him to say anything negative about his racist base of supporters.
As Kaiser and others have said, this was a 9/11 or Sandy Hook-like opportunity in his presidency. I know it wasn’t the same scale of tragedy, but it was a chance to unite this very divided and very scared country– and he passed. He passed because he’s not a unifier, he’s a divider. He disgusts me and impeachment can’t come soon enough for this assclown.
+1,000
Kitten: All that. I’m not in a good mood for a variety reasons but you made me laugh at assclown!!!! Lol. I usually put the old hat the end of ass, but the clown will replace it!
Yes. And the fact that he went to twitter almost immediately to complain that his “additional remarks” denouncing the white supremacists wasn’t good enough shows just how stunted he is emotionally. I have been seeing red since Saturday and that tweet instantly sent my blood pressure through the roof, I’m sure.
I also read that the alt right sites are trying to reassure the base that he only made that apology because “the deep state” forced him and of course he didn’t mean it.
Our POTUS, folks. Unf^ckingbelievable.
He always has to make everything about himself…..me me me. Look how the media is treating poor me….nothing I do or say is ever enough. This narcissistic asshole know nothing of how to heal and help unite the country.
This is his Katrina moment. W never recovered from it and neither will he. Anyone still with him is a Nazi or a Nazi sympathizer. No gray areas and no middle ground. He hasn’t even reached out to Heather Heyer’s family. I HATE HIM! I try not to hate but damn it I can’t help it. The struggle to keep from going there was too exhausting, so I gave in. I loathe and despise him.
I’m not a protestor. I think those gatherings are mostly filled with people wanting to just be there. Be agreed with. Post to social media in a self congratulatory way. Instead, I choose to be grassroots. Make the change. And yea. That’s me being self congratulatory in a patting myself on the back way.
That said… I’ll take a day off and protest the he’ll out of this. He’s enraged me so much. Is there some sit in being planned for the Whitehouse? Because I’m down.
@florc We can and do accomplish both of those things. It isn’t a binary between protesting and meaningful grasroots activism.
@Esmom: Exactly. The WS part of his supporters know he was forced to do this. They know he doesn’t mean a single word he says, BUT (and this is so dangerous) all of his supporters can claim know “He was condemning the racists! What else do you want?!?”
Why is he not bad tweeting about the guy that run down that poor young innocent women, and saying things about him, he is such a bad person and I mean I think he is truly evil, that he cant call out these type of people, but still goes after the media, women and other innocent people, he is just a disgusting person.
During 9/11, I wasn’t a fan of Bush, but I appreciated that he went down to Ground Zero and encouraged people to come together. It helped the healing.
Trump can’t even do the bare minimum. He is so inept, so full of BITTERNESS, that he can’t even acknowledge a tragedy when it happens. He is so indebted to white supremacists that he grovels.
I’m hoping the polls continue to drop and the criticism keeps rising from so many different people that he resigns in a huff, blaming all the fake news and haters as he trundles off to his golf club. Preferably the one in Dubai. Taking all his corrupt family and neonazi white supremacist staff with him.
ARRGGG!!!!
He just spoke again! He said that there were “good people” on both sides, and said the “alt-left” was being violent!?!?!?!
I angry tweeted him. I could not hold back. I hope he blocks me.
@LP
I’m not saying protesting accomplishes nothing. I am saying there are many more than not imo that go just to go. I’ve been to a few passing by. Asked what it’s about. Overwhelmingly it’s been a general we’re here for this reason and not much else. Then there’s almost no followup with exception to organizers and those so passionate they were already working for their cause. Limited conversion and education. Imo. In my experience. Then onto the next gathering.
I am also extremely jaded by my country atm. The pessimistic view might stem from that.
I never hated anybody in my whole life, as much I hate this scum of a human, he just makes me so mad that this type of person got to be the President, it just makes no sense at all.
Just watching Breaking News on CNN. #45 cannot control himself let alone a country. Shocking.
There should be no doubt now, that this man is not fit for the office of President. He is a racist. Shame on America
He’s not a leader. He thrives on chaos. Listening to his comments just now, how can the Republican party continue to support this madman? It makes me physically ill to even listen to this amoral clown.
He didn’t even want to stand there and read those words off a TelePrompTer. He looked like he was having a root canal.
Or a toddler being forced to say sorry for pushing a playmate at the playground. 45 does not like to be told what to do
This is exactly what I was thinking too. Such a child.
Because he is an imbecile. He had to denounce by name the neo Nazis and KKK. He had to name the patrolman and Heather Heyer, which he blatantly didn’t do in his “first” speech. Listening to him was painful and another kick in the face to all of us. His own snowflake Ivanka is a Jew, raising children, has he no heart. To further run his chubby fingers over the keys to tweet about the “fake” news again. WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM. What has to happen before it is too late. Had SNL done a sketch about him, you couldn’t have shut him up. But when three innocent people are killed due to the actions of hate mongers, it’s just another day. I loathe him and denounce him as my president, not that I ever thought it possible for this sociopathic, reality tv host to do anything but cause more chaos and destruction.
Just to make sure we all know he was forced to make that speech, he retweeted Jack Posobiec making some asinine point about how the media ignores violence in Chicago. Posobiec is best known for inventing the Pizzagate conspiracy theory
I read on Twitter yesterday that Steve Bannon wrote the speech, so……
Absolutely. Those were not his words. The most emotion available to him is an exclamation point. Very Sad! So ingenuous to say almost verbatim what others were saying since his first slimy speech. Not mentioning the White Supremacists, KKK or victims by their names. Had he not given the speech, he would have gotten shit, but it would have been an honest representation of who he is. By forcing words out to appease us didn’t work, it showed how repulsive he is. Next..
Of course. It was full of dog whistles.
Why the hell did the speech start with him congratulating himself on the economy?
@Megan. Because there is no one in trumpworld except him, him, him. And daughterwife, lest we forget.
It should be the easiest thing for a president to do… denounce white supremacists. But no, this f**ker can’t even do that. No one for a moment thought what he was saying was genuine. Even Richard Spencer tweeted that he didn’t mean it and it sounded “hollow”.
That’s the scary thing, though. The Spencer and the neo Nazis are turning that into a positive — he didn’t mean it, hence he still secretly supports them.
He knows where his bread is buttered.
Yep. David Duke’s “Don’t forget we neo-nazis are the ones who made you” tweet to Trump was spot on, no matter how much Trump supporters (and their apologists) here and elsewhere want to try to wiggle their way out of complicity or paint themselves, Ivanka, etc. as victims of ‘SJW lefty oppression’ or whatever.
i really liked the blog entry from Intel’s CEO who is also leaving the manufacturing council.
He does not just blame his decision on Charlottesville, but on the current climate in Washington.
http://blogs.intel.com/policy/2017/08/14/intel-ceo-leaves-manufacturing-council/
More rationale STEM field adults need to run for public office and win. Too many religiously motivated nuts have been allowed to gain control of our political system and it’s time to fight back. More rationale and progressive thinking scientists and health professionals need to be elected if we are to see real change happen.
@ Ilsalund:
What a brilliant idea……how to make it happen though…..are there progressive groups focused on recruiting intellectuals to run for public office in any states?
If not, is anyone here motivated enough to start something? No matter how small…..
Rather than just stew, please lets also actually take meaningful action……
It’s pointless to stay on those councils right now. They’re supposed to advise the President, but Trump won’t take any advice anyway. By staying, they are just giving him legitimacy that he does not deserve.
His obnoxious tweets against the Merck guy should have convinced them the only honorable thing to do at this point is to resign from the fake councils. They can’t accomplish anything by staying now. They can’t be part of the process because there is no process, only chaos. They can’t provide useful input because Trump just wants to use them to promote his own agenda, such as it is, and has no intention of listening to them. They can speak with each other and with the public in other, far more effective ways. Now their country needs them to just walk away from the madness. Trump has no respect for them and will lash out at them every time they say something he doesn’t like.
This man has Jewish children and grandchildren – yet getting him to admonish white supremacists giving the Nazi salute and carrying Nazi emblems is like getting blood out of a fing stone. There are no limits to the depravity of this ridiculous man.
I don’t think he gives two shits about anybody but himself honestly, and maybe ivanka. If he was worried about the future of his grandchildren he would be more worried about climate, racism and possible nuclear war. The man is a horrible, horrible person. It’s unbelievable that he practically had to be forced into this statement, any other time he’d be tweeting up a storm…but I guess when it’s white people being terrorists it’s ok by him.
I really hope he doesn’t win the next time, but by the way the country is going, maybe he will.
I’ve never commented on this particular point but I feel like this needs to be said. Ivanka is Jewish on paper. I don’t believe for a second that the woman is a woman of faith at all and I don’t believe that she feels any connection to Judaism except for the fact that her husband is Jewish. I realize it’s a rather involved process to convert but let’s be real, she did it so Precious Jared would marry her. I’m not saying that’s a bad reason but if it’s the only one, this is what you might get. She cannot be ignorant to the fact that as a Jew, she is being despised and hated by quite a few of her father’s cronies in the WH. And yet she stands by him and them. Why? Because she doesn’t really identify as Jewish. And 45 certainly does not think of her or his grandchildren as Jewish.
That’s my armchair psychology for today. I hate the woman and everything she stands for.
Thank you for saying this, LMN. I was thinking it, but was afraid I’d be too insentive about it. I totally agree with you. And let’s just say I think Jared did some converting of his own to marry her.
Thank you @LMN, I was thinking the same thing, I believe he does not look at his princess ivanka as Jewish. I bet he think of her as Jewish on paper only. #45 don’t give 2 s$@& about anyone but himself.
Yesterday I watched an impromptu memorial at the site of the murder where Heather was assisted by 45 disciple, it was so moving I cried my eyes out. The crowd gathered and just started singing hallelujah and amazing grace,just beautiful.
#45, IMO, waited for two days to see what the poll showed before coming out to make the second statement when he saw 61% disapproval. If the poll had shown no change I bet he would not have come out yesterday naming the hate groups. I’m purposely not naming them because they are evil like their leader.
I had to think long and hard whether I wanted to judge anyone of Jewish faith on their faith. As a German, I usually keep my mouth firmly closed on these things. And if someone of Jewish faith wants to tell me off, have at it. But from where I’m standing, this woman either hates herself deeply or simply does not identify as Jewish. I don’t think for a second it’s the former.
She is a hypocrite. Total hypocrite. When it comes to Judaism, religion is passed through the mother, so if a non-Jewish woman marries a Jew, their children will not be Jewish. She converted because Tom Marvolo was not going to marry her unless she converted, so that he can “keep the succession” – at least that’s how a Jewish man phrased it once in a conversation with me when we were talking about marriage and religion.
I am not Jewish and I do not practice the religion I was born into. I am 100% a-religious and anti-religion. But even so, I hate it that she goes through a quite a vigorous conversion process, and then she plays her Jewish card when it is convenient to her. There were, and still are, so many genuine believers, whatever faith they belong to, who are persecuted, killed, lynched, tortured, and who are not allowed to practice their faith, in many parts of the world. She is disgusting.
@Shambles: “And let’s just say I think Jared did some converting of his own to marry her.” What kind of conversion? Religious, “moral”?
Absolutely. This is a sensitive topic so I’m not surprised that most people have been too timid to wade in but I think you did a great job articulating what many of us have thought, LittleMissNaughty.
In fact, I always forget that she’s Jewish because she doesn’t seem to give a flying f*ck about the Jewish community.
Look, lilmiss you aren’t saying anything that plenty of Jews aren’t saying. I don’t speak for all Jews obviously, though lately, I seem to discuss it more than usual.
Out of all of my siblings, I was always the most reluctant and skeptical because I am a believer in science and I question everything. However, I never described myself as anything but Jewish. It goes beyond religion.
I am just going to speak plain. I can’t parse this anymore.
In New York City a lot of the wealthiest families are Jewish. Michael Bloomberg is the wealthiest man in the wealthiest city in the world. She was friends with his equestrian daughter Georgina and Chelsea Clinton who is married to a Jewish man too. I think she might have hung with Ralph Lauren’s kids but I am not sure. Within the high society circles, it is no longer exclusively WASP driven, so she set her eyes on Jewish men. Enter Jared. He isn’t the brightest bulb in the box and his father is a criminal, so he’s got some same baggage she has. Both adore their crooked morally questionable fathers and both are only successful based on their father’s accomplishments. There are not many gentile women who would undertake conversion to Orthodox Judaism. He wouldn’t marry her unless she converted, so she did.
I would never marry an Orthodox man because I am aware it is not something to undertake unless a person is serious and committed. I would be the shame of the community within two weeks flat. Even though many of the people are very kind when someone is new and patient as a convert learns. She said all the right things and for the Orthodox community it meant something. This is where I get emotional because it bothers me. My cousin married into an Orthodox family, and they really are the sweetest people, they had high hopes that the world would see all the good things about Orthodox Judaism once J was in the administration. They weren’t Tange supporters, but they thought Jared would make them proud and forgave his proximity to such an ugly campaign. They thought they would be allies and curb Tange’s behavior and help him become tolerant. Many in the community were appalled by the treatment of the Syrian refugees, since many Jews fled persecution themselves, against the Muslim ban because again Jews have been banned before. Then they broke all sorts of rules, her clothing has been questioned, dishonoring Shabbat, moral failings and standing by silent when anti-Semitics were appointed and given power.
There is a lot of anger about them and it isn’t just that they failed Jews, but they failed in every single way. His grandparents are heroes back in Belarus and widely admired here so the thought was surely some of that lives in the grandson. Here is a link to hear his grandmother speak about her experiences and then think about Jared and Ivanka’s complicity:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/01/29/watch_jared_kushner_s_grandmother_talk_of_refugee_plight_warn_against_another.html
Ivanka is not religious nor does she care. He is even more shameful.
There is absolutely no way she is anything but an opportunist. There were even concessions made for her in Israel, but she cares not one bit.
Pumpkin, I think Jared is gay. Ivanka is the kind of nice real-estate heiress that his real-estate parents were probably happy to see him marry, but I think she’s a beard.
Thanks Shambles, that makes sense.
@magnoliarose – is it possible Ivanka could have bought her way in? Donated a certain amount for a shortcut conversion? I know that’s not how Judaism works, and I’m not meaning to trivialize it , but that’s how the Trumps and Kushners do things. It just seems like it’s not something of worth to Ivanka, it’s just something else she bought and wears when it’s convenient.
Yea that message was so fake I rolled my eyes. The guy can’t even manage an emotion while reading a TelePrompTer.
Why is anyone surprised by his delayed of response? Why would he be angry at the people who support him more than the people who condemn or are disappointed in him? He probably enjoys the fact that those pieces of trash and their enablers are supporting him and doing something in his name. He certainly had no problem when people were getting assaulted at his rallies. He even encouraged it.
Dump responded faster to being called out for not responding fast enough to the events. He doesn’t even seem to understand the criticism or even care that he looks fake, weak and ineffectual.
I think he even retweeted an article about the crime rates in Chicago to somehow deflect or justify his response. Which directly contradicts everything he robotically and poorly read out during his third conference about this. He looked like it was painful for him to read that generic statement.
It was a horrible, hollow statement. I listened to a few seconds of his halting, robotic teleprompter delivery. He was a petulant child who was filled with resentment that the grown ups were forcing him to make that speech. His crying “See it will never be enough for the press. Fake News.” said everything.
There’s a news report that he made that second statement only because various aides cajoled him into it, and only because they wanted to halt the backlash from congressional Republicans. He sees nothing wrong with his statement on Saturday, even in hindsight. It was the media’s fault that they misunderstood his message and focused on the wrong point.
Well, his dad may have been one so, you know, #awkward
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/mvke38/all-the-evidence-we-could-find-about-fred-trumps-alleged-involvement-with-the-kkk
He retweeted an alt-right pizzagater too. Sorry, Trump isn’t.
He’s blaming Obama for Russia now. Pathetic.
And he is tweeting about pardoning Joe Arpaio.
Can he? Weren’t they State charges?
US District Court of Phoenix.
I’m sure he’ll frame it as compassion because of age. BS.
It’s unlikely that the guy will get jail time because of his age. But that won’t stop the Trumpster from trying to distract and to convince his peeps that he’s still with them.
He’s going to have wreaked so much havoc by the time you finally get rid of him, hasn’t he?
Sometimes I don’t know how we come back from this. Even if {when} he gets impeached, those angry, torch-wielding white boys are still here.
It’s quick and easy to tear down and long and difficult to rebuild.
Sorry I’m not more optimistic but I do think it’s true. Our institutions and our civic societies are more fragile than we realise – until we start watching them domino topple like this.
(I feel much the same about the UK just now.)
You’re right, you’re completely right. Liberty is fragile. A compassionate society is never guaranteed. They take work- blood, sweat, and tears.
Yep. And the trick is managing to stay motivated and inspired though the long, hard, dirty work of pulling it back together again.
I’ve worked with a lot of international NGOs over the past 25 years and I keep thinking about their work in helping rebuild countries that destroyed their institutions. Unfortunately, the success rate isn’t great.
It would take a tremendous leader to unite a country this fractured and Pence isn’t that person. The only peaceful path forward that I see is for Trump to willingly resign. Sadly, that isn’t going to happen.
I agree, Megan. Even here in the UK, where our institutions have matured and evolved for many hundreds of years, rather than been constructed in the aftermath of war or revolution, stability is STILL much more fragile than we like to believe.
I saw a Charlottesville police chief being interviewed about the perceived lack of robust policing of the demo and his defence was that his officers were overwhelmingly outgunned and the white supremacists had weapons caches hidden across the city. Whether that’s true or just his excuse (and given the amount of military hardware in the possession of US police forces, I’d say it was likely an excuse) isn’t the point – the point is that the people who apply the rule of law are openly saying they don’t believe they can cope.
How can the citizenry trust in its institutions when the officers of those institutions are saying things like that in public? Stable institutions reassure the public; they don’t frighten them half to death. Because frightened people do stupid things.
@Sixer, I heard him say that as well and could not believe it. In fact, I don’t believe it. I think it is an excuse to obscure the truth, which is that the police were woefully unprepared and untrained for the events that unfolded.
Which is worse, having the far right out gun the police, or having police who aren’t prepared to protect the public?
PRECISELY.
It’s worse to have police who SAY they can’t protect the public (especially when you know they can). No question. Because the rule of law matters but TRUST in the rule of law matters even more.
Those tiki torch wielding white boys. The manufacturer seemed pretty horrified about it. Wait for disclaimer tags on the tiki torches, saying the manufacturer is not liable for misuse in political demonstrations.
Sixer, Agree. It will take years to recover, if we ever do. But this is drump’s intent with his puppetmaster Bannon snickering and giggling about the wreckage. And we have Pence and Mother waiting in the wings. It’s horrible.
My sister and I were talking about this just last night.
How much damage will have been done by the time he’s finished? Can we ever go back to just disagreeing with each other? Or are we permanently stuck here now? I’m afraid of the answer.
That’s what scares me. Thank God he is fundamentally lazy and has not already stacked the lower federal courts with his appointees or even begun to fill our ambassadorial posts.
I just wonder how long Republicans can hold out before they realize that their only good options are impeachment or civil war. Even if he is successfully impeached, I fear it will take decades to undo all the damage he has caused already.
My biggest fear is that if we continue on this path, we will eventually have another civil war. There’s already an ideological civil war, but I think there may be a physical war brewing. And I believe that’s the ultimate goal of all these domestic terrorists groups…..armed insurrection and bloodshed. A cleansing, if you will.
@IlsaLund-Yep I am also terrified about potential repercussions of Trump getting impeached. His faction of white supremacist supporters seem to really love open-carry and their military-grade weapons.
This is serious shit that worries me even more than the NK situation.
@Kitten: Although I’m not American, this is what I fear too. In case of his impeachment Trump’s supporters will be angrier than ever. I don’t even want to think about what they are capable of.
Yes to all of you.
I genuinely believe nations have collective psyches. Even if there are tensions and disagreements, there still remains a collective understanding of nationhood and national character. What worries me about Trump (and Brexit, since I’m a Britisher) is that this fundamental understanding is what is going to be shattered and somehow will have to be rebuilt before we can even begin to moderate and discuss the tensions and disagreements.
Italian here – after years of our own populist right wing billionaire, the result is a fragmented civil society – very little trust in institutions, a scary rise in populism, almost reflexive xenophobia, the emigration of a great percentage of talented young people, a general mood of irrationalism and fatalism. I hope the US fare better, as the opposition seems stronger and better organised, but still there will be hard times ahead.
Exactly this. I’m sorry for it in Italy, Esmerelda.
What’s worse, I have family in the US too. So while we’re commiserating together these days, deep down we’re all super worried for our young sons / nephews on both sides of the Atlantic.
But truly I expect the US and the UK to be more resilient, they have stronger and longer established democratic traditions.
That’s the horrible thing. Everyone else everywhere in the world expects more of us. Sadly, I don’t think the US/UK so-called Atlantic Bridge will be continuing to act as the stabilising democratic force for the foreseeable future. I just hope the EU27 can take up the slack.
EU27 might work as a democratic force if the economy picks up (and not just for the 1 percent). Prosperity has a way of detoxifying some issues and creating a space for dialogue. Otherwise the outlook is somewhat bleak – xenophobia is at an all time high here, and we have the long shadow of Russia on our (EU27) eastern border… :/
I think this is true. I had anxiety about Brexit and it still bothers me and worries me. Not just because I love the UK but because I can see the potential of a colossal disaster and economic suffering. It felt like a death when it happened.
Something is changing in the world and I am not quite sure what it is.
@magnoliarose
I agree with you. The shadow of something rather evil just seems to be overcoming humanity. People are so unbelievably cynical and mean these days……a bitterness that completely defies reasoning…..it’s like we’ve gone into a world-wide depression…..
I am a big believer though in WHAT CAN WE DO?…….I absolutely refuse to accept things as they are……how do we fight this? Any suggestions would be deeply welcome….
@Bella Dupont
I don’t know what we can do. I feel helpless but it feels like a dark cloud is hovering over everything.
Thing is this has been happening before trump ever got elected. I would say this country has been broken since its founding but more recently since Obama got elected. When govt shutdowns became the norm we broke something (and by we I mean the do nothing congress).
The only people that are shocked by this now are people that never had to think about this consequences before 2016. Some of us knew the deal long before. Black women especially warned people. Now we all have to live with the damage.
Frankly I’m all for dismantling the entire thing. I mean we are already headed there start over.
Black women are the canary in the coal mine of the United States. You’re not wrong about that, my friend.
Nice analogy Sixer and yes you’re exactly right
I have to agree. Every black woman I know votes and votes in the mid-terms without fail. I was told it is because black women have had to navigate society differently so they are more suspicious and wary of people in power positions.
why should he be angry at white suprematists? he is one of them!
He IS one of them ! He’d better STFU.
He’s disgusting, he tweets straight after that but Charlotteville took him nearly 48 hours for the initial shitstorm, then another day for this crap??
Also, is all that stuff at the start about the economy and thousands of jobs coming back real?? Where’s the evidence of this?? Plus, shouldn’t Obama get some credit for that as he’s been working on getting the economy back on track for 8 years but oh no, it all happened since Trump took office 6 months ago, record breaking. Companies abroad all decided on Jan 20th to pack up and come back.
I hope he dies. Honestly I do and I know how shitty it is to say that about another human, but I’m honestly not even sure he qualifies….
When Trump leaves, is removed.. I hope he’s shamed. Legacy tarnished so much even in his own mind and world he’s a pariah. He’s don’t unforgivable acts. This is evil. He’s a monster.
Lindy79, I totally agree with you, feel the same.
I hate him and his behaviour as well. And I feel so much for Americans having this every day.
Trumps behaviour this weekend has been front page news this side of the pond as well. People are truly disgusted.
He is absolutely disgusting. His speech yesterday was too little and way too late. The way he began it by talking about how successful the economy is doing and about millions of new jobs instead of saying anything about Heather and the other victims was shameful
I agree at the havoc he will have caused – Pandora’s box. His henchmen won’t go quietly.
Like the guys on Pod Save America said, his second response does not matter in any way. His first response says absolutely everything you’d ever need to know. Sometimes we like to think he’s just a stupid, stupid vessel for the evil ideas of other people, but that’s a mistake. He is a racist. He is just as evil as Bannon or Miller. Maybe more.
Exactly! When the former head of the KKK tells reporters that the white supremacists invading a college town are there to fulfill ‘your’ agenda and your first instinct is NOT an immediate and vociferous denial, you’re showing everyone whose side you’re on. Period.
The statement isn’t even clever is it? Everyone knows that it’s delayed because then his base of hideous racists can say he was ‘made’ to make a statement to appease the backlash.
God, it is just so pathetically laughable. Unfortunately it isn’t funny ha ha, it is the type funny right before your laughter turns into horrified weeping.
I don’t know of it was possible for him to make it so obvious that this was a case of “I’m being forced to read this, but I will be taking cheap shots via Twitter later to counteract this statement, which I’m sure you all know was written for me”. And that’s exactly what he is doing now. In case anyone had lingering doubts as to the total lack of sincerity. He has been forced to admit that he was wrong on some level and he HATES it. I expect another week of rants. Another week of dog whistling to his base.
If the GOP wants to earn back some of their demolished credibility, they will continue to utterly stomp on this every time he does it from here on out, because he certainly will not stop doing it. He has been given unequivocal proof that these people will support him literally no matter what and they already believe that he was made to say what he said and that he doesn’t mean it (true), and he will play to it over and over again.
I just can’t with him anymore. Every time I see/hear news coverage about this a**hole I feel like my head might explode from the anger & disgust building up inside. F*ck him, his supporters, and everything they “stand” for. F*ck. Them. All.
His DOJ is also trying to get the info on visitors to anti-Trump sites. Don’t get too distracted by the Nazis.
We see now that he actually made hate great again. He spewed it before he was elected and now so many people think it’s ok. Not only in the US. Even his crying about “Fake News” is everywhere. Here in Germany so many rant about the “Lügenpresse” or Lying News. It makes me so mad.
Yeah, because “Fake News” is running around the country with tiki torches and Nazi flags. Totally badass and the real enemy.
His interaction with Jim Acosta was very telling. The narcissism is just so very strong there isn’t an ounce of empathy in him. The man is soulless.
I just want to say I love Jim Acosta.
He’s so handsome! I love how he doesn’t stop asking questions even when they’re rude and nasty to him
Alabama, get out and vote today!
Boston, keep pushing back. They say they’re still marching here Saturday but many of their speakers are pulling out and the City has not granted permits to them yet. And the numbers of the counterprotest are already estimated to be thousands more than them. Keep pushing so they cancel.
If they had any common sense, they’d know not to mess with Boston. The whole world saw how strong we are. I’d love to still be there . Keep them out!
I heard that’s not happening? I thought they re-routed to Pittsburgh instead?
Are they being purposefully confusing about this in the hopes that protestors won’t show up?
When will have an official answer on whether they’ll be there?
I think it’s just a really bad idea for them to come to Boston–they won’t be well-received.
Also no confederate statues here, although I wouldn’t complain if people wanted to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in the North End…..
As of noontime, it is was still happening, according to boston.com but it has been pushed off pretty much every news site by the decision in the Teamsters Top Chef trial and the attacks on the Holocaust Memorial. It sounds like the organizers themselves are in disarray and are dis-inviting speakers and they still don’t have a permit.
I am sickened by the two attacks yesterday and today and the one in June on the Holocaust Memorial, which has stood in Boston for decades, never experiencing any sort of disrespect in the past. I take comfort in knowing that the vermin last night were both captured and arrested immediately, with help from people on the scene. We do not want this in our city. This is not us.
I’ve got news for you Drumpf, that horse has not only left the barn, it’s running in the Kentucky Derby. You can’t start shit and then try to pretend that it’s evil. If you won’t own it, David Duke will make sure you do, or he’ll turn on you faster than you can tweet. Not a peep from you about Heather Heyer and folks who got injured, but your twitter fingers were quick to lambaste and slander/libel Mr. Frazier. I cannot wait for Operation De-Orange.
This sicko tweeted a picture of a train running over CNN this morning. What a gross thoughtless thing to do just a few days after a woman lost her life in a hit and run murder
He’s a classless, despicable human being so it’s not all surprising he would tweet that. I can’t anymore…
Did you see that a man was in front of the train wreck on his CNN tweet?. I’m thinking the tweet represent is supposed to be Jim Acosta being killed. So #45 follower ran a car over Heather H and injuring 19 others and killing her on the spot. #45 believes it’s appropriate for him to put out a tweet of train killing a CNN employee. He took the tweet down now, maybe he was shamed into do that.
Trump doesn’t really feel shame. That’s a narcissistic trait. He feels anger and hatred and a thirst for revenge. But not shame.
Trump was just convinced that he would benefit more from reading that statement than remaining silent, and that he could erase any undesirable effects on his neonazi
white supremacist supporters later with his tweets. Meanwhile, he can claim to have denounced the groups that he doesn’t want to denounce. But he has made it clear that he didn’t believe what he was saying, and that’s obvious to the neonazis also.
Ugh sorry I just posted below–missed this thread. Yeah I just cannot with this man’s insensitivity. He isn’t fit to wash may f*cking car, much less run a country.
I’m proud of you for watching that clip. Anyone who feels about that meat sack the way I do, and can make it through any kind of video, deserves a medal. The fact that the oral donkey did NOT properly verbalize Friday’s horrors, further illustrates the evil of the one who must not be named.
I’m with those of you who must mute or turn the channel when this idiot appears and opens his mouth. Our news of choice is PBS, and at this point, I’m mostly just tuning in to see what classy ensemble Judy is sporting.
Meanwhile, Roy Moore’s stupid face is the ad of choice on my screen for this thread. I know Celebitchy doesn’t choose the ads, so I have to giggle that Roy’s bigoted self is appearing in a thread populated by so many LIBRULS. Excited to vote for Doug Jones today, once I fix being incorrectly and magically placed on the inactive roll. Everyone make sure you keep an eye on your voter status. Alabama probably isn’t the only state pulling this crap.
I just voted for Doug Jones. The stupidity of so many ofmy fellow Alabamians who will vote for the ethically challenged Luther Strange or the radically Right Roy Moore is baffling.
For those who do not keep up with Alabama politics, some history: Strange was appointed to Sessions’ Senate seat by Gov. Robert Bentley, the very same governor that State AG Strange was at that time investigating for ethics violations. Conflict of interest, would you say?
Roy Moore was the AL Supreme Court Chief Justice who installed a several ton granite Ten Commandments monument in the courthouse immediately after taking office. He defied Federal Court orders to remove it. A majority AL Republican judges’ panel eventually impeached and removed him along with the monument. Several years later, he ran for CJ again and WON! He then said that the SCOTUS had no jurisdiction over Alabama and ordered county clerks to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. A total AL Republican judges’ panel once again impeached and removed him.
One of these two clowns will be seated in DC in a few months, drawing a salary from our tax dollars. Unfortunately, there are not enough intelligent people in Alabama to send Mr. Jones to DC. We do not have one single statewide office held by a Democrat. Alabama’s State Motto is “Dumb as Dirt and Damn Proud of It.”
Why is he still here?
Why was he ever here?
He’s such a disgusting piece of sh*t. And he can make a thousand (forced) statements for all I care, but his original tweet tells you everything about who is really is…a racist.
North Korea is backing off on its threat of nuking Guam. Trump will probably tweet about how his tough talking to Kim Jong Un saved our lives
I don’t trust Trump as far as I can throw him. I still think he’s going to preemptively attack NK. He’d rather have WW3 than to have it made public that’s he’s broke.
I think we can thank the Chinese and Canadians and others who worked through diplomatic channels for that. And the fact that Kim actually isn’t as batshit crazy as Trump.
I don’t think North Korea intended to nuke Guam. They did (and may still) intend to show they could do it if the US threatens them. I would expect them to just aim for nearby waters to test the capacity of their missile to reach that far. That’s probably why the people of Guam haven’t seemed particularly concerned. They’ve been used as pawns for a long time. All of Europe was used the same way by the USSR when they didn’t have the capacity to hit the US directly but the US did have functional intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit the Soviet Union. The US also put missiles on borders of the USSR – the “Cuban missile crisis” that traumatized my generation was a response to US missiles in Turkey. The USSR was looking for a way to get those missiles out of Turkey and plans to put missiles in Cuba were the “bargaining chip”. We children were convinced by our idiot government that we were going to be nuked any second, but the reality was quite different.
My feeling is that the North Koreans are unwise to proceed this way because they don’t have enough consistent missile power to counteract the US stockpile, but the US dropped both of its only atomic bombs on Japanese people in WWII to make it seem as though they had more. That’s really why they didn’t wait longer for surrender but just went ahead and hit Nagasaki. Just another bit of historical horror to put current events in perspective.
Honestly, I think him telling Fox news that he is seriously considering pardoning Joe Arpaio, a well known racist who was literally convicted for discrimination, at almost the exact same time he made his speech yesterday was his message to his alt right fans that he still supports them.
He also tweeted a meme of a train running over a person with “CNN” logo where their face should be. This, merely two days after Heather Heyer was run over by a car and killed.
He is so f*cking despicable.
Saw this on tv just now. Colorado R Senator Gardner just got 😒 booed at his town hall for saying 45 is fit to serve, ha ha ha ha.
A 4th ceo just resigned from the White House manufacturing council. All 4 say it’s because of Trumps attitude about white supremacy. 4 ceos resign in 24 hours. Sad.
Our taxpayer dollars pay the salary of Katharine Gorka(Seb’s wife), an aide to PieceOfTotallyUselessShit. She helped end funding to a group that fights White Supremacy.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59921356e4b09096429943b6/amp
The happy couple. Don’t they look proud of themselves?
http://twitter.com/imfabulous13/status/897467495208148993
He’s so hateful, smarmy, condescending and fraudulent (diploma mill PhD) that I can’t fathom how sick she is for marrying him.
Again I’m left wondering why so many women engage in these miserable, dysfunctional relationship dynamics. Not that she’s a prize. But why?
When I see him on TV, I mute it so I don’t hear his cocky, arrogant voice bullying the interviewer. I guess she’s not so great, but he’s the worst. Can’t wait until these people are gone
What the hell is he wearing? The Nazi medals are terrible and so is his outfit
Lovely lovable couple 😈
You know what’s really beautiful? Obama made a Twitter statement about Charlottesville that literally broke records. Third most liked tweet in history. You KNOW that gets under Trump’s skin 😂
2.5 million and counting.
http://twitter.com/barackobama/status/896523232098078720
It may seem small, but I am so GD, m*****f***ing sick of his hand gestures. EVERYTHING about him is repulsive. I bet he smells of sweat and piss in his ugly suits. I need to lie down and snuggle my dogs.
Lol. Those hand gestures drive me crazy! His tiny hands never stop moving. If he’s embarrassed about how small they are, maybe he should keep them out of our faces and in his pocket
Oh, I know, I hate the way he waves his hands around. And that anus mouth! Ugh
They bug me too. I want to grab those teeny paws and crush them in my hands. Dark I know but he brings out the worst in me.
I can’t watch for more than 10 seconds before I start screaming “Put your tiny baby fists down!!” I talk with my hands too but omg he’s so friggin awful.
I don’t understand why the press loses their mind whenever he reads Stephen Miller’s speeches from the teleprompter. There was at least one article that called out the press for setting the bar so low for The King of Lies and Fakes News by praising his 2nd speech.
There were several things wrong with the 2nd speech.
He opened up the speech by talking about trade deals and the economy. This was about Charlottesville, but he just had to make it all about himself. There were at least 2 press outlets who were brave enough to call him out for this.
In the context of his speech he was still blaming the counter-protesters. When he said “other hate groups” , “including…”, “everyone” , and “everybody”, who do you think he was referring too? According to WS, when he said those things, he was referring to BLM and antifascists groups. I saw another article urging people to pay attention to wording like this. This was just another signal to his WS that he isn’t being hard on them.
He also showed no remorse for what he did on Saturday, saying, “as I said on Saturday…”. On Saturday, he blamed the counter-protesters. He learned nothing.
What was more disturbing was what happened after he gave that speech:
He indirectly attacked Ken F by tweeting insults at Merck.
Called Jim A fake news.
Called the press bad people and then went back to admitting that he has no remorse for what he said on Saturday.
Authorized Sessions to go after anyone who visited anti-Trump sites or participated in protests against him. Which doesn’t come as a surprise. Bannon, Miller, Sessons, Gorka, and Kobach are upset because people are calling them out for being WS, so now they are going to punish everyone.
Bragged about pardoning Joe A.
Tweeted about Chicago.
And Now today, he is even worse:
Posting a photo of a train running over a man.
Threatening the CEOs who are leaving the council.
Bragging again about pardoning Joe A.
Promoting LS.
When is enough going to be enough for the GOP? How much more are the GOP going to let him get away with before they stop him? A woman was killed on Saturday and then he tweets a photo of a train running over a man? Now is the time to impeach him.
Now The King of Lies and Fake News is going after Obama flood protections.
The last time he went crazy like this, it was because the FBI raided Manaforts house. So what happened last night? Did Jared’s house get raided?
Poll numbers my friend. He probably received a veiled threat from Putin or an oligarch.
I can’t even after the train thing…he is rotten to the core.
Also, I have a genuine question for you guys:
I’m not a native speaker but I do speak English so I’m always “dissecting” the language if you will.
Here’s what I took away from yesterday’s statement : it’s just a rephrasing from Saturday’s epic fail but very crafty because he did say the words people expected from him. What stood out for me was the “including” that he put just before. I took it as him saying “from all sides” yet again.
I thought it was the equivalent of “insert group name here” and his stupid base will not miss it. They will go back to “what about the extremists on the left?” and, of course one of their favorites Black Lives Matter, plus all the other groups fighting, peacefully, for what’s right and justice and equality.
Please tell me if I’m wrong because it’s entirely probable. I thought I’d ask because I see plenty of “too little too late” (absolutely!) but that’s it…
Thanks for the input!
You got it right! He said including, implying there are others involved.
Someone wrote an article about paying attention to the use of the word “including” and how when The King of Lies and Fake News said this, he was indeed referring to BLM and the AF. So it was just another equivalent of him saying “many sides, many sides”. First he said “racists” and according to the article, in the minds of WS they consider BLM and AF as racist groups, and then he added WS, KKK, and NN.
I can’t find the article.
Thank you. I thought as much. Would love to read the article.
Trump is a symptom.
Excellent comment Joannie! SO true.
A friend of mine who posts on Facebook anti Trump articles usually gets backlash from some of our classmates who are Jewish, Pro Israel, Pro Trump. Always bashing Obama. Saying he was a Muslim, anti Semitic, etc. Intersting not a peep from her trolls on Charlottesville.
As a Jew and American citizen I was chilled to the bone seeing swastikas and KKK and guns. What has this country become? How can anyone not denounce Trump for encouraging this behavior via support of Breibart and the crew of Bannon, Gorka and Miller in the White House?
Supposedly Murdoch met with Trump and Jared and wants Bannon out. But he is really the President. He writes speeches and policy because Trump is an idiot. I don’t think Trump can divorce hm. He is Bannon’s Stepford Wife.
It’s frustrating watching the press scratch their heads in bewilderment over why The King of Lies and Fake News won’t condemn WS when the evidence is right in their faces. Yesterday, I said that there were 5 reasons(and it has nothing to do with his base), but after today’s headlines there are 6 reasons. Bannon. Sessions. Miller. Kobach(Voter Suppression Commission, everyone keeps forgetting about him). Gorka. And Gorka’s wife. The King of Lies and Fake News isn’t going to condemn WS because his WH is full of them and they are writing his speeches(Stephen Miller) and making destructive policies.
The press is reporting that Gorka’s wife helped to defund a group that fights WS.
Like clockwork, a new G poll comes out showing The King of Lies and Fake News approval rating at 36%. Why do they make it so obvious that they catering to the King of Lies and Fake News? Yesterday it was at 34%, and then to make him feel better, it suddenly goes up the next day?
Polls naturally fluctuate. That’s why they can be hard to interpret. Different polls also come up with quite different numbers. It’s the trends that can be useful. A 2% difference is meaningless to me.
I live in Charlottesville and while I’m personally thrilled that Easy-D has no plans to come here (as a general rule the farther away he is, the better), I can clearly see that he *ought* to, and what makes it even worse is that he has even a property (winery with a “luxury hotel”) here! It would be yet another opportunity for him to have a mini vacay and promote his own businesses under the guise of doing the right thing and yet he still won’t do it. He’s unbelievable.
I spent many years in Cville, and that winery was run into the ground by Patricia Kluge, the stripper who got it in her divorce settlement. Apparently the estate was also mismanaged and she had to put the whole thing up for sale at a fraction of its value. Enter Donald, always ready to scavenge what he can. To her credit, she gave a lot of money to UVa.
“this seemed like a hostage video” Lol Kaiser
Funny, true and horrifying at the same time. :'(
In June, Chris Kobach demanded that all 50 states hand over voter information and judge rules that it’s okay for them to collect that information because the Voter Suppression Commission isn’t an agency and the group representing voters failed to show how collecting voter information was harmful to a voter.
Yesterday, Sessions demands that a website hand over protester information and informatoin on everyone who visited an ant- Trump the website.
When is enough going to be enough for the GOP?
Why is the press so incompetent? They are claiming that NK backed off because of The King of Lies and Fake News “fire and fury” and tough talk despite the fact that we had transcripts of The King of Lies and Fake News begging and begging the Mexican President to stop saying that Mexico wasn’t going to pay for the wall because it made him look bad. So what mostly likely happened? Did The King of Lies and Fake News call NK and beg them to stop threatening to bomb Guam because it was making him look bad? Why does the press suffer from these bouts of amnesia? Today we have Kristen W claiming that The King of Lies and Fake News wasn’t experiencing any anxiety, even though he was having a meltdown on twitter. Now they are acting like those transcripts of The King of Lies and Fake News begging the Mexican president don’t exist.
He’s actually saying that the ceos that resigned quit because they were embarrassed that their products weren’t made in America. Now screaming at the press saying that we all misunderstood what he said on Saturday. Ridiculous that he’s saying he wanted to know all the FACTS before he commented and that’s why he took so long to mention Charlottesville. Pathetic liar. He just called them “fake news ”
Looks like Trump is losing weight, his suits are looking too big. Either the stress is getting to him or Melania is not allowing his second scoop.
He is on TV right now and I am going to throw up. He is a disgusting person. I hate his guts. RACIST A-HOLE!!!! This is a trainwreck of a conference.
I had to leave the house. Took the opportunity to go buy dog food.
I should have done the same thing. Cat food. That conference showed he becomes more unhinged every single day.
I should have left too. I feel sick.
Cleaning out the litter box would also be a more productive use of the time.
I couldn’t believe he said the white supremacist were behaving well until the counterprotesters started the trouble. That was an awful conference. He can’t handle being asked questions that make him look bad. Terrible. All he did was lie
My stomach is killing me after watching that. I HATE HIM.
He is definitely unhinged.
What do I tell my children? They were born when Obama was president and there was hope. Should I tell them about hate and that there are people who hate you for being Jewish? Oh and that includes our president. I hope my relatives that are Holocaust Survivors are OK. I am afraid for my parents and family. Should we not hold my niece’s bat mitzvah this weekend? I am worried about my stepsons and their mother who are traveling in the south. I worry about my friends of color and who are Muslim. I worry about everyone who feels afraid right now.
I hope everyone puts their Hebrew jewelry away in public to stay safe.
Everyone stay safe. 🙁
I can’t with this.
The King of Lies and Fake News had a meltdown on tv, this can only mean that Sephen Miller is still writing his speeches because the meltdown he had is the very same one that Stephen Miller had. When he started lying and spreading fake news, the press should have cut off their cameras and walked out. The last time he was this unhinged it was because the FBI raided Manafort. Did the Jared get raided because his meltdown is reaching new limits?
The King of Lies and Fake News said that it took him a long time to say something about Charlottesville because he wanted all of the facts, this coming from the man who tweeted that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower and wasn’t born in the US without any facts to support what he was saying. This needs to stop. We are relying on the press to do the right thing and they sit there and enable The King of Lies and Fake News. When is enough going to be enough?
Just as many pointed out, he is now claiming that BLM and AF as violent groups.
He also referred to the counter-protesters as alt-left and lied and said that they had clubs. Who is to blame for this? All of the press outlets who were praising his 2nd speech as presidential and didn’t call out those parts of his 2nd speech where he continued to blame the counter-protesters. Had they called out the speech for the problems that were in it, The King of Lies and Fake News wouldn’t feel comfortable going on tv to spread fake news about the counter-protesters and verbally attack them.
He claims that there are things about Charlottesville that we still don’t know about it.
He also was condemning the removal of the statues by arguing that the statue of George W needs to be removed.
He is also using Heather’s mother to boost his ego, he bragged about how she said the nicest things about him.
He also said that not all the people at the rally were WS and NN.
He made more attacks on Merck and the CEOs who left his council.
This has got to stop. The GOP can put a stop to this and they won’t. Twitter needs to suspend him and the rest of the CEOs need to resign.
This is exactly why Miller needs to be removed from the WH. This speech has his name written all over it.
I don’t understand why the press is saying that he is back to blaming counter-protesters today, if they paid close attention to what he said yesterday(“everyone”, “everybody”, “including”, “other hate groups”), he never stopped blaming counter-protesters. What he said today just confirms that he was blaming counter-protesters yesterday. This is what happens when the press praises his speeches as presidential.
But it went further. this time.
The President of the United States was BLATANTLY defending Nazis and the KKK. It’s terrifying as a citizen of the US to witness this type of unhinged speech.
Ivanka, you and your husband should be utterly ashamed of yourselves being tied to this administration. But you have no shame, so won’t pack up and go back to NYC.
He has confirmed that he is a White Supremacist. It shouldn’t be this hard.
The King of Lies and Fake News was emboldened by the fact that he got away with blaming the counter-protesters yesterday during his 2nd speech, so why not come back for a 3rd time and do it again?
It breaks my heart that we have a president who could say or even think these thing. Watching and listening to him lie and make excuses for himself, the bad things and bad people makes me sick. Politicians are already tweeting about how wrong this conference was.
David Duke tweeted a thank you to Trump for him having the courage and honesty to tell the truth about Charlottesville
Miller, Bannon. People keep saying remove them, like Donald isn’t doing exactly what he wants and agrees with what they write or say.
Donald Trump has them working for him because they think like him, are as despicable as him. They all disgust me. But Trump is the most evil here, because he is the leader of our country.
First and foremost, it’s our so-called President who needs to be removed from The White House.
It’s so dumb to lump Black Lives Matter together with the definitely violent Antifa crowd. Shows zero knowledge of the two groups. Well, what else is new?
I know I sound like a broken record. But we really do need to figure out how to neutralize the violence of Antifa ourselves. They need to be pushed away into their own little corner where they can be as violent as they like if that’s their choice (make it easy for police to deal with them), but we can’t keep letting them move in on otherwise peaceful demonstrations and presenting a distorted public face to such protests. They’re using people who have opted for a nonviolent approach as their human shields and they are intimidating potential protesters who don’t want to get involved with such cowardly jerks.
Hate to sound stupid, but idk what antifa is. Off to Google
Some of the clergy from the Charlottesville have actually come out and said the antifa were the only people protecting them against the KKK. Considering the people we’re up against literally believe in the genocide of non-whites, I’m not going to write off an entire section of the movement to those who get violent. That may be inevitable. These people have already shown they don’t care about your nonviolent protest – they will mow you down with their car knowing full well the government will lie to justify it. They’ll only get more brazen from here.
snowflake, I’m pretty sure it stands for anti first amendment. I think anyway. I had the same question for the last two days.
Antifa is short for anti-fascist, which they claim to be. They’re the people in black who covered their faces as they beat up on people at Berkeley (they came with mace and fireworks and picked up other things there to use as weapons) and set fire to things at the inaugural protest. The police ended up arresting many other people because of them, they’re hit and run and leave the nonviolent protesters to deal with the police.
They are intentionally discrediting the nonviolent protests this way. If they weren’t such cowards, they would hold their own protests in a separate area and do it their way without dragging other people into it. It’s a mistake to make excuses for them. Such people destroy coalitions and inhibit public protest.
It’s not just a few of them who are violent. It’s their standard operating procedure and they come prepared for it. They are acting like government and neonazi plants, actually, and some of them very likely are. They are intentionally trying to take over such protests in their own way with no respect for the decisions of others.
OMG, I just watched his breaking news conference.
I didn’t think he could disgust me any more than he has. He’s despicable.
All Americans, left or right, should be disgusted by the Klu Klux Klan, White Supremacy groups, and these Neo-Nazi groups.
He’s turning it on people who cared? Alt-Left, his new term? WTF?
I love what someone posted on The Washington Times article.
“Trump got me thinking: Instead of removing the Robert E. Lee statue from the park in Charlottesville, why just not have this inscription chiseled into the base: “Robert Edward Lee, 1807-1870, sent 285,000 young men to their death in order to let the enslavement of African-Americans continue. He lost, but we must never forget the brutality he stood for.”
yes. 1000000 times yes.
@jayna
1,000 times this. Thank you. I am in Wisconsin Dells at the moment, which employs lots of foreign young people during the summer, and I just finished apologizing and explaining most of us hate him to our server. She said I get that a lot. For the love of God, take his ass out of office. Saw a picture on Twitter of the White House with a KKK hat on it and was like, yes, we are here now. I feel so terrible for people of color in America now. Please know how many white people are disgusted, outraged, and sickened by these horrible Neo Nazi Alt Right types, and by their cult leader👿
Dear press, please stop acting surprised by what The King of Lies and Fake News said today, this is the same thing that was echoed in the speech he gave yesterday. Except today, he was more blatant about it and threw in attacks on George W. He was calling the counter-protesters hate groups yesterday, and for some odd reason only 1 media outlet had the bravery to call him out on it and warn people to look closely at the language he used(“everyone, “everybody”, “including”, “other hate groups”). At some point the press are going to have to accept responsibility for not calling out what’s directly in their face. They were praising his speech yesterday and even when some people pointed out the problems with that speech. So what he said today isn’t new. He said it yesterday, he was just very sneaky about it. They pointed out that in his speech yesterday, he was sticking by what he said on Saturday when he said “as I said on Saturday…”. So why are they surprised today that he is directly admitting to sticking by his comments on Saturday? The press needs to be more aware of what’s going around them. I am also disappointed in the WH staff, it was their duty to stand up to the King of Lies and Fake News and they failed.
“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.” ~Martin Luther King, Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, 1964
There is no “alt-left” at all. Trump is making up a nonexistent opponent, so he can justify coming down on those of us who peacefully protest against his hateful administration. This is an attack on all Americans–his speech just now is a deliberate provocation. He is trying to push people to do violence against him, which he will then meet with martial law. He is absolutely desperate to hide his crimes. Don’t fall for it.
The only response to his provocation is non-violent protest. And working lawfully to remove him. Call your senators (again), call your congress members, call your friends! Study non-violent protest methods. Let’s channel our anger and outrage productively. We will vanquish him and all he stands for!
The Antifa are real, and they are indeed violent. They come armed with their own weapons and determination to crack some heads as well as to destroy property and set things on fire. They run around claiming to be anti-fascist, but my first thought when I saw them covered in black at the inaugural protests was the Brown Shirts. Before Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany had official power, this is how things were done.
The Antifa are technically “on the left” but to me they are just like the Trumpsters and neonazis and some may actually be on the government or neonazi payroll. If not, they might as well be since they are doing exactly what the government and the neonazis want. They are cowards who hide among nonviolent protesters so they can destroy property and attack people and then scurry away, letting others take the blame and trying to discredit the huge numbers of peaceful protesters.
Nonviolent action requires more than just showing up with a sign. There needs to be a sufficient number of well trained people present who know how to intervene to prevent provocation to violence from any source (not just from the white supremacist neonazis) and to isolate fools like the Antifa who are trying to distort the purposes of the majority of protesters to fit their own violent agenda. They are just like Steve Bannon in their basic philosophy and dangerous for many reasons as a result. Their actions inhibit protest.
I can’t overemphasize how important this is. We can’t assume the police will act properly or be able to tell the difference between a nonviolent protester and an Antifa coward. We can’t assume the media can tell the difference either, they have a long history of cluelessness in this regard. Dissident organizations have been destroyed by such people before. It is important to recognize the danger they pose and plan to deal properly with it, just as it is important to plan to be our own police when dealing with the neonazis.
I certainly agree with you. Non-violent protest methods that come from training include having people in place whose job it is to spot and neutralize violent actors who infiltrate peaceful protest groups, by reporting them to police or just getting them out of the crowd. My beef with Trump is that he is trying to paint all protesters with the brush of a fringe movement (antifa). He is trying to confuse people. I also wonder if the antifa actors seen at some protests (like the ones I saw in DC on inauguration day) aren’t “fake antifa” paid to disrupt. Either way, it’s definitely time for the resistance movement to get a step ahead on this situation and make sure protests do not become violent. The Trumpkins are always giving us more homework, ugh!
ADASTRAPERASPERA- Yes, indeed. People often have trouble believing that there can be fakes inciting violence at such demos, but it has always happened and will continue to happen. And the violence has to be recognized and contained for the sake of everybody else, regardless of who is doing it. The neonazis want to provoke riots and violence and the Antifa are doing that job for them. They are not there as protectors. They are not trained to protect. They want chaos, just like Trump and Bannon. Anything else is incidental.
It’s good to remember what Desmond Tutu said while confronting apartheid in South Africa. He was asked why nonviolence in the face of such an evil system. He said it was a very practical matter, anything else would be suicidal.
That’s really the point. Relentless nonviolent resistance is not risk-free at all, but once you resort to violence – the whole dynamic changes and the full power of the state can be turned against you without complaints from other citizens and without doubts within the ranks of law enforcement. It’s much harder to justify brutality against someone who is being verbally and physically nonviolent. Violence raises doubts and fears in the rest of the population. They will mow people down anyway when it suits them, but look at the reaction to that from so many different people in this situation. (This has been seen in other contexts as well. Gene Sharp’s trilogy on nonviolent action is still a good starting point to pick up the history of such situations and can be browsed easily. )
In comparison, not too many people are going to support folks like Antifa who are burning things down and hurting people. They are a small part of the protesters, but they are the ones who get the publicity and the attention of fools like Trump. They are very much like Trump and promote chaos to get what they want. That’s the problem with riots – they may be understandable but their unfocused targetting just make things worse.
MLK also made it clear that he wouldn’t denounce the violence racism inspired, either, so let’s not sanitize him. He was quite clear that people needed to examine the source of rioting rather than blame the symptom. He sought non-violence as a way of fighting for civil rights in a way white people wouldn’t be able to undermine with the claims of the approach being untoward or disruptive.
Of course, we like to skim over the part where he got shot in the face anyway, because that would mean an honest reflection on why some antifa and civil rights advocates reject that approach in the face of literal Nazis.
A quibble: MLK did make it clear that he did not support or condone riots or violence, mostly because they created cover for the other side. However, he made clear that while he detested the riots, he UNDERSTOOD them and why they were happening, because people felt powerless and unheard unless they resorted to violence. He also was sympathetic to the position of Marcus Garvey, who argued that people like the KKK were less dangerous to civil rights than complacent whites, because at least with the Klan, you knew where they stood.
Antifa are dangerous not for the actual confrontations they do – it’s the message. Trump and his ilk push a narrative about “leftist violence” and antifa play right into that narrative. They do more to advance the Trumpian narrative than almost any other group – which is why they should be held to account.
I’ve been mulling over how to respond to this after yesterday’s press meeting, and honestly, I’m still having difficulty articulating it, so hear me out in this rambling. I am somebody who has been politically active for most of my young adulthood. I have always believed in nonviolent protest as the way to go for exactly all the reasons everyone here has listed.
What I realized yesterday is that the “alt-left” is not delusion for his supporters. He just gave it a name, but they’ve always known, in their minds, that the enemy was there. They literally believe that a culture war has already begun merely by the rise in tolerance for what they consider The Other. They are terrified of a world in which that don’t have power and may be subjected to the same treatment they’ve given others.
To me, the turning point for this country wasn’t the protest, it was that press briefing. The moment the president started riling up his supporters against an invisible enemy using false equivalence and outright lies to defend NAZIS of all things, I realized that the government had literally abandoned the people. I realized that we can’t rely on them to do the right thing.
We have a literal fascist in the White House, and his party is doing nothing to stop it. They helped put him there, in fact. When faced with the KKK demanding first amendment protesting rights, the judiciary gave them permits despite the fact that most of their “speech” arguably falls under hate speech, which is NOT protected under those laws. They allowed them into the state to terrorize a liberal city, including a college campus and public square. They pulled guns, fired warning shots, maced, tear gassed, openly discussed murdering various minorities, physically assaulted, and outright beat somebody to near death – and most of them weren’t arrested – until, you know, one of them straight up murdered somebody. When called on the lack of police protection and choice to host the event, the governor claimed they were outgunned – which is mind-blowing in a country that pulled MILITARY TANKS to the city of Ferguson over property damage. Right now, Twitter and Facebook are doing more to identify the men who attacked Deandre Harris than the actual police forces.
So for the people in this country who make it onto the list of The Other? I understand their terror. I understand why they may embrace antifa as compatriots. Because when all three branches of government fail you, when the police fail you, when your fellow citizens have already morally failed you in putting this jackass in power, I can understand why you’re okay with a little violence. Because if they’re the ones willing to stand in the way of a metal pipe bashing your head in, you don’t care. You won’t care, because the people they’re fighting against? Believe winning means wiping you from the face of the Earth.
Your president just went on TV to say there was fault on both sides. This is the line in the sand. He has just made every non-white person(and white people who disagree with them) in the USA target practice for neo-Nazi’s that live there.
They want voter information, they want all the people who were at the inauguration rally. It’s plain on the nose on my face-they are coming for you. Not tomorrow or the day after-today. I’m a Canadian-but I have American relatives so I’m following this as closely as everyone else. At the risk of people thinking you’re crazy you’ve got to get out of your houses and make resisting this it part of your day or else you won’t be here in a few months to use a site like Celebitchy. This is unprecedented and this is happening now.
The press is also claiming that The King of Lies and Fake News statement was unplanned. I wish the press would stop ignoring the role that Stephen Miller is playing in all of this mess. We are constantly hearing that The King of Lies and Fake News is going off script, but that isn’t true. These are the words that Stephen Miller wrote for him. Doesn’t the King of Lies and Fake News’ meltdown mirror the meltdown that Stephen Miller had the first week of August during his press conference for legal immigration ban? Stephen Miller went after the Statue of Liberty the first week of this month, and then today The King of Lies and Fake News goes after statues of George W and Thomas Jefferson? The press are being played. This is all one big joke to Stephen Miller. Everything that The King of Lies and Fakes News stated Saturday, yesterday, and today is a reflection of Stephen Miller’s ideals and WS beliefs. It’s not unplanned or off script. It was planned by Stephen Miller and The King of Lies and Fake News. When the press calls the King of Lies and Fake News presidential for reading from a teleprompter, the press needs to realize that they are validating Stephen Miller’s hatred. He got away with it on Saturday and yesterday, and then came back today for another round.
So now they have Hailee Jackson spinning like crazy. The King of Lies and Fake News didn’t go rogue. This was planned by him and Stephen Miller. This press release was never going to about infrastructure and I don’t understand why the press are deluding themselves into thinking that this was set up to be about infrastructure, especially when many of the WH press reporters have complained about The King of Lies and Fake News planting people in the WH press pool to ask planted questions.
The main reason you know that this meltdown was planned by Stephen Miller and The King of Lies and Fake News was because he came prepared for the fight. He had a specific response for every question, like he had been rehearsing it all day. Usually when he is asked these questions he runs off or pretends that he doesn’t hear them.
He was asked Saturday and yesterday why there was a delay in his response and he said nothing and walked away. But today, notice how he had an excuse? Even though it was a complete and total lie, he had an excuse. If this press release was supposed to be 100% on infrastructure and rogue, why then did The King of Lies and Fakes News come prepared with an excuse for why it took him so long to comment?
Do you really believe that The King of Lies and Fakes News knows enough about American history to bring up George Washington and his history? This is something that we have witnessed Stephen Miller do. Remember his “history” lesson on the Statue of Liberty and her poem?
He also used terms like alt-left. Where did he get that from? Stephen Miller.
He also referred to AF and BLM as violent groups, something that his WS supporters were tweeting on Saturday and yesterday.
He refers to people with clubs and charging, indicating that he watched something before he came down to speak.
Notice his comment about the counter-protesters not having permits? This too was something that his WS supporters were posting on Saturday to justify what happened.
He also said that not all of the people there were NN and WS, something that several of the people said after they had been exposed by that twitter account.
The King of Lies and Fake News accused them of changing history and culture. Who used that same line in attacking Jim A? Stephen Miller.
He rewrites history, claiming that the WS were protesting quietly. Stephen Miller also rewrites history.
The comment about the winery was damage control after someone in his administration was appalled that anyone expected him to go to Charlottesville. See he has a winery in Charlottesvilles and he isn’t afraid to visit the city.
This isn’t going to get better until the press starts to call Stephen Miller out for these “unplanned” outbursts from The King of Lies and Fake News. Stephen Miller is causing havoc
Why are the press talking about how Kelly looked like he was at his wits end when he encouraged the King of Lies and Fake News to use a saber on the press?
Finally, one person called out the nonsense that this was unplanned. She said that The King of Lies and Fake News came out like he was ready for fight.
Just one comment regarding the white house statement. Trump says, @8:05, that he has the speech with him. The first speech, at the ready. As if he wasn’t prepared, my ass.
He was more pissed off at the criticism than anything. He’s a child.
One more thing, Trump unmasked himself today and I reveled in it. Not that any of it will make any difference to his demographic. I’m sure they cheered.
We can always count on Rachel M to bring the receipts. You know how the press was faithfully going along with the narrative that The King of Lies and Fakes News went off script today? Well someone found a photo of The King of Lies and Fakes News placing a paper with notes about Charlottesville on it into his pocket. Rachel asked what would he be doing with a paper with notes on Charlottesville if this was unplanned, unscripted, and he went rogue? She said that someone in the WH is just trying to cover themselves and what The King of Lies and Fakes News did today, wasn’t a mistake. He didn’t go off script. What’s more disturbing is how everyone in the press fell for the “rogue” narrative. It’s like the WH is testing what they can and can not get away with. The same thing is happening with John Kelly too.
I also have to question the narrative that John Kelly is the adult in the WH. It’s being spun that John Kelly was at his wits end today, but it looks like he is trying to stifle his glee. He’s not hanging his head in shame, it’s like he is trying to fight the urge to laugh. John Kelly encourages this type of behavior from The King of Lies and Fakes News. Remember when Kelly told The King of Lies and Fake News that he should use the saber on the press?
Well the man again showed us who he really is…we shouldn’t be surprised. Very fearful for our country …