Political Ruminations

Morning Quote: Brian Williams

NBC News anchor Brian Williams on Donald Trump’s election night tweets(see image below):

“Donald Trump, who has driven well past the last exit to relevance and peered into something closer to irresponsible here, is tweeting tonight.”

“driven well past the last exit to relevance” is a perfect description of Trump.

The image depicts Trump’s tweets on election night. Since then, Trump has deleted several of them, but note the crazy-ass Trump’s calls for a revolution.

Adding……Trump went on to harass and insult Brian Williams on Twitter after Trump learned of William’s comment. Williams never responded to him.

Morning Quote: Ralph Gilles to Donald Trump

Chrysler Group Vice President of Product Design Ralph Gilles’ response to Donald Trump’s tweet yesterday:

“@realDonaldTrump you are full of shit!”

Be sure to read the New York Times piece on Romney versus the auto industry!

Via Ashby

Arizona’s Birtherpalooza CANCELLED

For lack of interest, evidently:

Not even the promise of crooner Pat Boone singing oldies from a spinning stage could save what was intended to be the premier birther event of the year later this month in Arizona.

Organizers of the gala, which would have featured Boone alongside Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and some of the nation’s other prominent conspiracy theorists, broke the news online Friday that it was canceled “due to inadequate ticket sales.”

The Sept. 22 event was meant to bring together people from throughout the nation who believe Barack Obama’s birth certificate is fake and therefore he is ineligible to be president. Organizers planned to use it to call on Congress to take up Arpaio’s yearlong investigation into the documents.

Take that, Donald Trump.

Idiot Quote of the Day: Mitt Romney Panders to Racist Birthers

At a campaign rally in Commerce, Michigan, Mitt Romney aligned himself with the racist, delusional birthers (along with his bud, Donald Trump) with this comment:

“ I love being home in this place where Ann and I were raised, where both of us were born. Ann was born in Henry Ford Hospital, I was born in Harper Hospital. No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised. ”

I liked Tommy Christopher’s response:

At a campaign event in Commerce, Michigan, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a naked appeal to racist birthers, telling the crowd “No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate.”

Days after MSNBC’s Touré pointedly refused to include Romney in his apology for using the n-word to describe the campaign’s tactics, it appears the commentator’s critics owe him an apology.

The Obama Campaign's response via Ben LaBolt, Obama’s National Press Secretary:

“Throughout this campaign, Governor Romney has embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them. It’s one thing to give the stage in Tampa to Donald Trump, Sheriff Arpaio, and Kris Kobach. But Governor Romney’s decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement should give pause to any rational voter across America.”

The Obama Campaign is also responding on Twitter.

UPDATE: The timing of this makes me think it may be to distract attention from this: Inside Mitt Romney's Tax-Dodging Cayman Schemes
(document dump at Gawker--Romney-Bain financial docs)

Tweet of the Day: Donald Trump

Aw, Donald Trump is upset with Justice Roberts over the ACA Ruling:

“Wow, the Supreme Court passed @ObamaCare. I guess @JusticeRoberts wanted to be a part of Georgetown society more than anyone knew.”

Also, Donald, the Supreme Court didn’t “pass” anything. They upheld the ACA as constitutional. Geez……… But, hey, thanks for reminding us that the Roberts Court isn’t known for their non-partisan rulings.

Moron.

Morning Quote: George Will

George Will when asked on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” if he thinks that it’s “dangerous to engage Donald Trump” in the Romney campaign:

“The cost of appearing with this bloviating ignoramus is obvious, it seems to me. Donald Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough, your IQ can be very low, and you can still intrude into American politics. But again I don’t understand the benefit. ”

You’ll rarely see me quote George Will just because most of the time I have trouble figuring out why anyone even listens to him, however, every now and then, he does say something interesting.....or funny. I especially liked the “bloviating ignoramus” part.

Morning Quote: Shep Smith

“I've just gotten word that in the next hour, Shakira and Big Bird will also be issuing endorsements, and we'll be having live, Team Fox coverage of that! Shakira, Big Bird and Donald Trump.”

- Fox News host, Shep Smith, as he  unrelentingly mocked Donald Trump, and Trump’s endorsement of Mitt Romney, on air yesterday.

Republican Strategist on “Trump’s Clown Circus”

Republican strategist, Mike Murphy, warned GOP presidential candidates off the Trump debates:

“GOP candidates would be foolish to show up at Trump's clown circus/debate. Walk away...”

Donald Trump. The ultimate "Ugly American" right alongside Sarah Palin.

The delusions of Donald Trump

He thinks he could win the presidency.

So much for dropping out -- Donald Trump tells TPM he believes he can win the White House as an independent candidate, keeping his name in the presidential game despite declaring last month he would not run for the GOP nomination.

TPM caught up with Trump at the Faith & Freedom Conventionm after he left a closed door meeting with event organizer Ralph Reed and other social conservatives and asked how he figured he'd do as an independent.

"I think I'd do great," he said, telling TPM he believed he could win the White House. As for whether he'll run, he said it depended on the GOP nominee.

"Let's see what happens with the Republicans, who they put up," he said.

Go for it, Donald.  Any Liberal would just love to see you split Republicans. But win? Not ever gonna happen.

What a horse’s a$$.

Morning Quote: Donald Trump

Trump on Fox and Friends on Sunday…..said day also known as “the day after the White House Correspondents Dinner”:

I didn't know that I'd be virtually the sole focus. I guess when you're leading in the polls that sort of thing tends to happen. You raise to a certain level in the polls and boy does the world come after you.....I thought Seth Meyers -- his delivery frankly was not good. He's a stutterer.

Gah.

Via Media Matters

VIDEOS: President Obama and Seth Meyers at the WHCD: the Joke is on You, Mr. Trump

President Obama kicked some serious butt last night at the White House Correspondents Dinner, much of the butt-kicking aimed at Donald Trump, America’s preeminent race baiter. I especially loved the Lion King segment.  A small bit of President Obama’s segment Via TPM:

Donald Trump is here tonight! (Laughter and applause.) Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. (Laughter.) ... [A]ll kidding aside, obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. (Laughter.) For example -- no, seriously, just recently, in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice -- (laughter) -- at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team cooking did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately, you didn't blame Lil' Jon or Meatloaf. (Laughter.) You fired Gary Busey. (Laughter.) And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night.

Watch:

Lawrence O'Donnell Outs Trump on His Plans to Appear on NBCs Line-up Next Season

Lawrence O’Donnell has been on Donald Trump for a while now, and no one deserves it more than Trump.

In this clip, among other things, Mr. O’Donnell suggested that Trump has signed with NBC to do another season of the mind-numbingly stupid “Celebrity Apprentice”. That said, of course, Trump will not be running for president. O'Donnell (approx 6:10 in the video):

This fake campaign will be over by May 16 when NBC announces Trump's position in next seasons primetime schedule.

And while NBC won’t be making the announcements about next season until May 16, now we know, and now that we do, can the media please leave this racist buffoon to himself and stop with the interviews and the constant damn coverage?! I dearly hope so.

Watch:

Morning Quote: Baratunde Thurston

Baratunde Thurston (Jack Turner), the co-founder of Jack & Jill Politics, responds to Donald Trump's disgusting display of disrespect for President Obama:

It was during my viewing of this video [Trump’s remarks in New Hampshire] that I began to cry. I thought of my ancestors, both direct and collective, who had fought and died so that I might be treated as an American. I then thought of this fetid, smug, hate-filled, wealthy white man taking credit for the release and yet still not being satisfied. It does not matter how long we’ve been in these United States. We will never be American.

So, tears in my eyes, pain in my heart and rage in my soul, I composed this video message. More than written text, it comes close to expressing my full pain at witnessing a white man who was handed everything call the President of the United States (and me) a nigger.

I don’t have words to say how deeply offended by the carnival barker, Donald Trump, and his Birther friends I truly am.

America's Humiliation - Our Honor and Credibility in the Toilet

I’ve always understood that the root of Birtherism was the racism inherent in a not inconsequential portion of the American electorate.

And, despite Tea Party cries of “foul” when called on their racist leanings, many of us also understood that racism was always the heart of the Tea Party movement¹, and that many Teabagger Republicans were also Birthers.

That said, the Birther movement did not really surprise me, but Donald Trump…..the current, rabid, carnival barker for the Birthers, managed to do just that.

Donald Trump's disrespect of our president, of the very institution of the presidency, is unforgiveable.

Trump's intentional humiliation of a man who has always exhibited stunning dignity, decency, intellect, and honor, and who is our president, dishonors us all as Americans. Add to that the fact that we have become the laughingstock of the world, and images of Donald Trump tarred, feathered, and run out of the country begin to seem too kind a punishment.

Quote of the Day

On CNN today, acclaimed historian and author, Douglas Brinkley called on NBC to drop Trump’s show from it’s lineup or face a loss of corporate sponsors and massive boycotts. Via Think Progress:

We don’t have to blame “the media” for dealing with this issue. We have to blame NBC Entertainment. They need to dump Trump from his primetime news show. He’s a poison toad on the airwaves. What corporate sponsor is going to be buying ad time for Donald Trump’s show. Any company that goes into Trump and is willing to pay is going to find consumer boycott like they’ve never seen before. If you are going to do what Trump did and go after the President of the United States in such a grotesque and disingenuous way you better cough up the goods. Today the Obama administration has shown what a charlatan Donald Trump really is.

Watch:

I could not agree more! The new battle cry should be “Dump Trump”!

Current corporate sponsors of Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” include the following, from Think Progress:

Corporate sponsors of “Celebrity Apprentice” currently include: Enterprise Rental Car, Clorox, Sprint, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Walt Disney, and Groupon.

Stupid Dick Quote of the Day

Donald Trump. Despicable, racist, human being. Although I’m unsure about the human part.

If you look at what he’s doing in Libya, which is a total disaster. Nobody even knows what’s going on in Libya. If you look at what’s happening with gasoline prices where he said he has no control over prices, which he does if he gets on the phone or gets off his basketball court or whatever he is doing at the time.

President Obama has, of course, been working at the issue of gas prices.

Watch:

Morning Quote: Newt Gingrich

When radio host, and right-wing a$$clown, Sean Hannity, asked Newt Gingrich for his opinion of Donald Trump, Gingrich actually got something right for a change when he called Trump ‘P.T. Barnum of the Barnum and Bailey Circus’:

Well look I think that he is a little bit wild. A little bit..some have compared him to P.T. Barnum and the rise of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. He is one of the great showman of our lifetime. He is very clever at getting news media attention. And he’s in his “Apprentice” candidate phase. That’s fine. He brings a level of excitement and life — a lot more folks will talk about the Republican ticket in the next few weeks because of Donald Trump. I’m all for him being an active Republican, then at some point he’s got to settle down…But for the momoment it’s a bit like watching American Idol. We have the newest guest star.

Watch:

Morning Quote: Trump “I Never Went Bankrupt”

Donald Trump is insane. Really. From ABC’s interview with Trump which aired this morning, comes a barking, loud, outrageous statement from Trump, one of many. According to Trump, his multiple bankruptcies were ‘negotiations’, not bankruptcies. Emphasis mine.

Stephanopoulos: There was one more question on that from Michael Swaile of Toledo,Ohio.  He asked, "How would you defend any fiscal policy, considering you’ve had to declare bankruptcy numerous times?”

Trump: I never went bankrupt.

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

In an ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos last night, President Obama was asked about Donald Trump and the birther nonsense Trump has been spewing recently. President Obama responded by pointing out that he doesn’t have horns, and he was born in Hawaii, along with a smackdown to the Republicans Southern Strategy.

President Obama:

I think that over the last two and a half years there’s been an effort to go at me in a way that is politically expedient in the short-term for Republicans. But [it] creates, I think a problem for them when they want to actually run in a general election where most people feel pretty confident the President was born where he says he was, in Hawaii. He– he doesn’t have horns…we’re not really worrying about conspiracy theories or– or birth certificates.

Watch [Stephanopoulos asks President Obama the question about Trump and birtherism at about 1:50]:

Every damn Republican in the primaries had better be prepared to cough up an official, long-form birth certificate or get called on it.

Birther Clown, Donald Trump, Produces FAKE Birth Certificate

Yet another of your so serious, utterly ridiculous and malevolent potential GOP/Republican presidential candidates.

Ben Smith:

Donald Trump made headlines earlier today when he provided what he said was a copy of his birth certificate—but a quick check reveals it’s actually not an official document. [...]

Trump's mother, it should be noted, was born in Scotland, which is not part of the United States. His plane is registered in the Bahamas, also a foreign country. This fact pattern -- along with the wave of new questions surrounding what he claims is a birth certificate -- raises serious doubts about his eligibility to serve as President of the United States.

Bob Cesca’s response, emphasis mine: