Trump: "“I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come.” "
< Tim stops reading "Morning Shots" >
And I will be the smartest, most handsomest electrical engineer of all time. FFS, we need to come up with a stronger word for this sort of delusional narcissism.
Apparently, he also has a PhD in fireworks. Seriously, did NO ONE tell him what damage his h-u-u-u-u-ge fireworks would cause. Not to mention, all those munitions did was make the display nigh on invisible to viewers.
Reading Donald's words sent me back to the old James Thurber story, The Greatest Man In The World (if you haven't read it, it's a short read and readily available online).
Or Walter Mitty...also a Thurber character. Seeing the president signing the useless MOU in Versailles makes me think of Walter Mitty...signing an acceptance of unconditional surrender by the enemy in the gilded halls of French kings...
He says stuff like this because he is an insecure child who was never shown any affection while growing up. I can hold pity and disgust for him simultaneously. I am just sad that such a lame excuse for a man holds the highest office in the land. However, it is only disgust that I feel for the idiotic, blindly ignorant voters who put him there.
Trump is just pathetic and getting worse by the minute. He would do himself some good, actually, if he shuffled off this mortal coil sooner rather than later.
The recent FIFA acquiesence to the demands of Donald Trump was about as predictable as you could imagine. Both the president and the sporting association are incarnations of the same grasping, corrupt urges, and they understand each other perfectly.
Contemptuous of rules and regulations, they will work together when they can - as long as neither of them gets in the way of the other's true game, which is profit through domination and control.
It is important to acknowledge how much of "the good show" goes into a relationship like this. They each play to their audience and assure themselves they are just giving their followers what they want: FIFA apparently has upended player penalties in the past in order to ensure the fans get an exciting game going forward, and Trump's drive is always designed to project the strength and power his base demands.
It's bread and circuses - as long as it's understood that FIFA and Trump get most of the bread.
FIFA did something very similar with Cristiano Ronaldo who received a red card last year and banned for three matches. He missed one game and then the rest was rescinded and a one year probation same as Balogun. Had FIFA not rescinded the ban Ronaldo would have missed this World Cup’s opening couple of games. UEFA knows this and it is pure posturing on their part. Of course Trump should have stayed out of it, but it isn’t like FIFA has done similar things based on article 27 in the past. Both the US and Belgium should just go out and play the game and we’ll see which team comes out ahead.
If Trump had just called the head of Fifa and asked quietly for him to recind the red card , it would have been one thing. But No- as usual Donald trump had to be a horses ass and brag about it. Now our family and thousands of people around the world will root for Belgium tonight. And they won't ever forget what bad sports we are if we cant win every damn world sports event!
We won’t win the World Cup and we may not make it past Belgium tonight, but the games themselves take on a life of their own which neither Trump nor FIFA can destroy.
I read that too. I heard the analysts during the game say the red card was uncalled for in the first place. It's just that Trump being involved in anyway makes the whole situation gross.
I'm convinced that Trump's "intellectual" defenders see his contempt for rules as an asset. Their rationale, apparently, is that the rules were made by bad people, and therefore defying them is righteous.
Kind of. I think they’re following a paraphrased Wilhoit Rule: “There must be an out group whom the law binds but does not protect, and an in group that the law protects but does not bind.”
In other words, the MAGAs don't believe in that “everyone is created equal” stuff: they’re more interested in asserting the “natural”hierarchy of men over women, straights over gays, whites over Blacks, native born over immigrants, etc.
When their Dear Leader Trump breaks the law, MAGAslaugh it off. After all, he’s their King, and the King IS the law, so they don't care if he breaks it as long as he’s putting those pesky women, Blacks, immigrants, Communists, etc. back in their place.
That's part of it. In the higher reaches of MAGA-thought, there's a claim that "leftist ideology" has corrupted our culture and robbed Americans of their natural rights. Trumpian ideologues believe there's been an all-out cultural war against conservative Christians - or at least that's what they say. So whatever their chosen hero does, legal or not, is just fighting back against the oppression their tribe has been enduring.
I've also seen the idea that a war against Christians started with the founding, because the Framers were corrupted by "Enlightenment secularism." In this view, the government should enforce Christianity, because otherwise it's waging a sneaky "war on religion."
When people claim to be putting the laws of God above mere human laws, they often give themselves license to violate laws they characterize as ungodly, and claim a moral right to impose their own godly laws on everyone else.**
MAGA-land includes people who think that way, and they found a champion in an amoral man who scorns any rules that would keep him from getting what he wants. He and they might have different reasons for believing they're right to break rules, but they've made a powerful alliance of convenience.
** In some cases, it is indeed morally righteous to oppose unethical laws - for example, those imposing segregation or permitting slavery. But an agenda that makes a hero out of a sociopath is probably not ethically righteous.
Some of the Founding Fathers were religious, but all of them followed the cultural dictate that God be mentioned and thanked in our legal documents. It was the times they lived in. We currently live in the stupidest time when a large part of the population sees religion as a cudgel to beat the irreligious. Its just not enough that they believe, they need to fight the non religious too.
Good point. It’s a caste system with them. They are the highest order so they know which rules to follow because their intellect tells them. Royalty intrinsically knew from birth the right things to do, and if they did not, well, just go back to the first part of the sentence!
At 92 , Katherine, my memory is not as retentive as it once was...however, didn't I read somewhere that " all pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others? " 🤔
George Orwell’s Animal House had a take on your sentence. Unfortunately too many people believe this because they tell themselves to believe it. The Greeks called it Hubris.
They are also lazy, trusting information from social media, rather than from reputable sources. They also don’t want to hear another side of any story.
Don't forget MAGA's galling hypocrisy though. The rules were made by "bad people" only when Trump breaks them. You can bet that if a Democrat broke even ONE rule that Trump has trampled, the MAGA outrage would be through the roof.
Even though he is eligible to play, Balogun should not dress. He can put an end to the mess Trump has made of this by simply—and conspicuously—watching the game from the USA sidelines, dressed in street clothes. That would say to Trump: Thanks but no thanks. And it would enable the USA team to win the game free from any further questions or controversy.
"We’ll have to hope that Trump doesn’t do too much more damage to NATO or further embarrass the United States on the world stage."
LOL. Of course, citizens of other nations around the world have gone beyond laughing at President Bozo the Pervert Clown. Now they laugh at the Americans who voted him into office, twice. We deserve to be laughed at. To be clear, they are laughing at us, not with us.
Over the weekend, a friend with a subscription to The Economist (July issue) shared a gift article entitled America's Wrecking Ball Revolution, focused on the damage done to our international relationships and the post WW II world order. I was overwhelmed in recognizing that it is unlikely that this damage can be repaired in my remaining lifetime.
As JVL has said many times, how can our long-time allies ever trust us again, knowing that a handful of Cleti in a couple of swing states can return power to a tyrant at any time.
I'm guessing there will be a lot less ass kissing at this NATO summit. The rest of the world has figured him out, developed their exit strategy and it's now time to put it in motion.
There was an article this weekend that delved into just how developed these European leaders' characters (in the theatrical sense) are when it comes to kissing his ass. I think they practice in front of the mirror how to manipulate him. And neither he nor anybody in his administration is smart enough to realize it.
“To be clear, they are laughing at us, not with us.”
Very true, but unfortunately, MAGA never got the memo. On the bright side, I was told Trump is still very popular in Europe—after all, didn’t PM Meloni insist on getting her picture taken with Trump?….:)
I was just in Europe Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal. No one likes Trump. It got so when I was meeting some people, the first thing I said was, I didnt vote for him.
I listened to Bill ( Kristol ) and J Nordlinger, was really good to hear what Italians are asking Jay, what happened? ( to the United States of America )
I'm pretty sure Bill was being sarcastic when he wrote that sentence. OF COURSE TRUMP WILL DO MORE DAMAGE AND FURTHER EMBARRASS THE US ON THE WORLD STAGE!!
The members of NATO have to see that Trump is not well. I imagine they have secondary meetings that dont include Trump or his lackeys. Perhaps there are couple of sane Americans who can meet with our allies.
Would ending the cap of $184,000 on Social Security taxes save the program? By itself, probably not, but for God's sake, if it's going to remain solvent, one thinks that would at least be part of the solution. That cap leaves a whole lot of money on the table and if you make that much money, you can afford to pay the tax on all of your income.
"We laughed, collectively, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino bestowed upon Donald Trump the first ever peace prize issued by the soccer federation. But we’re crying with joy (though, let’s be honest, we’re all just a bit aghast) now that Trump has put his well-earned FIFA credentials to good use."
No tears of joy from this American. This is just more corruption from the most corrupt organization in organized sports, which is why Trump and Infantino get along so well. Fair and consistent application of the rules is fundamental to the integrity of any sport, and this is a blatant violation of that principle. When we celebrate our benefit, we ignore the unfair penalization of Belgium, who is rightly quite pissed at this insider dealing. Let's go Belgium.
If a larger fraction of the population is retired over time, then it's entirely reasonable for retirement taxes/saving to be higher since a larger fraction of GDP will be going to retired people, and therefore less to people still in employment.
Let the GOP make the case for increased retirement ages and/or other cuts. The problem with this is that people have health issues or may find it hard to get new jobs in their 60s.
Even perfectly healthy people find it very difficult to find jobs once they are north of 55. We do have to figure out how to address the issue that while Medicare and SS kick in when a worker hits their mid '60's, the labor market is done with them a decade earlier, either because of ageism or because a worker's physical health starts to decline--especially those who do physical labor.
NPR's Throughline podcast recently did an excellent episode on the history of the World Cup, which was dreamt up in the trenches of WWI as an instrument of peace. But corruption quickly tainted the games, as the 2nd World Cup was held in Mussolini's Italy. There were accusations at the time that Mussolini pressured referees to make calls favorable to Italy, who ended up winning. The FIFA president at the time (the man who conceived the idea while in the trenches) presented Italy with a modest gold trophy, but Mussolini had already had his own trophy built, which was six times larger. Oh, how the fascists love their trophies!
Love the turn of phrase. But, there is no way the US is winning the WC this year. They are a competent team but even Il Duce could not drag them across that finish line. And I’m a US fan who was lucky enough to go to all three US group games this year.
Did you happen to see Il Douchebag's press conference from the Oval this morning? He said he didn't ask FIFA to change the call. He only asked them to review it. Typical mob boss. "Your Honor, I didn't tell them to kill the guy. I told them to take care of him."
While the tram has improved, and the first half against Paraguay startling sublime, the rest have been somewhat inconsistent. We will see which team shows up for Belgium. Pochettino has done a good job of putting the pieces together more creatively than previous coaches, but still a work in progress.
"Trump’s voiceover on the video claimed, “I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come.” The president did protest too much, methinks."
Trump is undoubtedly both the WORST and the SECOND WORST President of ALL TIME. And that takes some doing. James Buchanon. John Tyler. Benjamin Harrison. Millard Filmore. Andrew Johnson. Warren Harding. Herbert Hoover. Calvin Coolidge. Richard Nixon. Trump underdid them all, by far, being much much worse than any of these loser Presidents.
We Americans are pretty much what we always were. It's our politicians who have been transformed, very much for the worse, by the explosion of dark money and the tyranny of the consultant class and also by the creation of a massive, toxic propaganda apparatus.
You can't overestimate the cultural and political harm done when Ronald Reagan's people fast-tracked Rupert Murdoch for US citizenship, so that Old Rupe could get around our tough federal laws against foreign ownership of multiple media outlets and dump his highly effective brand of political poison into the American civic well.
At around the same time Rupe was unleashed upon us, the talk radio industry began to heat up. Half a century later, between Fox, Limbaughism, and the horrors of the algorithm and social media, and here we all are.
I confess to a fascination with Nixon -- not least because he was actually smart. Often in a Machiavellian way, but brilliant nonetheless. But he's a Shakespearean tragic figure, in the classic sense of tragedy: "What if he wasn't undermined by his flaws or the fates?"
Trump is a buffoon, a demigod of chaos if that -- simply heedless to his destruction, with no sense of anything but himself. He is malaria, heartworm, the kind of parasite that gladly kills its host as long as it gets to procreate.
Great point. Nixon was, in his own grotesque and broken way, a bright man, competent, even a patriot. Woven into the paranoia and self-destruction he still possessed a kind of honor. Trump cannot begin to dimly grasp what the hell "honor" even is.
In college, I had a class called the making of the presidential character. The class was based on The Presidential Character by James David Barber. Our discussions about Nixon were some of my favorite. When I learned that, prior to dating to Pat, Nixon would act as her chauffeur when she had dates with other men, I felt both belated embarassment on his behalf and sympathy for this odd, complex little man. I've never thought of him as tragic, but you are right, perhaps deserving our sympathy more than our contempt.
Trump, on the other hand, is exactly as you have described him; a buffoon. Though I prefer to think of him as an imp of chaos instead of a demigod.
Walter Cronkite told a story about some elaborate event at the White House in which Nixon kept looking at the ceiling, as if for bugging devices. His paranoia destroyed him.
So many great books about him, but I particularly recommend Rick Perlstein's "Nixonland" and Garrett Graff's "Watergate" for a sense of how he ran the White House.
Not just the soccer team, but the whole nation. I had been seeing many reports about how visitors from various countries were impressed by the friendliness of the Americans they encountered, and it was changing some negative opinions they had held. But once again, Trump has soiled America's reputation in the world.
If Pochettino puts Balogun in and the USA win, people will say the game was rigged. If he doesn’t field Balogun, and USA lose then he will be vilified. And Balogun - How does he feel about the whole thing? Does he want to play? Of course he does. Does he want his team to win? Absolutely. But his performance will be upstaged by the politics, and this will follow him his entire career.
This is a classic example of how Trump corrupts people and organizations.
(PS The ref made a bad call on Balogun, but that’s a whole other rant.)
Trump also promptly tainted the US men's hockey team after they won their first Olympic gold medal in 46 years. All he had to do was NOT call the team during their locker room celebration and say misogynistic garbage about the women's team (which also won gold), but he couldn't even refrain from doing that.
I looked into that a bit, some blame the owner/manager ( I'm not sure ) of the Timberwolves, but that could be arranged for him to take the blame, Some say he invited Kashyap, it's really hard to say. Now though, I have a chip on my shoulder about him after reading the wiki page.
I had a pretty quiet 4th, locked down at home with work, but my mostly-MAGA little town put on a pretty impressive fireworks display in the evening, which I watched from my back deck. Neighbors on either side of me were doing their own freelance fireworks shows, which almost rivaled the official version. (Fireworks are legal here, and this happens every year. It's noisy.)
But what was different this year was that some house nearby — I've no idea which one — started blasting out Tejano music loud enough to be heard over the booms. So that was my soundtrack for this Independence Day, which could not have been more appropriate as far as I'm concerned. The bigots and haters can do their damage, but they will never crush this rich, lively mess of a country.
I went looking on the Fourth of July in Seville for a little Memphis (my hometown) and something maybe halfway meaningful regarding the US. Found an Elvis at Sun Studio t-shirt at one record store, and a Springsteen Born in the USA t-shirt.
Figured that was mission accomplished and went back to my normal day in Spain.
Given the micro burst at Mt Rushmore, the heat and thunderstorms in DC, and of course the revenge of the algae, I don't think Mother Nature approves of Trump either.
I think it was God showing His displeasure at Trump and his Administration using Christianity as a political prop at his Great American State Fair fiasco. As a Christian, it certainly offended me. Baptism booths? Hymn sing-a-longs? Ubiquitous Jesus literature? There is a time and place for all of those things, but it is not at an event that should have been celebrating and representing ALL of America and its glorious diversity. I see the recent storms at the White House UFC event, the hail at Trump's Mt. Rushmore speech, and the heat wave and July 4th storm in D.C. as just another version of Jesus turning the tables at the temple - driving out the merchants and money changers for exploiting people. $25 pretzels? $23 turkey legs? $9 lemonades? "Den of robbers" indeed! And not a corn dog, funnel cake, or deep fried Snickers bar anywhere in sight. Trump's 250 celebration was a failure and a sacrilege and I feel confident God was showing the world what He thinks of Trump's narcissistic celebration of himself.
My spouse spent some years in DC and quite enjoyed the DC fireworks displays. Yeah it was sweltering but if it wasn't storming (unlike this year) a good time was had by the people who turned out.
Starting fireworks at midnight is unconscionable. No reason for a barrage at that hour...save it till Sunday night or something. If I lived where I could hear that I would be incensed. People are trying to sleep.
For my part I declared my own independence from our current Chief Executive, at least for a day, by going for a long bike ride along a wonderful nature trail and otherwise unplugging from technology that constantly reminds us of his obsession with The Magnitude of Me. What a refreshing change of pace. I may just have to do this more often. As in, regularly.
It is too easy to get lost down the rabbit holes he constantly digs for us, wrapped up in controversy as if oppressive and relentless summer heat and humidity. May you, too, find your place of inner peace and harmony as he pushes the envelope still further toward chaos and confusion. Don't let him take from you your most precious gift, of finding your own pleasure and communing with the people and things that bring you true happiness. He is not worth it. You are.
I spent the morning of July 4 with a few friends in a gloriously air-conditioned theater watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind.. (And the theater was nearly full! Pretty good turnout for a movie made in 1977!). I was planning to go stargazing that evening at a nearby observatory which was hosting a Quiet Independence Day celebration, but with thunderstorms threatening I thought better of my plan and stayed home and say some nice fireworks from my living room. No online time at all!
Wise advice, as usual, Deutschmeister. Although posting on the Bulwark is extremely therapeutic for most of us, unplugging completely and getting out in the quiet of nature will do more for our blood pressure and peace of mind. And you are correct, we should all be doing this much, much more often - for our own sakes!
Deutschmeister declared his independence from Trump and his tornado of chaos released on all, in service of his quest for worldwide domination for profit, control, and glory: and is worlds' better for it! Hearty congratulations to you on your inspiring success!
I, myself, have painstakingly explored, with more and more alarm, the ever-growing and ever-rising mountains of Trumpian enshitifications(sp?) mushrooming up all around us, taking over all that was before. We are now surrounded by these enormous stinking, steaming piles that befoul our minds, our bodies, our world. All our clear and open vistas have been lost to us in this toxic landscape he and his cadre have dumped on us with the detritus of their dark works.
Then, from a sliver in that canyon of despair I was lost in for so long, I finally glimpsed a tiny slice of the world beyond this land of powerlessness. It startled me; I was awakened to the hope and energy to create in the world that was still was alive within me. I was determined to live again, untethered to the downward spiral we were all roped into believing was our unalterable destiny.
Gathering with some others of similar vision, we slowly, carefully, made our way through the slime, the muck, the unbearable stench, heading towards that sliver of open vista. When it seemed impossible to reach, we encouraged each other to broaden our minds and hearts, to encompass a belief in our perseverance to keep going until we were out where we could breathe freely again.
Well, we made it out. There is no way to adequately describe what that moment of release was like, it has to be experienced; but, we can wholeheartedly attest to every painful step being worth the personal gain.
Now, having been immersed in this toxic world, and leaving with eyes open to the corruption and rot in our system itself, long preceding this time, we were given the gift of seeing the machinations of power that "stack the deck" against the populace it seeks to control for its own gain, now that it had finally amassed enough power in this period of time. Gaining this perspective of knowing the games power plays is of incalculable value in assessing the illusions and situations we see and experience. He and his kind have served a purpose for exposing the rot to be rooted out. We have our work cut out for us, yet it is a work of great reward to rebalance the scales of power, and leave this world in a better place than it is now.
I have noticed that weaning myself off of the "24/7" newsmaxxing wild and frightening ride of the last ten years has given me a measure of peace in my days and nights I had lost. There is so little I can directly control in the outside world, and taking in all these outrages and great troubles without cease has proven damaging to the psyche, and an exhaustion has pulled focus away from what I can and even must do in life. In deciding that wholeheartedly dedicating time for the good, and necessary, parts of my life again has been very good. It's easy to get triggered again and sucked into unlimited "need to know" mode, but the more do what I like and love, the easier the "Project 2025 world made manifest" recedes into the background. I'm even getting past giving T. rex my energy; (it may be that all that attention and energy he sucks up from all of us just makes him stronger!) Each moment I (re-)claim for myself has been a little, sweet triumph! Mind you, I do what I can to pushback against these dark forces, but not to the exclusion of all else; then I go about my business.
It's so nice to have taken time with nature, music, art, people, exploring the mundanities and mysteries of the world, and the fullness of life, to sustain and bring some measure of balance and joy to the time we have here. Living well is its own reward.
Thank you Deutschmeister, for sharing your enlivening personal story, and the welcoming way you expressed yourself. You reminded me to notice how I've matured in this difficult era. Each gain is a gift.
You’re “crying with joy” that the President of the United States put his thumb on the scales of an international sports tournament? If we win it will be forever tainted. No joy in that.
I thought that was an odd phrase to use, too. I watched an Adam Mockler take on it this morning. Regardless of whether the red card was a fair call or not, he says the president of the United States should not have been involved in any way. Let the U.S.A. coaches contest the red card through ordinary channels. let the fans march in protest, let TV commentators obsess over and analyze it publicly, etc. But the president getting involved in any way whatsoever is outrageous, unfair, and obscene and makes America, once again, look bad thanks to Trump's authoritarian antics. I don't think the Bulwark should be celebrating his interference in any way, shape, or form.
For me, one of the lovely, lovely moments that Donald couldn't stain or take away was the spectacle of the USCG Eagle sailing in as the tall ships made their appearance to celebrate the Real Fourth, not the Donaldian Fourth.
The Eagle had also sailed with the tall ships for the Bicentennial.
This has special meaning for me because my dear brother, who struggled with ill health for much of his life and died far too soon, had once served on the Eagle. His years as a Coastie gave him great joy and great pride. I think he was happier then than ever before or after.
The only 4th activity I paid attention to was the tall ships in New York Harbor. Beautiful sight that dwarfs everything the felon tried to do to make himself what he wasn’t.
I was at the NYC harbor in 1976 for the sailing of the tall ships. I still remember how good that day felt, the sun on our faces, the excitement in the air, watching the tall ships sailing back to us from history, and the many, many other vessels there to celebrate the Bicentennial. Despite all the difficulties of the time, it was a day we all shared together on that shore; a free people, celebrating together. It was glorious.
I think perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Trump’s coalition is their belief that he’s somehow the first human being in recorded human history incapable of wrongdoing.
You forget that they not only believe that of trump, but also that he is God's "imperfect" vessel - can't go wrong if you believe both at the same time!
Everything Trump touches dies. The US generated a tremendous amount of goodwill in hosting the WC. (Not with thee shabby treatment of the Iranian team though.) The games were great; the US team was performing well. Then Trump had to get involved and, now, almost instantly, the WC died.
Even worse than making the call to Infantino, he had to leak that he made the call to make sure that he was responsible for the FIFA decision… thereby making it worse.
The goodwill, of course, resulted from the hospitality of local governments and most of all from the friendliness of average Americans -- not from acts of the Trump administration, except maybe they decided not to inject the heavy ICE presence they had been threatening.
Is it wrong for me to hope Belgium wins? Not a sportsball fan these days (especially soccer) but is there such a thing as a tie score?
Belgium gave the orange idiot a diamond trinket. Cheato dust is thick all over this steaming pile. Everything he puts his vulgar, greasy, vienna weinie-fingers on gets corrupted.
I have relatives who don't care about the sport but do care about Norway. Right after the game, which they had monitored without actually watching, they put up a happy Facebook post. Within minutes, they got two responses from relatives in Norway who had stayed up to watch and were delighted that their American relatives had been watching too. (Well, not quite ...)
< Tim starts reading "Morning Shots" >
Trump: "“I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come.” "
< Tim stops reading "Morning Shots" >
And I will be the smartest, most handsomest electrical engineer of all time. FFS, we need to come up with a stronger word for this sort of delusional narcissism.
Glad you specified which type of engineer. My wastewater engineer crown is safe!
That's what you think! Trump knows more about wastewater engineering than all the great wastewater engineers! The man has a Ph.D. in sewage!
Apparently, he also has a PhD in fireworks. Seriously, did NO ONE tell him what damage his h-u-u-u-u-ge fireworks would cause. Not to mention, all those munitions did was make the display nigh on invisible to viewers.
If I had known there were crowns, my career path might have been different.
How about “delusions of grandeur”?
Definitely "delusions of grandeur" when you consider Trump's position in the panoply of American Presidents: Dead last, by orders of magnitude!
Trump is so much like the caricature of a crazy person who believes he's Napoleon that it's ridiculous.
Well said…:)
Reading Donald's words sent me back to the old James Thurber story, The Greatest Man In The World (if you haven't read it, it's a short read and readily available online).
Donald is a Jack Smurch for our time.
The Bulwark should do a weekly Thurber Thursday piece.
Or Walter Mitty...also a Thurber character. Seeing the president signing the useless MOU in Versailles makes me think of Walter Mitty...signing an acceptance of unconditional surrender by the enemy in the gilded halls of French kings...
I cant imagine him telling the interviewer on TV that he ended 8 wars, and she doesn't fall over laughing.
It would be sad to laugh at a senile old man.
Ta pocketa....
Thank you so much for citing one of my favorite authors of all time!
He lived down the road from me in CT. I have always been a fan of his writing, and, of course, his cartoons.
He says stuff like this because he is an insecure child who was never shown any affection while growing up. I can hold pity and disgust for him simultaneously. I am just sad that such a lame excuse for a man holds the highest office in the land. However, it is only disgust that I feel for the idiotic, blindly ignorant voters who put him there.
He says stuff like this because his father spoiled him and gave into his every whim. His siblings got shafted. No one ever said no to Trump.
Narcifascism. He could be the Narcifascist-in-Chief.
Dang, that’s good!!!
I think TDS will do
And like the felon, I will gain another inch to my height and my gray hair will change back to its previous color!
Perhaps "trumpety", a mix of "blowing one's own horn" and "acting like Trump".
Trump is just pathetic and getting worse by the minute. He would do himself some good, actually, if he shuffled off this mortal coil sooner rather than later.
The recent FIFA acquiesence to the demands of Donald Trump was about as predictable as you could imagine. Both the president and the sporting association are incarnations of the same grasping, corrupt urges, and they understand each other perfectly.
Contemptuous of rules and regulations, they will work together when they can - as long as neither of them gets in the way of the other's true game, which is profit through domination and control.
It is important to acknowledge how much of "the good show" goes into a relationship like this. They each play to their audience and assure themselves they are just giving their followers what they want: FIFA apparently has upended player penalties in the past in order to ensure the fans get an exciting game going forward, and Trump's drive is always designed to project the strength and power his base demands.
It's bread and circuses - as long as it's understood that FIFA and Trump get most of the bread.
Trump and FIFA are tailor made for one another.
FIFA did something very similar with Cristiano Ronaldo who received a red card last year and banned for three matches. He missed one game and then the rest was rescinded and a one year probation same as Balogun. Had FIFA not rescinded the ban Ronaldo would have missed this World Cup’s opening couple of games. UEFA knows this and it is pure posturing on their part. Of course Trump should have stayed out of it, but it isn’t like FIFA has done similar things based on article 27 in the past. Both the US and Belgium should just go out and play the game and we’ll see which team comes out ahead.
If Trump had just called the head of Fifa and asked quietly for him to recind the red card , it would have been one thing. But No- as usual Donald trump had to be a horses ass and brag about it. Now our family and thousands of people around the world will root for Belgium tonight. And they won't ever forget what bad sports we are if we cant win every damn world sports event!
We won’t win the World Cup and we may not make it past Belgium tonight, but the games themselves take on a life of their own which neither Trump nor FIFA can destroy.
I read that too. I heard the analysts during the game say the red card was uncalled for in the first place. It's just that Trump being involved in anyway makes the whole situation gross.
Exactly. FIFA may well have overturned it anyway as there is precedent for similar reversals.
I agree, yellow would have been enough - but the orange lunatic has to put his loud mouth in 🙄
Yes, I keep reading that rescinding the red card was unprecedented, but it just happened going into this World Cup, as you outlined.
I'm convinced that Trump's "intellectual" defenders see his contempt for rules as an asset. Their rationale, apparently, is that the rules were made by bad people, and therefore defying them is righteous.
Kind of. I think they’re following a paraphrased Wilhoit Rule: “There must be an out group whom the law binds but does not protect, and an in group that the law protects but does not bind.”
In other words, the MAGAs don't believe in that “everyone is created equal” stuff: they’re more interested in asserting the “natural”hierarchy of men over women, straights over gays, whites over Blacks, native born over immigrants, etc.
When their Dear Leader Trump breaks the law, MAGAslaugh it off. After all, he’s their King, and the King IS the law, so they don't care if he breaks it as long as he’s putting those pesky women, Blacks, immigrants, Communists, etc. back in their place.
That's part of it. In the higher reaches of MAGA-thought, there's a claim that "leftist ideology" has corrupted our culture and robbed Americans of their natural rights. Trumpian ideologues believe there's been an all-out cultural war against conservative Christians - or at least that's what they say. So whatever their chosen hero does, legal or not, is just fighting back against the oppression their tribe has been enduring.
I've also seen the idea that a war against Christians started with the founding, because the Framers were corrupted by "Enlightenment secularism." In this view, the government should enforce Christianity, because otherwise it's waging a sneaky "war on religion."
When people claim to be putting the laws of God above mere human laws, they often give themselves license to violate laws they characterize as ungodly, and claim a moral right to impose their own godly laws on everyone else.**
MAGA-land includes people who think that way, and they found a champion in an amoral man who scorns any rules that would keep him from getting what he wants. He and they might have different reasons for believing they're right to break rules, but they've made a powerful alliance of convenience.
** In some cases, it is indeed morally righteous to oppose unethical laws - for example, those imposing segregation or permitting slavery. But an agenda that makes a hero out of a sociopath is probably not ethically righteous.
Some of the Founding Fathers were religious, but all of them followed the cultural dictate that God be mentioned and thanked in our legal documents. It was the times they lived in. We currently live in the stupidest time when a large part of the population sees religion as a cudgel to beat the irreligious. Its just not enough that they believe, they need to fight the non religious too.
Good point. It’s a caste system with them. They are the highest order so they know which rules to follow because their intellect tells them. Royalty intrinsically knew from birth the right things to do, and if they did not, well, just go back to the first part of the sentence!
At 92 , Katherine, my memory is not as retentive as it once was...however, didn't I read somewhere that " all pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others? " 🤔
George Orwell’s Animal House had a take on your sentence. Unfortunately too many people believe this because they tell themselves to believe it. The Greeks called it Hubris.
Yet his most ardent are the badly educated poor or the badly educated newly rich.
They are also lazy, trusting information from social media, rather than from reputable sources. They also don’t want to hear another side of any story.
Don't forget MAGA's galling hypocrisy though. The rules were made by "bad people" only when Trump breaks them. You can bet that if a Democrat broke even ONE rule that Trump has trampled, the MAGA outrage would be through the roof.
Even though he is eligible to play, Balogun should not dress. He can put an end to the mess Trump has made of this by simply—and conspicuously—watching the game from the USA sidelines, dressed in street clothes. That would say to Trump: Thanks but no thanks. And it would enable the USA team to win the game free from any further questions or controversy.
sigh
"We’ll have to hope that Trump doesn’t do too much more damage to NATO or further embarrass the United States on the world stage."
LOL. Of course, citizens of other nations around the world have gone beyond laughing at President Bozo the Pervert Clown. Now they laugh at the Americans who voted him into office, twice. We deserve to be laughed at. To be clear, they are laughing at us, not with us.
Mr. Kristol, please define for us the meaning of "too much more damage".
This thug is a sitting wrecking ball.
Over the weekend, a friend with a subscription to The Economist (July issue) shared a gift article entitled America's Wrecking Ball Revolution, focused on the damage done to our international relationships and the post WW II world order. I was overwhelmed in recognizing that it is unlikely that this damage can be repaired in my remaining lifetime.
As JVL has said many times, how can our long-time allies ever trust us again, knowing that a handful of Cleti in a couple of swing states can return power to a tyrant at any time.
I'm guessing there will be a lot less ass kissing at this NATO summit. The rest of the world has figured him out, developed their exit strategy and it's now time to put it in motion.
There was an article this weekend that delved into just how developed these European leaders' characters (in the theatrical sense) are when it comes to kissing his ass. I think they practice in front of the mirror how to manipulate him. And neither he nor anybody in his administration is smart enough to realize it.
At this point they kiss his behind so that he doesn't bomb them back to the stone age. (If we had any bombs left.)
“To be clear, they are laughing at us, not with us.”
Very true, but unfortunately, MAGA never got the memo. On the bright side, I was told Trump is still very popular in Europe—after all, didn’t PM Meloni insist on getting her picture taken with Trump?….:)
I was just in Europe Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal. No one likes Trump. It got so when I was meeting some people, the first thing I said was, I didnt vote for him.
No doubt…:)
I listened to Bill ( Kristol ) and J Nordlinger, was really good to hear what Italians are asking Jay, what happened? ( to the United States of America )
I'm pretty sure Bill was being sarcastic when he wrote that sentence. OF COURSE TRUMP WILL DO MORE DAMAGE AND FURTHER EMBARRASS THE US ON THE WORLD STAGE!!
The members of NATO have to see that Trump is not well. I imagine they have secondary meetings that dont include Trump or his lackeys. Perhaps there are couple of sane Americans who can meet with our allies.
Would ending the cap of $184,000 on Social Security taxes save the program? By itself, probably not, but for God's sake, if it's going to remain solvent, one thinks that would at least be part of the solution. That cap leaves a whole lot of money on the table and if you make that much money, you can afford to pay the tax on all of your income.
"We laughed, collectively, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino bestowed upon Donald Trump the first ever peace prize issued by the soccer federation. But we’re crying with joy (though, let’s be honest, we’re all just a bit aghast) now that Trump has put his well-earned FIFA credentials to good use."
No tears of joy from this American. This is just more corruption from the most corrupt organization in organized sports, which is why Trump and Infantino get along so well. Fair and consistent application of the rules is fundamental to the integrity of any sport, and this is a blatant violation of that principle. When we celebrate our benefit, we ignore the unfair penalization of Belgium, who is rightly quite pissed at this insider dealing. Let's go Belgium.
If a larger fraction of the population is retired over time, then it's entirely reasonable for retirement taxes/saving to be higher since a larger fraction of GDP will be going to retired people, and therefore less to people still in employment.
Let the GOP make the case for increased retirement ages and/or other cuts. The problem with this is that people have health issues or may find it hard to get new jobs in their 60s.
Even perfectly healthy people find it very difficult to find jobs once they are north of 55. We do have to figure out how to address the issue that while Medicare and SS kick in when a worker hits their mid '60's, the labor market is done with them a decade earlier, either because of ageism or because a worker's physical health starts to decline--especially those who do physical labor.
Not to mention that companies get rid of people over 60 if they can. Traveler’s had a successful program to do just that for a few years.
NPR's Throughline podcast recently did an excellent episode on the history of the World Cup, which was dreamt up in the trenches of WWI as an instrument of peace. But corruption quickly tainted the games, as the 2nd World Cup was held in Mussolini's Italy. There were accusations at the time that Mussolini pressured referees to make calls favorable to Italy, who ended up winning. The FIFA president at the time (the man who conceived the idea while in the trenches) presented Italy with a modest gold trophy, but Mussolini had already had his own trophy built, which was six times larger. Oh, how the fascists love their trophies!
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/nx-s1-5845050/the-world-cup-was-supposed-to-bring-world-peace
How fascinating! Thanks for the link to a great story.
Italy won two World Cups in a row thanks to Il Duce. Now the U.S. might win a World Cup thanks to Il Douchebag!
Love the turn of phrase. But, there is no way the US is winning the WC this year. They are a competent team but even Il Duce could not drag them across that finish line. And I’m a US fan who was lucky enough to go to all three US group games this year.
Did you happen to see Il Douchebag's press conference from the Oval this morning? He said he didn't ask FIFA to change the call. He only asked them to review it. Typical mob boss. "Your Honor, I didn't tell them to kill the guy. I told them to take care of him."
While the tram has improved, and the first half against Paraguay startling sublime, the rest have been somewhat inconsistent. We will see which team shows up for Belgium. Pochettino has done a good job of putting the pieces together more creatively than previous coaches, but still a work in progress.
Thank You
"Trump’s voiceover on the video claimed, “I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come.” The president did protest too much, methinks."
Trump is undoubtedly both the WORST and the SECOND WORST President of ALL TIME. And that takes some doing. James Buchanon. John Tyler. Benjamin Harrison. Millard Filmore. Andrew Johnson. Warren Harding. Herbert Hoover. Calvin Coolidge. Richard Nixon. Trump underdid them all, by far, being much much worse than any of these loser Presidents.
Trump is 1000x worse than Nixon. I think the difference between then and now is that Americans are significantly dumber now.
We Americans are pretty much what we always were. It's our politicians who have been transformed, very much for the worse, by the explosion of dark money and the tyranny of the consultant class and also by the creation of a massive, toxic propaganda apparatus.
You can't overestimate the cultural and political harm done when Ronald Reagan's people fast-tracked Rupert Murdoch for US citizenship, so that Old Rupe could get around our tough federal laws against foreign ownership of multiple media outlets and dump his highly effective brand of political poison into the American civic well.
At around the same time Rupe was unleashed upon us, the talk radio industry began to heat up. Half a century later, between Fox, Limbaughism, and the horrors of the algorithm and social media, and here we all are.
Fox News genuinely needs to be shut down. It’s not a news organization. Surely those asshats know better.
Fox is making tons of money. There’s a big demand for what they’re selling.
I confess to a fascination with Nixon -- not least because he was actually smart. Often in a Machiavellian way, but brilliant nonetheless. But he's a Shakespearean tragic figure, in the classic sense of tragedy: "What if he wasn't undermined by his flaws or the fates?"
Trump is a buffoon, a demigod of chaos if that -- simply heedless to his destruction, with no sense of anything but himself. He is malaria, heartworm, the kind of parasite that gladly kills its host as long as it gets to procreate.
Great point. Nixon was, in his own grotesque and broken way, a bright man, competent, even a patriot. Woven into the paranoia and self-destruction he still possessed a kind of honor. Trump cannot begin to dimly grasp what the hell "honor" even is.
In college, I had a class called the making of the presidential character. The class was based on The Presidential Character by James David Barber. Our discussions about Nixon were some of my favorite. When I learned that, prior to dating to Pat, Nixon would act as her chauffeur when she had dates with other men, I felt both belated embarassment on his behalf and sympathy for this odd, complex little man. I've never thought of him as tragic, but you are right, perhaps deserving our sympathy more than our contempt.
Trump, on the other hand, is exactly as you have described him; a buffoon. Though I prefer to think of him as an imp of chaos instead of a demigod.
Walter Cronkite told a story about some elaborate event at the White House in which Nixon kept looking at the ceiling, as if for bugging devices. His paranoia destroyed him.
So many great books about him, but I particularly recommend Rick Perlstein's "Nixonland" and Garrett Graff's "Watergate" for a sense of how he ran the White House.
Trump ruins everything. Now the men’s soccer team is tainted.
Well, the World Cup-winning women's team is certainly not going to get Trump's tender care.
Not just the soccer team, but the whole nation. I had been seeing many reports about how visitors from various countries were impressed by the friendliness of the Americans they encountered, and it was changing some negative opinions they had held. But once again, Trump has soiled America's reputation in the world.
And the team seems to be a great team. I’m sure all have worked so hard and now there’s a✳️
Agreed. Everything Trump touches goes to sh!t.
If Pochettino puts Balogun in and the USA win, people will say the game was rigged. If he doesn’t field Balogun, and USA lose then he will be vilified. And Balogun - How does he feel about the whole thing? Does he want to play? Of course he does. Does he want his team to win? Absolutely. But his performance will be upstaged by the politics, and this will follow him his entire career.
This is a classic example of how Trump corrupts people and organizations.
(PS The ref made a bad call on Balogun, but that’s a whole other rant.)
Trump also promptly tainted the US men's hockey team after they won their first Olympic gold medal in 46 years. All he had to do was NOT call the team during their locker room celebration and say misogynistic garbage about the women's team (which also won gold), but he couldn't even refrain from doing that.
Not to mention the sight of Kash Patel in their locker room, acting like a 10-year-old. So cringe!
Yep, Trump is also to blame for Patel crashing the locker room celebration. Trump appointed that unqualified douchebag.
I looked into that a bit, some blame the owner/manager ( I'm not sure ) of the Timberwolves, but that could be arranged for him to take the blame, Some say he invited Kashyap, it's really hard to say. Now though, I have a chip on my shoulder about him after reading the wiki page.
Owner of the Timberwolves? That’s an NBA team. Why would he be involved with the Olympic hockey team?
my mistake, I'm not big on sports, but I did hear he was the one,
maybe whoever manages the MN hockey, men, that guy
I had a pretty quiet 4th, locked down at home with work, but my mostly-MAGA little town put on a pretty impressive fireworks display in the evening, which I watched from my back deck. Neighbors on either side of me were doing their own freelance fireworks shows, which almost rivaled the official version. (Fireworks are legal here, and this happens every year. It's noisy.)
But what was different this year was that some house nearby — I've no idea which one — started blasting out Tejano music loud enough to be heard over the booms. So that was my soundtrack for this Independence Day, which could not have been more appropriate as far as I'm concerned. The bigots and haters can do their damage, but they will never crush this rich, lively mess of a country.
That sounds absolutely delightful!
I went looking on the Fourth of July in Seville for a little Memphis (my hometown) and something maybe halfway meaningful regarding the US. Found an Elvis at Sun Studio t-shirt at one record store, and a Springsteen Born in the USA t-shirt.
Figured that was mission accomplished and went back to my normal day in Spain.
I'll take a party with Tejano over John Phillip Sousa any day of the week!
Absolutely!
No need to diss Sousa. We can play both!
It's all good. https://youtu.be/N12h6EfbcDk?si=G3t-MTAa03l0LaHL
great, well worth a listen
Given the micro burst at Mt Rushmore, the heat and thunderstorms in DC, and of course the revenge of the algae, I don't think Mother Nature approves of Trump either.
Mother Nature - "No means NO!!!"
I think it was God showing His displeasure at Trump and his Administration using Christianity as a political prop at his Great American State Fair fiasco. As a Christian, it certainly offended me. Baptism booths? Hymn sing-a-longs? Ubiquitous Jesus literature? There is a time and place for all of those things, but it is not at an event that should have been celebrating and representing ALL of America and its glorious diversity. I see the recent storms at the White House UFC event, the hail at Trump's Mt. Rushmore speech, and the heat wave and July 4th storm in D.C. as just another version of Jesus turning the tables at the temple - driving out the merchants and money changers for exploiting people. $25 pretzels? $23 turkey legs? $9 lemonades? "Den of robbers" indeed! And not a corn dog, funnel cake, or deep fried Snickers bar anywhere in sight. Trump's 250 celebration was a failure and a sacrilege and I feel confident God was showing the world what He thinks of Trump's narcissistic celebration of himself.
Thunderstorms in early July are absolutely normal in DC. The record heat obviously isn't, but low to mid 90s with humidity is.
My spouse spent some years in DC and quite enjoyed the DC fireworks displays. Yeah it was sweltering but if it wasn't storming (unlike this year) a good time was had by the people who turned out.
Starting fireworks at midnight is unconscionable. No reason for a barrage at that hour...save it till Sunday night or something. If I lived where I could hear that I would be incensed. People are trying to sleep.
today I heard 50 persons there had some trouble with the heat, either ems or emts
For my part I declared my own independence from our current Chief Executive, at least for a day, by going for a long bike ride along a wonderful nature trail and otherwise unplugging from technology that constantly reminds us of his obsession with The Magnitude of Me. What a refreshing change of pace. I may just have to do this more often. As in, regularly.
It is too easy to get lost down the rabbit holes he constantly digs for us, wrapped up in controversy as if oppressive and relentless summer heat and humidity. May you, too, find your place of inner peace and harmony as he pushes the envelope still further toward chaos and confusion. Don't let him take from you your most precious gift, of finding your own pleasure and communing with the people and things that bring you true happiness. He is not worth it. You are.
Beautiful words!
I spent the morning of July 4 with a few friends in a gloriously air-conditioned theater watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind.. (And the theater was nearly full! Pretty good turnout for a movie made in 1977!). I was planning to go stargazing that evening at a nearby observatory which was hosting a Quiet Independence Day celebration, but with thunderstorms threatening I thought better of my plan and stayed home and say some nice fireworks from my living room. No online time at all!
Sometimes for our own sanity we need to unplug!
one of my favorite movies, it really makes one feel
Wise advice, as usual, Deutschmeister. Although posting on the Bulwark is extremely therapeutic for most of us, unplugging completely and getting out in the quiet of nature will do more for our blood pressure and peace of mind. And you are correct, we should all be doing this much, much more often - for our own sakes!
Deutschmeister declared his independence from Trump and his tornado of chaos released on all, in service of his quest for worldwide domination for profit, control, and glory: and is worlds' better for it! Hearty congratulations to you on your inspiring success!
I, myself, have painstakingly explored, with more and more alarm, the ever-growing and ever-rising mountains of Trumpian enshitifications(sp?) mushrooming up all around us, taking over all that was before. We are now surrounded by these enormous stinking, steaming piles that befoul our minds, our bodies, our world. All our clear and open vistas have been lost to us in this toxic landscape he and his cadre have dumped on us with the detritus of their dark works.
Then, from a sliver in that canyon of despair I was lost in for so long, I finally glimpsed a tiny slice of the world beyond this land of powerlessness. It startled me; I was awakened to the hope and energy to create in the world that was still was alive within me. I was determined to live again, untethered to the downward spiral we were all roped into believing was our unalterable destiny.
Gathering with some others of similar vision, we slowly, carefully, made our way through the slime, the muck, the unbearable stench, heading towards that sliver of open vista. When it seemed impossible to reach, we encouraged each other to broaden our minds and hearts, to encompass a belief in our perseverance to keep going until we were out where we could breathe freely again.
Well, we made it out. There is no way to adequately describe what that moment of release was like, it has to be experienced; but, we can wholeheartedly attest to every painful step being worth the personal gain.
Now, having been immersed in this toxic world, and leaving with eyes open to the corruption and rot in our system itself, long preceding this time, we were given the gift of seeing the machinations of power that "stack the deck" against the populace it seeks to control for its own gain, now that it had finally amassed enough power in this period of time. Gaining this perspective of knowing the games power plays is of incalculable value in assessing the illusions and situations we see and experience. He and his kind have served a purpose for exposing the rot to be rooted out. We have our work cut out for us, yet it is a work of great reward to rebalance the scales of power, and leave this world in a better place than it is now.
I have noticed that weaning myself off of the "24/7" newsmaxxing wild and frightening ride of the last ten years has given me a measure of peace in my days and nights I had lost. There is so little I can directly control in the outside world, and taking in all these outrages and great troubles without cease has proven damaging to the psyche, and an exhaustion has pulled focus away from what I can and even must do in life. In deciding that wholeheartedly dedicating time for the good, and necessary, parts of my life again has been very good. It's easy to get triggered again and sucked into unlimited "need to know" mode, but the more do what I like and love, the easier the "Project 2025 world made manifest" recedes into the background. I'm even getting past giving T. rex my energy; (it may be that all that attention and energy he sucks up from all of us just makes him stronger!) Each moment I (re-)claim for myself has been a little, sweet triumph! Mind you, I do what I can to pushback against these dark forces, but not to the exclusion of all else; then I go about my business.
It's so nice to have taken time with nature, music, art, people, exploring the mundanities and mysteries of the world, and the fullness of life, to sustain and bring some measure of balance and joy to the time we have here. Living well is its own reward.
Thank you Deutschmeister, for sharing your enlivening personal story, and the welcoming way you expressed yourself. You reminded me to notice how I've matured in this difficult era. Each gain is a gift.
You’re “crying with joy” that the President of the United States put his thumb on the scales of an international sports tournament? If we win it will be forever tainted. No joy in that.
I thought that was an odd phrase to use, too. I watched an Adam Mockler take on it this morning. Regardless of whether the red card was a fair call or not, he says the president of the United States should not have been involved in any way. Let the U.S.A. coaches contest the red card through ordinary channels. let the fans march in protest, let TV commentators obsess over and analyze it publicly, etc. But the president getting involved in any way whatsoever is outrageous, unfair, and obscene and makes America, once again, look bad thanks to Trump's authoritarian antics. I don't think the Bulwark should be celebrating his interference in any way, shape, or form.
For me, one of the lovely, lovely moments that Donald couldn't stain or take away was the spectacle of the USCG Eagle sailing in as the tall ships made their appearance to celebrate the Real Fourth, not the Donaldian Fourth.
The Eagle had also sailed with the tall ships for the Bicentennial.
This has special meaning for me because my dear brother, who struggled with ill health for much of his life and died far too soon, had once served on the Eagle. His years as a Coastie gave him great joy and great pride. I think he was happier then than ever before or after.
The only 4th activity I paid attention to was the tall ships in New York Harbor. Beautiful sight that dwarfs everything the felon tried to do to make himself what he wasn’t.
Thank you for pointing out this beautiful vessel, the latest version of the USCGC Eagle, sailing since 1792.
I looked at the handsome photos of it, and it had a surprising Nazi Germany origin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Eagle_(WIX-327)
I was at the NYC harbor in 1976 for the sailing of the tall ships. I still remember how good that day felt, the sun on our faces, the excitement in the air, watching the tall ships sailing back to us from history, and the many, many other vessels there to celebrate the Bicentennial. Despite all the difficulties of the time, it was a day we all shared together on that shore; a free people, celebrating together. It was glorious.
I think perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Trump’s coalition is their belief that he’s somehow the first human being in recorded human history incapable of wrongdoing.
You forget that they not only believe that of trump, but also that he is God's "imperfect" vessel - can't go wrong if you believe both at the same time!
The whole concept of the revolutionary war was to move away from the concept of the divine right of kings.
As if DJT has not nudged himself into our lives enough, he has now done it in the world soccer cup to.
Since ETTD, maybe this will lead to FIFA being gutted and rebuilt, just like the U.S. and A. will require.
Everything Trump touches dies. The US generated a tremendous amount of goodwill in hosting the WC. (Not with thee shabby treatment of the Iranian team though.) The games were great; the US team was performing well. Then Trump had to get involved and, now, almost instantly, the WC died.
Even worse than making the call to Infantino, he had to leak that he made the call to make sure that he was responsible for the FIFA decision… thereby making it worse.
Everything dies.
The goodwill, of course, resulted from the hospitality of local governments and most of all from the friendliness of average Americans -- not from acts of the Trump administration, except maybe they decided not to inject the heavy ICE presence they had been threatening.
Trump doesn't care a whit about soccer. He made the call specifically so he could brag about it afterwards in order to telegraph his omnipotence.
I think he did it for media attention and because he is empty inside
Is it wrong for me to hope Belgium wins? Not a sportsball fan these days (especially soccer) but is there such a thing as a tie score?
Belgium gave the orange idiot a diamond trinket. Cheato dust is thick all over this steaming pile. Everything he puts his vulgar, greasy, vienna weinie-fingers on gets corrupted.
Ick.
If I pay attention to anything today, it'll be Spain and Portugal. That sounds much more fun, and Donald Trump isn't a character in that drama at all.
In this round of the tournament there if there is a tie at the end of extra time they have penalty kicks to decide the winner.
No, it's not wrong! That's what we're doing! In fact, we hope Norway wins the whole thing. That was some game yesterday they played against Brazil!
I have relatives who don't care about the sport but do care about Norway. Right after the game, which they had monitored without actually watching, they put up a happy Facebook post. Within minutes, they got two responses from relatives in Norway who had stayed up to watch and were delighted that their American relatives had been watching too. (Well, not quite ...)
"Ick" says it all.