So ... does this all mean that we don't have to wait for Trump's audited tax returns any longer to conclude that he is the biggest con man, grifter, scammer, and cheater that has roamed the Earth in our lifetime?
Color me surprised. Or maybe not. Yes, where there is billowing smoke, there is indeed fire.
So ... does this all mean that we don't have to wait for Trump's audited tax returns any longer to conclude that he is the biggest con man, grifter, scammer, and cheater that has roamed the Earth in our lifetime?
Color me surprised. Or maybe not. Yes, where there is billowing smoke, there is indeed fire.
This is the ultimate karma, the irony, the great beauty, of this historical moment. Trump's entire fortune, his most prized trophies, are now put at risk. His entire pre-presidential career of financial chicanery is now exposed under legal scrutiny.
Call it Greek Tragedy, call it hubris meets nemesis, call it black comedy, call it what you will. None of what is happening to Trump in a New York City courtroom--none of it--would have happened if the greatest business conman and fraudster in American history had not been elected President in 2016 and had not pursued his fraud-con career as a politician, publicly revealing his sadism, his compulsion to humiliate any person, to break any rule, any law, that gets in the way of his own interest.
In Trump's case we have to amend the old saying a bit: "Where there's billowing smoke colored red, orange, and yellow at the bottom rising hundreds of feet in the air and putting out enough heat to melt steel...there's fire.
And the MAGAs join hands, sing campfire songs, and roast marshmallows around that dumpster fire. (And maybe shoot anyone who tries to put the fire out.)
It's worth remembering that Trump Tower is one of the few buildings in NYC that allows shell companies to purchase units, no questions asked. And then look and see how many Russians affiliated with their government purchased units there.
I remember reading that some of TrumpтАЩs Florida тАЬhospitalityтАЭ properties were running Russian birthing guests, seeking automatic American passports for their U.S. born babies. But itтАЩs Russia, so those anchor babies are fine in the MAGA-Sphere.
There is an area called Sunny Isle with three or more Trump buildings. Those buildings are full of Russians. Many of them paid way over asking price for their condos. Where did the money come from? Mueller was going to look into that but the Trump appointed DOJ stopped him.
I heard that Florida's going to change their name to "mini -russia or to "putan-land" Hmm I wonder if this will change things? I forgot----Ron DUMB---Santis is the Gov. there---to BAD
As much fraud as has been recently revealed, itтАЩs only the tip of the iceberg. тАЬFlood the zoneтАЭ has been going on for decades. ItтАЩs impossible for law enforcement to keep up, even if they arenтАЩt handcuffed by the fraudsters themselves.
Rick Wilson has written that the Miami area is full of Russians laundering their money through property purchases, and that is spreading to the Naples area as well. If memory serves, Trump sold a Florida property to one particular oligarch at an outrageous price. Funny how Ron DeSantis doesn't care about white collar crime when it's his team doing the criming.
Property insurance rates down there are through the roof and real estate has become unaffordable. In some instances, property taxes are also increasing like mad in places like The Villages.
Am I a bad person for rubbing my hands with glee, at their unaffordable property insurance hikes? Usually I donтАЩt find much to like in the insurance industry, but in this case they might accomplish what the government canтАЩt - logical consequences.
Problem there being it is all the ordinary folks and especially farmers that are bearing the brunt of this. Don't figure the people who own property in the Villages much care they are rich enough to self insure if they have to.
I know; I was being deliberately snarky, but youтАЩre right that real people are getting hurt financially, and thatтАЩs bad. I think there will be inevitable serious upheaval with the climate crisis, and it wonтАЩt be evenly distributed.
As for The Villages, IтАЩm under the impression itтАЩs a middle class, comparatively affordable retirement destination - not truly wealthy. But like everything thatтАЩs a matter of relative perspective. My own impression from reading, is that itтАЩs rather right wing, with a predominance of Trump supporters, a high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, and a lot of self absorbed, shallow entertainment. Not a fan.
It's a bummer when you find out the TRUTH huh! the A--holes are around,but they only "parrot" what they were told to say. to bad they can't think for themselves RIGHT ?
I guess high property taxes are to offset no income tax. Here in Oregon we have property taxes and income taxes but no sales tax. Washington has property tax and sales tax but no income tax. Funny how the government needs money from SOMEWHERE to perform their functions. The Villages is a very weird phenomenon to me . . . I donтАЩt think I could get through an afternoon there.
The insurance industry is turning out to be the biggest factor in making people aware that climate change is real and expensive. The heat is worse, the storms are worse, the floods are worse, and the fires are worse. The costs are adding up and they don't want to lose money.
So true. I actually felt gratified when a couple big insurers pulled out of California completely - it sent a warning signal nationwide and will probably be repeated elsewhere. Time to get serious about climate change when it involves a direct hit to our budget; ignore the incidental of people dying in heatwaves, hurricanes and tornadoes.
It feels kind of backwards to me that Americans will knuckle under to edicts from corporations that they would never tolerate from our elected government. Privacy is another example; sure, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook - тАШtake whatever data you need to keep my online life humming, so long as Big Government stays ignorant of my activitiesтАЩ.
the way to help us is to WAKE UP THE GOVERNMENT ! and we can do this by VOTING--VOTING--VOTING--VOTING--VOTING--do you understand?-VOTE BLUE for every ones SAKE get the message NOW
I'm of two minds on that one, GG. My wife and I love southwest Florida, and pre-DeSantis, we were seriously looking at moving down there. I've written about this topic quite a bit here. But we've seen what Florida has become under DeSantis, and in my opinion, he is the opposite of a conservative governor, small-c, and he has made his state unappealing to everyone except the hardcore MAGA. Do I feel bad for those people who can no longer afford to live there? Not in the slightest. DeSantis doesn't give a shit about them, about governing, or public service, and it's time that MAGA pays the price for their vote.
Yes, there will be collateral damage and it's not right, but sometimes in order for things to get better, things have to get worse. And we can't let the Democratic party off the hook here. They've been a spent force in Florida for far, far too long, so they're complicit with what's happened down there as well. Did you know that 9 million voters eligible to vote in the 2022 election didn't down there?
I know. I have a sadness now, at all the states I feel unwelcome, or even unsafe, to visit because of the current self sorting of state migrations. My two children were born in Boise, back when Idaho wasnтАЩt so ideologically rigid. ItтАЩs not at all appealing to me now - but I have happy memories, which adds to a sense of loss.
There are many such states, or pockets within states. I went to a Town Hall with my GOP congresswoman in central IN recently. The tone among the (packed) crowd was predictably 90% openly anti-Biden, anti-govt, and pro-Trump. I was among the last to be able to ask a question, which I started with "I respect the people here today, and this won't be popular, but it needs to be said. We agree on many things, but not on one important thing we should agree on - that someone who attempts to overturn an election should not be President again ..."
There was more to it, but that's as far as I got before getting angrily shouted down by a good chunk of the room, and taunted by a guy in a "Let's Go Brandon" shirt. I tried to (more loudly) continue, and it escalated and got quite ugly and loud for a few minutes. I was glad there was a cop standing 5' from me. Never got my full question out, never got to hear my representative respond.
It was sobering to experience this first-hand in my own community vs on-line. No criticism of Trump, however respectfully presented, is tolerated. Keep your mouth shut if you see it differently.
Hats off to you, Mike. I mean it. It shouldnтАЩt require extraordinary bravery to do what you did - but it does. I wish I had your fortitude. Have you had blowback since? And thank you for trying. This is serious.
I'm sad about it as well because, like I said, my wife and I love it down there. But I can't in conscience move my wife to a state where her bodily autonomy is under assault. Between that, book bans, crazies running amok in places like Sarasota, white supremacists taking root in law enforcement, and government attacks on private business (Disney, cruise ship industry, etc.) and public education, and a radicalized base that loves all that shit, I think Florida has the right to make itself unappealing.
The infiltration of radicals into law enforcement (and the military) is very alarming. We may get a taste of that situation around the 2024 election and itтАЩs scary.
My daughter lived in Florida a few times during her husbandтАЩs Navy flight career; until then, 15 years ago, I hadnтАЩt realized that Florida had strong right wing elements - especially in the panhandle where Evangelical ideology invaded the schools. She hated it there. A contradiction to everyone who thought she had landed in Paradise.
Same here. My first was born in Wyoming, the second in Utah. Even though we aren't LDS, we were welcomed as part of the community. I wouldn't even consider returning to either state now.
I'm a viewer of "Aerial America" on Smithsonian Ch. It does birdseye views of the states and cities, etc. The episodes are roughly 10 years old. And in between the glorious scenery, they toss in tidbits of history. A couple of days ago, I caught the Wyoming ep. They were bragging about WY being the first state to let women vote in the 19th century, about women literally taking over a town's government because the big brave he-men wouldn't end the violence and corruption, etc. And I find myself thinking what they would say today about those states. Ten years - it only took ten years. Hitler took longer to subvert Germany.
IтАЩve lived in Wyoming three different times, in my youth. IтАЩd be afraid to drive through there now, and IтАЩm just a generic old white woman. I feel like IтАЩd have to examine my vehicle (oops! A tiny itty bitty Honda) choice and even my attire to see if I might inadvertently cause offense.
Those of us who lived in the Philly metro viewing area knew Trump was a con man way back in his Jersey casino days. On a regular basis we were treated to segments on Action News about Trump getting hauled in front of the Casino Control Commission for one violation after another, including using mobbed up contractors on his building sites, and swanning around with local mobsters on the casino floor.
This is exactly why I expect nothing from Chris Christie. Just like Giuliani, he could've prosecuted Trump but he looked the other way, ignoring the fraud and corruption because it might get him to the White House.
I worked for a big investment bank/brokerage in the 1980's--during the "masters of the universe" era. Trump had just opened Trump tower and I was in Manhattan for a couple of weeks on business. He was the butt of many jokes and was viewed as a buffoon and a fraud by the guys who had all the the money. He both wants to be accepted by that group and wants revenge on them. It explains why he surrounds himself with '80's retreads like Guliani, Navarro, and Laffer.
When I was in college in the early 80s my roommate was from Long Island. Hi father and everyone I met from New York regarding Trump the same way that you describe above.
I remember noticing that phenomenon in some kids at the playground during recess; they craved ANY attention; getting in trouble satisfied that need temporarily.
There was a kid like that in my elementary school class--he would punch you hard in the upper arm for no reason. One old dragon lady teacher told us that he's "just trying to get your attention," and she would ignore the behavior. Horrible woman.
ItтАЩs interesting how closely Trump fits that mold. WhatтАЩs different is that he became president! I wonder what becomes of most playground bullies. Probably depends on the wealth of their families.
Yes it is. I was just a parent playground monitor, and I tried to give them kindness instead of negativity. Another obvious behavior trait was inappropriate physical affection they would try to extract from adults. They were so desperate.
According to David Cay Johnston, Trump was considered a joke and a poser by the truly big players in New York real estate. Trump was the gauche, nouveau riche guy; the 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' clown stuck on the street with his nose pressed to the glass of all the old money clubs he would never be invited to join.
Exactly. He had the same low-class reputation with the financial dealmakers--the investment bankers and institutional traders that worked on Wall Street. He so desperately wanted to be part of that world that it was kind of pathetic.
It is religion, mainly religion, fundamentalist religion where their only knowledge is a Bible filled with misogynism, violence, no science whatsoever and racism (God punished some by making them black). To me, that is the big elephant in the room.
When my uncle was first out of school, he worked for an accounting firm in the Atlantic City area. Many, many, many small contractors went out of business because 45 wouldn't pay his bills. "Because I'm smart" indeed!
There was a guy in my home state of Delaware who built all the custom cabinets for Trump's casinos - and then he stiffed the guy. Drove him into bankruptcy and ruined his life.
These are my earliest memories of TrumpтАФsome guy from New York stiffing all the vendors that serviced his properties in AC. How any one in NJ could ever vote for him is beyond me.
I suspect this guy is just one of thousands of small business, working class heroes Trump into the ground. It stuns me how gullible his followers are that they can't see he wouldn't wipe his shoes on them.
Maybe they know who Trump is, but the evangelicals see him as a way to impose their religious views on the rest of the country, including denying the rights of women to their own bodies, demonizing gays and trans, continuing systemic racism, etc. To them, the end justifies the means.
Which proves two things about the evangelicals: they don't really believe in the teachings of Jesus, and they're just as power hungry and immoral as he is.
Perhaps someone needs to contact as many of these "stiffed" contractors as possible to get short video takes for campaign ads, and I mean now, before the primaries. Sure, many MAGA adherents will just say "Fake News" because they don't want to believe it, but with real life people telling their heart-breaking stories in brief, but credible detail, even peeling 10% off of his numbers would make it worth while.
I think there's a good documentary in your suggestion as well as some powerful campaign ads. except that the people telling their stories would be putting themselves, their families and their livelihoods on the line because of MAGA stochastic terrorism.
Only if they agree to talk. Asking them is the best solution, and living with whatever answer they have for themselves and their families. Their old livelihoods seem in many cases to have been destroyed by TFG once already.
The only was to beat a mafia organization is to disclose its actions and leaders to public scrutiny. His victims did not benefit from keeping quiet in the past; perhaps some or all of them feel, like E. Jean Carroll, now is the time to stand up.
Only if he had been able to leverage his financial misdeeds into becoming President of the United States, overturning a wide range of social norms, and potentially ending democracy as we know it. There is much more to the picture than just money.
So ... does this all mean that we don't have to wait for Trump's audited tax returns any longer to conclude that he is the biggest con man, grifter, scammer, and cheater that has roamed the Earth in our lifetime?
Color me surprised. Or maybe not. Yes, where there is billowing smoke, there is indeed fire.
This is the ultimate karma, the irony, the great beauty, of this historical moment. Trump's entire fortune, his most prized trophies, are now put at risk. His entire pre-presidential career of financial chicanery is now exposed under legal scrutiny.
Call it Greek Tragedy, call it hubris meets nemesis, call it black comedy, call it what you will. None of what is happening to Trump in a New York City courtroom--none of it--would have happened if the greatest business conman and fraudster in American history had not been elected President in 2016 and had not pursued his fraud-con career as a politician, publicly revealing his sadism, his compulsion to humiliate any person, to break any rule, any law, that gets in the way of his own interest.
An excellent point on your part. Filed under: Be Careful What You Ask For.
Value and earnings are separate questions, but I look forward for the IRS chapter, in which Trump *undervalues.*
did he say that d.j."trump" the HUMP! gets FUCKED ! I HOPE SO---- this is what he's EARNED !!!!
But, but, but...Obama's emails!
And tan suit and Grey Poupon... ....
Thanks Carter!
In Trump's case we have to amend the old saying a bit: "Where there's billowing smoke colored red, orange, and yellow at the bottom rising hundreds of feet in the air and putting out enough heat to melt steel...there's fire.
And there are Muslims across the river jubiilating, don't forget!
And the MAGAs join hands, sing campfire songs, and roast marshmallows around that dumpster fire. (And maybe shoot anyone who tries to put the fire out.)
It's worth remembering that Trump Tower is one of the few buildings in NYC that allows shell companies to purchase units, no questions asked. And then look and see how many Russians affiliated with their government purchased units there.
It's a big money-laundering operation set up in plain site.
I read once that the Trump organization had sold 1100 units to Russians over the years, often in blocks. I can't remember just where I read it.
I remember reading that some of TrumpтАЩs Florida тАЬhospitalityтАЭ properties were running Russian birthing guests, seeking automatic American passports for their U.S. born babies. But itтАЩs Russia, so those anchor babies are fine in the MAGA-Sphere.
There is an area called Sunny Isle with three or more Trump buildings. Those buildings are full of Russians. Many of them paid way over asking price for their condos. Where did the money come from? Mueller was going to look into that but the Trump appointed DOJ stopped him.
I heard that Florida's going to change their name to "mini -russia or to "putan-land" Hmm I wonder if this will change things? I forgot----Ron DUMB---Santis is the Gov. there---to BAD
And next summer the seas around Florida will actually boil, which might not be good for the seaside resorts.
As much fraud as has been recently revealed, itтАЩs only the tip of the iceberg. тАЬFlood the zoneтАЭ has been going on for decades. ItтАЩs impossible for law enforcement to keep up, even if they arenтАЩt handcuffed by the fraudsters themselves.
Yeah, I read about that some time ago. It's like a tropical Moscow if memory serves.
Rod Rosenstein and Bill Barr can go fuck themselves.
Rick Wilson has written that the Miami area is full of Russians laundering their money through property purchases, and that is spreading to the Naples area as well. If memory serves, Trump sold a Florida property to one particular oligarch at an outrageous price. Funny how Ron DeSantis doesn't care about white collar crime when it's his team doing the criming.
People are flocking to Florida because taxes are low, and thereтАЩs no stinkinтАЩ regulations. Perfect for criming! Even better for mob criming!
Property insurance rates down there are through the roof and real estate has become unaffordable. In some instances, property taxes are also increasing like mad in places like The Villages.
Am I a bad person for rubbing my hands with glee, at their unaffordable property insurance hikes? Usually I donтАЩt find much to like in the insurance industry, but in this case they might accomplish what the government canтАЩt - logical consequences.
Problem there being it is all the ordinary folks and especially farmers that are bearing the brunt of this. Don't figure the people who own property in the Villages much care they are rich enough to self insure if they have to.
I know; I was being deliberately snarky, but youтАЩre right that real people are getting hurt financially, and thatтАЩs bad. I think there will be inevitable serious upheaval with the climate crisis, and it wonтАЩt be evenly distributed.
As for The Villages, IтАЩm under the impression itтАЩs a middle class, comparatively affordable retirement destination - not truly wealthy. But like everything thatтАЩs a matter of relative perspective. My own impression from reading, is that itтАЩs rather right wing, with a predominance of Trump supporters, a high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, and a lot of self absorbed, shallow entertainment. Not a fan.
It's a bummer when you find out the TRUTH huh! the A--holes are around,but they only "parrot" what they were told to say. to bad they can't think for themselves RIGHT ?
The property taxes are also high for the politically, and intersectionally correct. It's not like the entire state is one giant Villages.
I guess high property taxes are to offset no income tax. Here in Oregon we have property taxes and income taxes but no sales tax. Washington has property tax and sales tax but no income tax. Funny how the government needs money from SOMEWHERE to perform their functions. The Villages is a very weird phenomenon to me . . . I donтАЩt think I could get through an afternoon there.
The insurance industry is turning out to be the biggest factor in making people aware that climate change is real and expensive. The heat is worse, the storms are worse, the floods are worse, and the fires are worse. The costs are adding up and they don't want to lose money.
So true. I actually felt gratified when a couple big insurers pulled out of California completely - it sent a warning signal nationwide and will probably be repeated elsewhere. Time to get serious about climate change when it involves a direct hit to our budget; ignore the incidental of people dying in heatwaves, hurricanes and tornadoes.
It feels kind of backwards to me that Americans will knuckle under to edicts from corporations that they would never tolerate from our elected government. Privacy is another example; sure, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook - тАШtake whatever data you need to keep my online life humming, so long as Big Government stays ignorant of my activitiesтАЩ.
the way to help us is to WAKE UP THE GOVERNMENT ! and we can do this by VOTING--VOTING--VOTING--VOTING--VOTING--do you understand?-VOTE BLUE for every ones SAKE get the message NOW
I'm of two minds on that one, GG. My wife and I love southwest Florida, and pre-DeSantis, we were seriously looking at moving down there. I've written about this topic quite a bit here. But we've seen what Florida has become under DeSantis, and in my opinion, he is the opposite of a conservative governor, small-c, and he has made his state unappealing to everyone except the hardcore MAGA. Do I feel bad for those people who can no longer afford to live there? Not in the slightest. DeSantis doesn't give a shit about them, about governing, or public service, and it's time that MAGA pays the price for their vote.
Agree with you, Tim; but it's sad that there will be collateral damage alongside MAGA paying the price for their damage.
Yes, there will be collateral damage and it's not right, but sometimes in order for things to get better, things have to get worse. And we can't let the Democratic party off the hook here. They've been a spent force in Florida for far, far too long, so they're complicit with what's happened down there as well. Did you know that 9 million voters eligible to vote in the 2022 election didn't down there?
I know. I have a sadness now, at all the states I feel unwelcome, or even unsafe, to visit because of the current self sorting of state migrations. My two children were born in Boise, back when Idaho wasnтАЩt so ideologically rigid. ItтАЩs not at all appealing to me now - but I have happy memories, which adds to a sense of loss.
There are many such states, or pockets within states. I went to a Town Hall with my GOP congresswoman in central IN recently. The tone among the (packed) crowd was predictably 90% openly anti-Biden, anti-govt, and pro-Trump. I was among the last to be able to ask a question, which I started with "I respect the people here today, and this won't be popular, but it needs to be said. We agree on many things, but not on one important thing we should agree on - that someone who attempts to overturn an election should not be President again ..."
There was more to it, but that's as far as I got before getting angrily shouted down by a good chunk of the room, and taunted by a guy in a "Let's Go Brandon" shirt. I tried to (more loudly) continue, and it escalated and got quite ugly and loud for a few minutes. I was glad there was a cop standing 5' from me. Never got my full question out, never got to hear my representative respond.
It was sobering to experience this first-hand in my own community vs on-line. No criticism of Trump, however respectfully presented, is tolerated. Keep your mouth shut if you see it differently.
Hats off to you, Mike. I mean it. It shouldnтАЩt require extraordinary bravery to do what you did - but it does. I wish I had your fortitude. Have you had blowback since? And thank you for trying. This is serious.
I'm sad about it as well because, like I said, my wife and I love it down there. But I can't in conscience move my wife to a state where her bodily autonomy is under assault. Between that, book bans, crazies running amok in places like Sarasota, white supremacists taking root in law enforcement, and government attacks on private business (Disney, cruise ship industry, etc.) and public education, and a radicalized base that loves all that shit, I think Florida has the right to make itself unappealing.
And permitless carry....how many of the crazies are packing?
The infiltration of radicals into law enforcement (and the military) is very alarming. We may get a taste of that situation around the 2024 election and itтАЩs scary.
My daughter lived in Florida a few times during her husbandтАЩs Navy flight career; until then, 15 years ago, I hadnтАЩt realized that Florida had strong right wing elements - especially in the panhandle where Evangelical ideology invaded the schools. She hated it there. A contradiction to everyone who thought she had landed in Paradise.
Same here. My first was born in Wyoming, the second in Utah. Even though we aren't LDS, we were welcomed as part of the community. I wouldn't even consider returning to either state now.
I'm a viewer of "Aerial America" on Smithsonian Ch. It does birdseye views of the states and cities, etc. The episodes are roughly 10 years old. And in between the glorious scenery, they toss in tidbits of history. A couple of days ago, I caught the Wyoming ep. They were bragging about WY being the first state to let women vote in the 19th century, about women literally taking over a town's government because the big brave he-men wouldn't end the violence and corruption, etc. And I find myself thinking what they would say today about those states. Ten years - it only took ten years. Hitler took longer to subvert Germany.
IтАЩve lived in Wyoming three different times, in my youth. IтАЩd be afraid to drive through there now, and IтАЩm just a generic old white woman. I feel like IтАЩd have to examine my vehicle (oops! A tiny itty bitty Honda) choice and even my attire to see if I might inadvertently cause offense.
Actually, we never had to wait; it was written all over his persona and actions long before he descended on that "golden" escalator.
Those of us who lived in the Philly metro viewing area knew Trump was a con man way back in his Jersey casino days. On a regular basis we were treated to segments on Action News about Trump getting hauled in front of the Casino Control Commission for one violation after another, including using mobbed up contractors on his building sites, and swanning around with local mobsters on the casino floor.
This is exactly why I expect nothing from Chris Christie. Just like Giuliani, he could've prosecuted Trump but he looked the other way, ignoring the fraud and corruption because it might get him to the White House.
In 2016 Clinton won 98% of NYC votes. They knew all too well that Trump was/is a fraud.
Those who know him best, like him least.
I worked for a big investment bank/brokerage in the 1980's--during the "masters of the universe" era. Trump had just opened Trump tower and I was in Manhattan for a couple of weeks on business. He was the butt of many jokes and was viewed as a buffoon and a fraud by the guys who had all the the money. He both wants to be accepted by that group and wants revenge on them. It explains why he surrounds himself with '80's retreads like Guliani, Navarro, and Laffer.
When I was in college in the early 80s my roommate was from Long Island. Hi father and everyone I met from New York regarding Trump the same way that you describe above.
He feels the same about тАЬthe mediaтАЭ. He тАЬhatesтАЭ the media, but craves the headlines. For him, the only bad news is not being the news.
I remember noticing that phenomenon in some kids at the playground during recess; they craved ANY attention; getting in trouble satisfied that need temporarily.
There was a kid like that in my elementary school class--he would punch you hard in the upper arm for no reason. One old dragon lady teacher told us that he's "just trying to get your attention," and she would ignore the behavior. Horrible woman.
ItтАЩs interesting how closely Trump fits that mold. WhatтАЩs different is that he became president! I wonder what becomes of most playground bullies. Probably depends on the wealth of their families.
They run for president....of their HOA
Thinking back, I don't know what became of the bullies in my school. Likely not much if dad didn't run a company, since they weren't very bright.
What I do remember is that most of their toadies went into law enforcement.
That, on a deep level, is really sad.
Yes it is. I was just a parent playground monitor, and I tried to give them kindness instead of negativity. Another obvious behavior trait was inappropriate physical affection they would try to extract from adults. They were so desperate.
According to David Cay Johnston, Trump was considered a joke and a poser by the truly big players in New York real estate. Trump was the gauche, nouveau riche guy; the 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' clown stuck on the street with his nose pressed to the glass of all the old money clubs he would never be invited to join.
Exactly. He had the same low-class reputation with the financial dealmakers--the investment bankers and institutional traders that worked on Wall Street. He so desperately wanted to be part of that world that it was kind of pathetic.
it was not "pathetic"-----JUST EARNED ! HUMP d.j."trump:the HUMP!
I grew up in New Orleans and even I knew that trump was a con man and grifter. It boggles my mind that people fell for and continue to fall for it.
It is religion, mainly religion, fundamentalist religion where their only knowledge is a Bible filled with misogynism, violence, no science whatsoever and racism (God punished some by making them black). To me, that is the big elephant in the room.
P T Barnum's only mistake was estimating the number of suckers born every minute.
When my uncle was first out of school, he worked for an accounting firm in the Atlantic City area. Many, many, many small contractors went out of business because 45 wouldn't pay his bills. "Because I'm smart" indeed!
There was a guy in my home state of Delaware who built all the custom cabinets for Trump's casinos - and then he stiffed the guy. Drove him into bankruptcy and ruined his life.
These are my earliest memories of TrumpтАФsome guy from New York stiffing all the vendors that serviced his properties in AC. How any one in NJ could ever vote for him is beyond me.
Yup! Vote MAGA, he's the champion of the working class! All kidding aside, sorry to hear about how 45 stole this guy's livelihood.
I suspect this guy is just one of thousands of small business, working class heroes Trump into the ground. It stuns me how gullible his followers are that they can't see he wouldn't wipe his shoes on them.
Maybe they know who Trump is, but the evangelicals see him as a way to impose their religious views on the rest of the country, including denying the rights of women to their own bodies, demonizing gays and trans, continuing systemic racism, etc. To them, the end justifies the means.
Which proves two things about the evangelicals: they don't really believe in the teachings of Jesus, and they're just as power hungry and immoral as he is.
Perhaps someone needs to contact as many of these "stiffed" contractors as possible to get short video takes for campaign ads, and I mean now, before the primaries. Sure, many MAGA adherents will just say "Fake News" because they don't want to believe it, but with real life people telling their heart-breaking stories in brief, but credible detail, even peeling 10% off of his numbers would make it worth while.
I think there's a good documentary in your suggestion as well as some powerful campaign ads. except that the people telling their stories would be putting themselves, their families and their livelihoods on the line because of MAGA stochastic terrorism.
Only if they agree to talk. Asking them is the best solution, and living with whatever answer they have for themselves and their families. Their old livelihoods seem in many cases to have been destroyed by TFG once already.
The only was to beat a mafia organization is to disclose its actions and leaders to public scrutiny. His victims did not benefit from keeping quiet in the past; perhaps some or all of them feel, like E. Jean Carroll, now is the time to stand up.
Agree!
I donтАЩt know, I think Madoff still hashim beat.
Madoff isn't even the second most famous Bernie* out there. Donald has long ago surpassed Corleone** and even Duck status.
* Sanders and Weekend at...
** I know, I know
*Bernie Kerik has entered the chat*
Not if I had to google him.
Sorry, forgot the sarcasm tag
Corleaone was a real leader, though fictional.
Yeah, but he wasn't a Donald.
Only if he had been able to leverage his financial misdeeds into becoming President of the United States, overturning a wide range of social norms, and potentially ending democracy as we know it. There is much more to the picture than just money.
тАЬPresident MadoffтАЭ? Well thank goodness THAT didnтАЩt happen. Dodged a bullet there. Oh, wait . . .