President Donald Trump

[Bernie Brewer]

I'm curious as to the conspiracy theories you think liberals are touting, especially if those liberals are on the board here. Care to elaborate?

I still believe our best hope for progress is a coalition built from the center left and the center right, but there just doesn't seem to be as much center left as there used to be and almost no center right, at least not amont elected officials in Washington. Anytime someone in Congress tries to be center right, they are castigated and primaried.

So, you can take my posts to be heretical or ridiculous, but please don't take them as intended to be personally offensive. Should I ever intend to offend you, I will send you a PM.

Your posts rarely ridiculous and IMO never heretical. But who am I to decide?

I agree with your middle comment but think you might find more in the conservative group nowadays.

[Redbirds Fan]

Now Trump has tweeted that the NYC terror suspect "SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!" This means the guy's lawyers will claim he can't get a fair trial anywhere, and they could get some traction. Is there not anyone in the White House who can get this guy to shut up for even a day?

[Hornsby]

Now Trump has tweeted that the NYC terror suspect "SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!" This means the guy's lawyers will claim he can't get a fair trial anywhere, and they could get some traction. Is there not anyone in the White House who can get this guy to shut up for even a day?

Nope, there is not...as a friend is fond of saying: "He has the right to remain silent, but not the ability to do so".

And the alleged "adult" in the WH, John Kelly, is stepping into the mess with his comments on Robert E Lee and the Civil War...unbelievable how dysfunctional that place is.

[nullnor]

I read the Wall Street Journal

make sure you read the weekend review section. it's the best thing anyone has going these days. it's really good.

[nullnor]

if you only get the WSJ at work during the week, im the guy that comes in on the weekend and reads your paper for free. and you're missing out on the best section.

[Bernie Brewer]

if you only get the WSJ at work during the week, im the guy that comes in on the weekend and reads your paper for free. and you're missing out on the best section.

Lol. That’s where it goes? I thought it was the cleaning people.

[nullnor]

Lol. That’s where it goes? I thought it was the cleaning people.

i wish it was. i'd be going out with some hot Brazilian chick in yoga pants. i could have a big pinkish highlighter, like the financial times (not sure why they color their paper that way) and underline all the favorite parts of the best articles. and leave the section on your desk. after a while, i'll start to get better at it and even leave side notes containing pearls of wisdom. everyone will call me Carl the cleaner. and i'll become popular and the topic of discussion around the water cooler on monday mornings. they'll say things like 'i noticed Carl really liked that story on the mathematical analysis of the Ho Chi Minh trail.' or 'did you see all the notes Carl left on the story about travailing all over the world by bus, in search of the best sea salt flavored Semka?'

if anyone in the office is ever fortunate to catch a glimpse the legendary Carl the cleaner, they'll say something like, 'hey Carl, whats it like to work with hot Brazilian chicks that wear yoga pants all the time?' and Carl will reply

when I was a kid, I wanted to be John Lennon. but instead i became a world class talent agent. i signed Gisele Bundchen and Adriana Lima to their first contract with Victoria's Secret. i retired after all that and now i am the eye's and ears of Wall Street. i read everyone's memos and straighten out the workplace. best of all i get to read everyone's newspapers for free. and they don't even know they are missing out of the best section"

then i point out that the clock is 20 mins slow and they can't goto lunch yet.

in an alternate universe they even made a Seinfeld episode about me called Carl and Kramer go to Coney Island after i saw Kramer doodling on a WSJ weekend review section on the subway.

[Bernie Brewer]

i wish it was. i'd be going out with some hot Brazilian chick in yoga pants. i could have a big pinkish highlighter, like the financial times (not sure why they color their paper that way) and underline all the favorite parts of the best articles. and leave the section on your desk. after a while, i'll start to get better at it and even leave side notes containing pearls of wisdom. everyone will call me Carl the cleaner. and i'll become popular and the topic of discussion around the water cooler on monday mornings. they'll say things like 'i noticed Carl really liked that story on the mathematical analysis of the Ho Chi Minh trail.' or 'did you see all the notes Carl left on the story about travailing all over the world by bus, in search of the best sea salt flavored Semka?'

if anyone in the office is ever fortunate to catch a glimpse the legendary Carl the cleaner, they'll say something like, 'hey Carl, whats it like to work with hot Brazilian chicks that wear yoga pants all the time?' and Carl will reply then i point out that the clock is 20 mins slow and they can't goto lunch yet.

in an alternate universe they even made a Seinfeld episode about me called Carl and Kramer go to Coney Island after i saw Kramer doodling on a WSJ weekend review section on the subway.

Damnit, did you find the bottle of Johnny Walker Black that was in my lower left hand desk drawer, which was supposed to be locked?

[Bernie Brewer]

Damnit, did you find the bottle of Johnny Walker Black that was in my lower left hand desk drawer, which was supposed to be locked?

Yup, it’s missing. Carl!!!

[nullnor]

Damnit, did you find the bottle of Johnny Walker Black that was in my lower left hand desk drawer, which was supposed to be locked?

highlighting and annotating the WSJ weekend review section is thirsty work my friend. each march to the unoccupied news rack is a parade. each meal while reading is a banquet. each free newspaper is a small fortune. God i love working the weekend night crew! .. oh wait i think that's the Marines.

i only drank a quarter of the bottle. i calculated it carefully so you wouldn't notice. but i accidentally put a cigarette out in it. it's still good though! but i wasn't smoking in your office.. i don't know how it got there. Mr. Penske was looking for his file around your desk. and earlier he asked me for a lighter and had a cigarette in his mouth. i think he's (Carl makes the thumb and finger drinking sign) if you know what i mean. he has no appreciation for the arts. all he talks about is producing and numbers. i only highlight the front and back pages for him. honest. Carl knows his office politics.

[nullnor]

all kidding aside, it's most likely the security guards who put the paper in the racks in the morning. on the weekends they just take the entire bundle and plop them down on top of the trash cover inside the building to be thrown out later by the cleaning crew.

i come in and see an entire slew of the best news section known to mankind just sitting there unread and ready to be thrown out. millions of executives around the world that read the WSJ every day, but will never know the greatest section was within their grasp just waiting, isolated, alone, unloved and abandoned for a assistant executive vice president to experience it's sparkling yet informative effervescence.

sometimes when i come in on the holidays the papers are missing. this is when i look wearily at the security guards and wonder if they are keeping them from me. i don't know if i might've done something to offend them. i wonder if they are disgruntled and they want to ban this information, i fear that they are having a bonfire out back and burning them because they are jealous. have they suddenly got together to deny me essays on world history and science spoken by the greatest minds alive today. and then i realize that the company simply canceled the paper for the holiday. but for some reason they never actually realize that Carl is the only one reading them.

they think that when you come in on monday, some how your weekend edition is magically waiting for you some where. which is as silly as thinking microwave popcorn can set off a fire alarm.

because when the night descends on the corporate world and the moon rises in bright luminosity over the pale industrial lighted horizon, that's the time Carl the cleaner becomes a god. and out of everyone in the company, only Carl is enjoying free tidings of unknown and unexperienced media enlightenment.

[Redbirds Fan]

I heard the best explanation/defense for Trump and the Papadopoulos/Page/Clovis situation today that I have heard so far, and it came from Michael Caputo (former Trump advisor).

According to Caputo, the problem is that the Trump campaign was running with only about five (5) people in real decision making roles. Nobody else any authority to make decisions or plan strategy. The only reason people like Papadopoulos and Carter Page were named "foreign policy advisors" was that the newspapers were insisting that Trump name who was advising him. Trump had no idea who these people were, and never consulted with them before or after. Yes, Papadopoulos came to a meeting and floated the crazy idea of meeting with Putin. He was told he was crazy.

Caputo says he know it looks really bad that Donald Jr. met with the Russians and that Sessions has stepped on his dick, but he thinks there is nothing else out there with anyone, including Manafort.

So, I think there is a certain logic with the idea they were trying to run a different sort of campaign, keeping everything centralized in the candidate and four or five of the closest advisors. And I think there is some logic with the idea they felt pressured to add staff to address media perception that a campaign needed advisors in order to be legitimate.

Still, I think Caputo did the best job of articulating a reasonable and believable narrative. Plus, he gave some ground when he needed to, unlike Sarah Huckabee Sanders who flatly denies Trump saying things he clearly says on camera just hours earlier. If I were Trump's lawyers, I would put Caputo out there every chance I got, and I would adopt his approach. Of course, Trump probably would nix it, since he does give some ground, without which Caputo would lose credibility.

I recommend you check him out if you get a chance, and keep an open mind.

But, I think that various people in the campaign, including Manafort, were heavily mobbed up with the Russians and that Trump knew it. It is just unrealistic to believe he did not. I can't help but think about Trump talking about Christie and Bridgegate. "Oh, he knew it! Come on, how could he now know it!"

[Bernie Brewer]

Without the normal partisan BS, can anyone explain to me why our President continually feels the need to belittle our own intellegence community and give plaudits to Putin?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/11/politi...ing/index.html

Trump's acceptance of Putin's denial that Russia sought to sway the election in his favor seemingly runs counter to assessments by US intelligence agencies. While describing his relationship with Putin and the ongoing investigations into 2016 meddling, Trump seemed to indicate on Saturday that he trusts Putin's denials more than the comments of former intelligence officials, like former high-ranking intelligence officials James Comey, John Brennan and James Clapper.
"I mean, give me a break, they are political hacks," Trump said. "So you look at it, I mean, you have Brennan, you have Clapper and you have Comey. Comey is proven now to be a liar and he is proven now to be a leaker. So you look at that and you have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he had nothing to do with them."

[Hornsby]

Without the normal partisan BS, can anyone explain to me why our President continually feels the need to belittle our own intellegence community and give plaudits to Putin?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/11/politi...ing/index.html

I can't see any other reason for this, other that the fact they're pretty well in total agreement that Russia interfered with the election, and to Trump's benefit. Also that the rope is starting to tighten around Trump associates in the Mueller probe. It's all about trying to cast doubts on the credibility of the agencies, and the people involved.

I honestly can't imaging why he continually praises Putin, and calls his words believable...that seems to be a tactic that'll backfire eventually.

[Redbirds Fan]

Without the normal partisan BS, can anyone explain to me why our President continually feels the need to belittle our own intellegence community and give plaudits to Putin?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/11/politi...ing/index.html

With all respect, BB, the "partisan BS" characterization is part of the problem. What does your own common sense tell you, based upon the facts?

Trump's credit was in the toilet for years. He couldn't get the financing he needed. Then began the connections with international financial institutions connected with Russian oligarchs and Putin, reported to be the one of the richest men in the world. Is there anything partisan BS about that, or is that a fact which raises a question about where his bread is buttered?

At least nine (9) people close to him and/or his campaign have connections to the Russians. And many of those connections were not disclosed on the paperwork required of an incoming administration. If there is nothing sinister about those connections, why commit crimes by not revealing them as required by law?

Before the new administration took office, Mike Flynn was talking to the Russians about lifting sanctions. Trump, even after Congress has voted almost unanimously to strengthen sanctions, has delayed implementation and says they are too tough and that we should lift them. We are talking about Putin and Russia, our greatest enemy over the last 60 years. That would be okay if Russia had an open hand toward us, but they do not. Russia interfered in our election, a fact Trump has repeatedly denied.

Small questions. What would motivate a savvy Russian investor to pay twice market value for a resort home in Florida belonging to Trump? Why would Trump Jr. and Manafort take a meeting with a nobody Russian lawyer in the middle of a campaign?

There appear to be some fundamental character flaws which could be part of the reason. Trump seems to trust only billionaires and generals. And he seems to hero worship authoritarian leaders. Putin certainly fits the bill there.

What do these facts tell you, an intelligent person? We have a responsibility to make some decisions. We cannot simply say that one side is being partisan. We have to weigh what is out there and reach some conclusions.

Look what has happened now with Trump. He says "I believe Putin, now my intelligence community." He catches so much flack that he changes his story that he changes it to claim that what he really said was "Putin believes he didn't interfere." So not only is he a liar, but he is a cynical liar who will throw anything out there that he knows his 38% can hang their hats on. He has no shame. But so long as people who point this out are accused of partisan BS or fake news, he will continue to get away with it.