Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[Diomedes]

True (and troubling) that the only Republicans to openly oppose Trump have done so under cover of looming retirement.  Is that fact not also an opportunity for someone to seize and own the Not-Trump Conservative leadership?  Romney is still a player, he's still got ambition and a high regard for himself.  I wonder if he isn't keen to be that figure, and I think the situation in Utah provides him a unique position from which to make a serious (last) attempt at broad (as opposed to strictly Repubican party) national relevance:


http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/politics/mitt-romney-donald-trump/index.html

Polls suggest Romney would be easily elected in staunchly Republican Utah where Trump is far more unpopular than in many other red states. Reverence for Romney there and his role helping turn around the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic games would essentially make him "bulletproof" (as one GOP strategist put it), giving him freedom to respond to Trump's attacks without electoral consequences.
"With the power of incumbency, he's probably virtually bulletproof once he's in there," said the GOP strategist, who requested anonymity to speak frankly about Romney's potential candidacy before he has actually announced. "He'll be able to speak his mind and call it like he sees it."
In the 2012 presidential race, Romney won Utah with 72.8% of the vote. In 2016, Trump did not even cross the 50% threshold, defeating Hillary Clinton in the state 45.5% to 27.5% (A third candidate, independent conservative and Utah native Evan McMullin won 21.5%).

If, and I grant that it's a big "if", Romney is actually a patriot, and not just a politician, if he does actually put nation before party, then I think he might be able to frustrate Trump and that would be unequivocally good for the country.

[ice grillin you]

True (and troubling) that the only Republicans to openly oppose Trump have done so under cover of looming retirement.  Is that fact not also an opportunity for someone to seize and own the Not-Trump Conservative leadership?  Romney is still a player, he's still got ambition and a high regard for himself.  I wonder if he isn't keen to be that figure, and I think the situation in Utah provides him a unique position from which to make a serious (last) attempt at broad (as opposed to strictly Repubican party) national relevance:


http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/politics/mitt-romney-donald-trump/index.html

Polls suggest Romney would be easily elected in staunchly Republican Utah where Trump is far more unpopular than in many other red states. Reverence for Romney there and his role helping turn around the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic games would essentially make him "bulletproof" (as one GOP strategist put it), giving him freedom to respond to Trump's attacks without electoral consequences.
"With the power of incumbency, he's probably virtually bulletproof once he's in there," said the GOP strategist, who requested anonymity to speak frankly about Romney's potential candidacy before he has actually announced. "He'll be able to speak his mind and call it like he sees it."
In the 2012 presidential race, Romney won Utah with 72.8% of the vote. In 2016, Trump did not even cross the 50% threshold, defeating Hillary Clinton in the state 45.5% to 27.5% (A third candidate, independent conservative and Utah native Evan McMullin won 21.5%).

If, and I grant that it's a big "if", Romney is actually a patriot, and not just a politician, if he does actually put nation before party, then I think he might be able to frustrate Trump and that would be unequivocally good for the country.

kills me whenever i see the salt lake olympics as the reason for mitt romneys popularity in utah yet mormonism conveniently not mentioned

[ice grillin you]

Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president's son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic", according to an explosive new book seen by the Guardian.

Bannon, speaking to author Michael Wolff, warned that the investigation into alleged collusion with the Kremlin will focus on money laundering and predicted: "They're going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV."

[MDS]

i think i want bannon to die more than trump

[ice grillin you]

[Tomahawk]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-donald-trump.html

As I was reading, I was like all this can't be true, but at the end there's this:

HOW HE GOT THE STORY
This story is adapted from Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, to be published by Henry Holt & Co. on January 9. Wolff, who chronicles the administration from Election Day to this past October, conducted conversations and interviews over a period of 18 months with the president, most members of his senior staff, and many people to whom they in turn spoke. Shortly after Trump's inauguration, Wolff says, he was able to take up "something like a semi-permanent seat on a couch in the West Wing" — an idea encouraged by the president himself. Because no one was in a position to either officially approve or formally deny such access, Wolff became "more a constant interloper than an invited guest." There were no ground rules placed on his access, and he was required to make no promises about how he would report on what he witnessed.

Since then, he conducted more than 200 interviews. In true Trumpian fashion, the administration's lack of experience and disdain for political norms made for a hodgepodge of journalistic challenges. Information would be provided off-the-record or on deep background, then casually put on the record. Sources would fail to set any parameters on the use of a conversation, or would provide accounts in confidence, only to subsequently share their views widely. And the president's own views, private as well as public, were constantly shared by others. The adaptation presented here offers a front-row view of Trump's presidency, from his improvised transition to his first months in the Oval Office.

[phattymatty]

thankfully it's butt cold outside because i'm going to bundle up with some brown booze and tear up fire and fury this weekend. i'm addicted. look up the gorilla excerpt. even if it's 100% made up it's amazing.

[phattymatty]

also

https://twitter.com/janicemin/status/948932870776614917

lol

[smeags]

Janice Min 

[MDS]

the excerpt in gq is outrageous

he was so close to doing the whca dinner. my god that wouldve been something.

[smeags]

things like what igy highlighted make me laugh when I hear these religious zealots go on about how trump will restore this country's good Christian values, when he obviously has none.

of course im assuming this will all go down as just more FAKE NEWS.

[ice grillin you]

this is incredibly frightening

https://twitter.com/jeffhauser/status/948916181712429056

[Eagles_Legendz]

He's, like, really smart though.

[SD]

Tapper cuts Stephen Miller off because he won't get Trumps clock out of his mouth.

I guess a link would be nice

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/07/white-house-adviser-stephen-miller-full-interview-sotu.cnn

[MDS]

racist scum joe arpaio is running for senate in arizona

he has no shot in the general so i hope theres enough racists for him to win the primary. *holds finger to ear* im being told there are