[Discussion] Impeachment, Legacy, and Discussion of Individual 45

Though noted as discussion, news, debate, and all things related to events that occurred during the Tr*mp administration can go here. The scope of this thread is specific to the former administration and it's hangers-on in the aftermath of the shift in power for the United States and impacted areas worldwide.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Y’all see the Trump statement on McConnell? I really don’t see how the the Republican party avoids disaster with this situation. A house divided, and all.

I think Trump is trying to get back into the limelight and it won't work. He has his fans but his brand is fading.

Then again, Parler is back up.

I guess we can take bets. I think trump will win. He is the party now. He will be on a rally tour soon and people will flock to him.

He is the racist Jesus and people don't give up Jesus once they have sold their soul.

It's going to be interesting.

The GOP is comprised of this weird mosaic of demographics. These seem like the primary identities (there are many, many more sub types) to me:

Evangelicals
Violent racists
White collar greed-is-good types
Low socio-economic status, aggrieved types
Gun nuts
Conspiracy adherents
Olds
Elites who like strict constructionist theory
Self-interest above all else libertarians
Elites with strict constructionist beliefs
Chauvinists
Small business owners

Someone can certainly be one (or more!) of these and still not associate with the GOP but these seem like the main groupings. Lots of these groups overlap.

Lots of divisions in there, too. My take is the money in the GOP will go a different path than the culture war types and the long alliance between the wealthy and the aggrieved will dissolve. Trump takes the aggrieved
Will see if the money side follows. Good luck to the WSJ editorial board dealing with all the cognitive dissonance they have sown over the years!

farley3k wrote:

I guess we can take bets. I think trump will win. He is the party now. He will be on a rally tour soon and people will flock to him.

He is the racist Jesus and people don't give up Jesus once they have sold their soul.

Yes, and.

Trump was only ever in it for the grift. He didn't want, nor expected to win the first time, and was entirely disinterested in performing the duties of the job the entire time he was in it.

I fully expect him to run in 2024, but as an extension of the grift, and only as a grift. I'm not saying he won't want to win, but it'll only be as an avenue to extract $$$, not to actually wield power for it's own sake.

I think the "and" for me is seeing how much he can destroy the party. He is pretty old and won't be able to exert controller for more then 5-10 years. How much can he break it?

If all of this was taking place in a vacuum and only impacting deplorables, I'd be happy to pop a beer, get comfy on the couch, and watch what happens. Unfortunately, the republican party (whatever that is/means now), seems hell bent on destroying everything. Not just their own party.

Jonman wrote:
farley3k wrote:

I guess we can take bets. I think trump will win. He is the party now. He will be on a rally tour soon and people will flock to him.

He is the racist Jesus and people don't give up Jesus once they have sold their soul.

Yes, and.

Trump was only ever in it for the grift. He didn't want, nor expected to win the first time, and was entirely disinterested in performing the duties of the job the entire time he was in it.

I fully expect him to run in 2024, but as an extension of the grift, and only as a grift. I'm not saying he won't want to win, but it'll only be as an avenue to extract $$$, not to actually wield power for it's own sake.

No, modern conservatism has only ever been about wielding power for its own sake. Republicans want to rule, not govern. The grift, therefore, is an outgrowth of ruling. If Republicans just wanted the grift, they wouldn't need to run for office, which is a pain.

farley3k wrote:

I think the "and" for me is seeing how much he can destroy the party. He is pretty old and won't be able to exert controller for more then 5-10 years. How much can he break it?

Is this a challenge?

The last 4 years has been all about getting his kids and their spouses into positions to be able to continue what he started. There’s a reason for the phrase “the Trump crime family “.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Y’all see the Trump statement on McConnell? I really don’t see how the the Republican party avoids disaster with this situation. A house divided, and all.

We won't really know how this plays out until the 2022 midterms. If Trump is still able to pull in meaningful fundraising dollars from the base and actually uses that to back primary challengers, and if voters actually turn out to vote for them, it could cause a lot of upheaval in the party. However, it's possible that between now and then Trump's star fades for any number of reasons---people just flat losing interest in him; he just pockets all the money he raises and doesn't use it for politics; he and his family get thrown to a pack of hungry wolves---and the MAGA movement peters out and can't mount meaningful challengers in primaries, then we're back to business as usual.

Trump use money for other people?

Nevin73 wrote:

Trump use money for other people?

I should say that I think the most likely outcome is that Trump manages to launder his PAC money into personal expenses and makes few, if any, contributions to primary challengers. The wild card here is if his resentment at being betrayed makes him actually carry through on his threats, but I think that'll result in a lot of bluster in whatever forum will have him but not actually a lot of dollars to candidates.

One of the great paradoxes of the last few months has been that Trump fought like hell to keep the Presidency but was also clearly disinterested in the job. Now that he's out, I don't think he really gives a sh*t about regaining power.

You know, I don’t think he fought to keep the presidency per se. I suspect he would have fought for anything that he thought a) was “his” and b) gave him what he considered status.

He'll have no problem spending other people's money on challengers, or telling his followers to donate to them, provided they agree that he owns them from that point on.
He never cared about the actual power of the presidency, just the parts of it that kept him from facing legal consequences. So long as Republicans continue to refuse to hold him accountable, he still has all the power he wants.

Oh, please. This guy tried backing folks (on Twitter) the last four years and the record is abysmal. The man has no loyalty bone in his body and politics, regardless of how the pols behave in practice, is built on the concept of collective action.

He's never going to spend a dime on others. He only exists to aggrandize himself and that's the antithesis of a political party.

Sure. He'll grift folks. But he's physically incapable of actually building an institution. He's, like, institution kryptonite.

I want to hear more about this pack of hungry wolves meeting the Trump family. A lot more.

Top_Shelf wrote:

Sure. He'll grift folks. But he's physically incapable of actually building an institution. He's, like, institution kryptonite.

He's really good at building a portfolio of shell companies. (Or whoever he hires to do that is. There's maybe real story there: who are the accountants and lawyers who actually run the day-to-day business stuff, and how is it that they appear somewhat more competent than the people he surrounded himself with at the white house? Is the bar just lower when you're a white dude that everybody thinks is a billionaire?)

But you have a good point: what indicator do we have that a Trump political party will fare better than a Trump casino? Yeah, he's got a rabid fanbase who are willing to commit terrorism. But he's pretty adapt at turning gold to lead.

Yeah the only reason anyone he surrounds himself with is able to do anything is from the weight of the office they are chosen to hold. It is not from any sense of competency of the individual(s).

Trump Hotel Employees Reveal What It Was Really Like Catering to the Right Wing Elite

The Washingtonian wrote:

Everyone knew Table 72 belonged to the President. The round booth in the middle of the Trump Hotel’s mezzanine was impossible to miss. It didn’t matter how many Congress members were clamoring for a reservation at the steakhouse or whether some tourist tried to slip a manager some cash (which they definitely did). No one sat at Trump’s table except the President, his children, and, occasionally, an approved member of his inner circle like Rudy Giuliani or Mike Pence.

In practical terms, the restaurant wanted to avoid the horror of turning away the leader of the free world if he happened to show up on a whim. But the seat also developed a kind of mystique. Sure, it may now be a relic in an underperforming venue. But for those four epic years, it was a carefully curated prop in the Trump Show.

And when the star appeared, you had to stick to the script. A “Standard Operating Procedure” document, recently obtained by Washingtonian, outlined step by step exactly what to do and what to say anytime Trump dined at BLT Prime, the hotel restaurant.

As soon as Trump was seated, the server had to “discreetly present” a mini bottle of Purell hand sanitizer. (This applied long before Covid, mind you.) Next, cue dialogue: “Good (time of day) Mr. President. Would you like your Diet Coke with or without ice?” the server was instructed to recite. A polished tray with chilled bottles and highball glasses was already prepared for either response. Directions for pouring the soda were detailed in a process no fewer than seven steps long—and illustrated with four photo exhibits. The beverage had to be opened in front of the germophobe commander in chief, “never beforehand.” The server was to hold a longneck-bottle opener by the lower third of the handle in one hand and the Diet Coke, also by the lower third, in the other. Once poured, the drink had to be placed at the President’s right-hand side. “Repeat until POTUS departs.”

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert). Popovers—make it a double for the President—had to be served within two minutes and the crustaceans “immediately.” The manual instructed the server to open mini glass bottles of Heinz ketchup in front of Trump, taking care to ensure he could hear the seal make the “pop” sound.

Garnishes were a no-no. Melania Trump once sent back a Dover sole because it was dressed with parsley and chives, says former executive chef Bill Williamson, who worked at the restaurant until the start of the pandemic. Trump himself never returned a plate, but if he was disappointed, you can bet the complaint would travel down the ranks. Like the time the President questioned why his dining companion had a bigger steak. The restaurant already special-ordered super-sized shrimp just for him and no one else. Next time, they’d better beef up the beef.

“It was the same steak. Both well done. Maybe it was a half ounce bigger or something, I don’t know,” says Williamson, who had previously run the kitchens of DC staples Birch & Barley and the Riggsby. The chef had always prepared a bone-in rib eye or filet mignon for Trump. After Steakgate, he switched to a 40-ounce tomahawk. Trump would never again gripe that he didn’t have the greatest, hugest, most beautiful steak.

One more thing. Don’t forget the snacks. A tray of junk food needed to be available for every Trump visit: Lay’s potato chips (specifically, sour cream and onion), Milky Way, Snickers, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Tic Tacs, gummy bears, Chips Ahoy, Oreos, Nutter Butters, Tootsie Rolls, chocolate-covered raisins, and Pop-Secret.

OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

I wonder if the booth has a permanent funk about it now.

hbi2k wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

Well done steak with ketchup.

Strewth wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

Well done steak with ketchup.

Surely the ketchup is for the fries, right?

I mean, surely?!

hbi2k wrote:
Strewth wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

Well done steak with ketchup.

Surely the ketchup is for the fries, right?

I mean, surely?!

Have YOU tried chewing a naked well-done steak?

Jonman wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
Strewth wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

Well done steak with ketchup.

Surely the ketchup is for the fries, right?

I mean, surely?!

Have YOU tried chewing a naked well-done steak?

Well, no; I flatter myself that I'm a decent human being.

hbi2k wrote:
Jonman wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
Strewth wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

Well done steak with ketchup.

Surely the ketchup is for the fries, right?

I mean, surely?!

Have YOU tried chewing a naked well-done steak?

Well, no; I flatter myself that I'm a decent human being.

Well, walk chew a mile in a man's shoes mouth before passing judgement, is all I'm saying.

Jonman wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
Jonman wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
Strewth wrote:
hbi2k wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Trump always had the same thing: shrimp cocktail, well-done steak, and fries (plus sometimes apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert).

Well, sh*t. I knew he was a fascist, a criminal, and a narcissist, but I didn't realize he was a monster.

Well done steak with ketchup.

Surely the ketchup is for the fries, right?

I mean, surely?!

Have YOU tried chewing a naked well-done steak?

Well, no; I flatter myself that I'm a decent human being.

Well, walk chew a mile in a man's shoes mouth before passing judgement, is all I'm saying.

This should have been part of the impeachment proceedings.

I'm more offended by his apparent appreciation for Milky Way and Tootsie Roll

Sorry we knew all the well done steak with ketchup insanity in 2016. Deplorables still voted for his dumb ass.