(from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/peter-wehner-trump-presidency-over/607969/)
"When, in January 2016, I wrote that despite being a lifelong Republican who worked in the previous three GOP administrations, I would never vote for Donald Trump, even though his administration would align much more with my policy views than a Hillary Clinton presidency would, a lot of my Republican friends were befuddled. How could I not vote for a person who checked far more of my policy boxes than his opponent? . . . What I explained then, and what I have said many times since, is that Trump is fundamentally unfit—intellectually, morally, temperamentally, and psychologically—for office. For me, that is the paramount consideration in electing a president, in part because at some point it’s reasonable to expect that a president will face an unexpected crisis—and at that point, the president’s judgment and discernment, his character and leadership ability, will really matter. . . this is a massive failure in leadership that stems from a massive defect in character. Trump is such a habitual liar that he is incapable of being honest, even when being honest would serve his interests. He is so impulsive, shortsighted, and undisciplined that he is unable to plan or even think beyond the moment. He is such a divisive and polarizing figure that he long ago lost the ability to unite the nation under any circumstances and for any cause. And he is so narcissistic and unreflective that he is completely incapable of learning from his mistakes. The president’s disordered personality makes him as ill-equipped to deal with a crisis as any president has ever been. With few exceptions, what Trump has said is not just useless; it is downright injurious. . ."
I assure you that I am in neither political 'camp' but I am a great fan of the facts. Regarding the one tying Hillary Clinton to Russia through uranium, I would suggest anyone trying to make a point should refrain from using the Trump playbook, because that is one source that contains a dearth of factual information.
( from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hillary-clinton-uranium-russia-deal/)
". . . Among the ways these accusations stray from the facts is in attributing a power of veto or approval to Secretary Clinton that she simply did not have. Clinton was one of nine cabinet members and department heads that sit on the CFIUS, and the secretary of the treasury is its chairperson. CFIUS members are collectively charged with evaluating proposed foreign acquisitions for potential national security issues, then turning their findings over to the president. By law, the committee can’t veto a transaction; only the president can.
All nine federal agencies were required to approve the Uranium One transaction before it could go forward. According to The New York Times, Clinton may not have even directly participated in the decision. Then-Assistant Secretary of State Jose Fernandez, whose job it was to represent the State Dept. on CFIUS, said Clinton “never intervened” in committee matters. Clinton herself has said she wasn’t personally involved. . ."
(from https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/murphy-brown-returns-20-years-later-culture-feminist-icon-helped-n841366)
". . . “Murphy Brown” fired back in its fifth-season premiere, depicting its protagonist listening to the (Dan Quayle) speech and musing: “Perhaps it’s time for the vice president to expand his definition and recognize that, whether by choice or circumstance, families come in all shapes and sizes.”. . . The feud between Quayle and Bergen’s primetime alter ego dominated headlines at the height of President George H.W. Bush’s re-election campaign. Bush went on to lose the election to Bill Clinton that November. . . “It’s hard to overstate how huge a deal that was in American culture,” Press said. “[Quayle] demonized a fictional character for being representative of the downfall of American family values!”. . ."
(from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fbi-texts-trump-clinton-deep-state_us_5a615538e4b01d91b25449c9)
". . . Messages between two FBI employees show they recoiled at the idea of using government power against anti-Clinton forces. . . If they (Peter Strzok and Lisa Page) were part of a “deep state” operation to keep Trump from being elected, weaponizing government power to target a critic of the FBI and root out anti-Clinton forces within the bureau would’ve been a pretty solid move. . . Yet both Page and Strzok recoiled at this suggestion. Strzok found the criticism and the woman’s suggestion “wildly infuriating.” Page, an FBI lawyer, said that the criticism would’ve made her “blind with rage” and wondered what possible legal basis there could be for obtaining Kallstrom’s phone records. The texts make clear that both Strzok and Page were frustrated by stories that reflected poorly upon the FBI’s handling of the Clinton probe and elsewhere suggest that Page may have spoken with a reporter, evidently in defense of the bureau’s actions in the Clinton Foundation investigation. But in their texts on the eve of Trump’s election, both seem to recognize that obtaining phone records of a former FBI official to hunt down his anti-Clinton sources within the bureau was a pretty bad idea. . . "
(from http://nypost.com/2017/09/12/hillary-clintons-book-signing-was-as-insufferable-as-youd-expect/)
". . . Hillary's attendees (at a recent book signing) were willing to follow any directive. There were many, and here, in part, were the written instructions: "A limited number of wristbands for entry will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with purchase of the featured title at Barnes & Noble Union Square. Hillary Rodham Clinton will sign copies of her new release, What Happened and the 2017 illustrated children's edition of It Takes a Village, no exceptions or personalizing. She will sign up to two books per customer, one of which must be What Happened. No other books or memorabilia please. Posed photos or selfies will not be taking place . . . Book purchase and wristbands are both required to meet the author, no exceptions. Customers without wristbands will not be allowed to participate in any capacity.". . ."
(from http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451202/hillary-clinton-book-tour-she-cares-about-herself-not-democrats)
". . . Hillary’s Tour of Petty Proves She Cares More about Herself than Her Party. . ."
(from me)
"Party? What about country?"
(from http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451202/hillary-clinton-book-tour-she-cares-about-herself-not-democrats)
". . . it’s almost as if she’s more concerned about her own desperate quest for vindication than about the Democratic party itself. . ."
(from me)
"Not unlike the current president with continuous rallies and an election commission. . . "
(from http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451202/hillary-clinton-book-tour-she-cares-about-herself-not-democrats)
". . . preview quotes suggest that it’s (her book) going to be a lot more of her dwelling on the past. . ."
(from me)
"see above from me"
(from http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451202/hillary-clinton-book-tour-she-cares-about-herself-not-democrats)
". . . quote about her primary opponent, Bernie Sanders: “His attacks caused lasting damage, making it harder to unify progressives in the general election and paving the way for Trump’s ‘Crooked Hillary’ campaign.” . . . Clinton is accusing Bernie Sanders of tearing apart the party by criticizing her during the primary — which, by the way, is a normal thing for an opponent to do when he’s trying to win an election — while she’s continuing to criticize him when there’s nothing left to be won. If Sanders’s comments really upset Clinton because she thought they damaged party unity, then she wouldn’t be going out of her way to continue the fight long after it was over. Ironically enough, Bernie is the one who has continued to demonstrate his commitment to the progressive platform over personal pettiness. Bernie had much more of a right to be miffed by his loss in the primary than Hillary did by hers in the general — what with the DNC basically rigging the primary in her favor — and yet, the moment he lost, he immediately encouraged his supporters to exit primary mode and support her. . ."
(from me)
"True, true and true. Certainly the bigger man. Not without flaws though, mind you. He did encourage his supporters to support her after the primary. But then I guess that's the party unity mentioned at the start."
(http://www.npr.org/2017/06/21/533889445/after-georgia-win-a-triumphant-trump-returns-to-campaign-trail-in-iowa)
". . . it was freewheeling Trump as he jumped from topic to topic, strayed off-message, made some head-scratching remarks and revisited some old campaign trail favorites. . . In talking about his cadre of advisers, he boasted about their financial pedigrees — even though he'd slammed Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail or being too close to those same interests. . . "We have Gary Cohn, who is the president of Goldman Sachs. He's the president of Goldman Sachs. He had to pay $200 million dollars in taxes to take the job, right? So, somebody said 'Why did you appoint a rich person to be in charge of the economy?' I said, 'Because that's the kind of thinking we want,' " Trump said, adding that Cohn and other multimillionaires in his Cabinet had to "give up a lot" in taking administration jobs, going from "massive paydays to peanuts.". . ."
. . . is a term that seems to be heard a lot lately and one that I believe we will be hearing again and again in light of the recent presidential election results.
. . . on prosecuting Hillary Clinton, he replied, “It’s just not something that I feel very strongly about."
. . . on torture, Mr. Trump told the Times, is “not going to make the kind of a difference that a lot of people are thinking.”
. . . on climate change and Paris accords . . . “I’m looking at it very closely,” he said. “I have an open mind to it.”
. . . on changing the libel laws . . . “’You know, you might be sued a lot more.’ I said, ‘You know, I hadn’t thought of that.’”
(from https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/dave-barrys-year-in-review-trump-and-the-hideous-monstrosity-that-was-2016/2016/12/29/17c84a14-b7d6-11e6-b8df-600bd9d38a02_story.html?utm_term=.1504a691feba)
". . . Then there was 2003, when a person named “Paris Hilton” suddenly became a major international superstar, despite possessing a level of discernible talent so low as to make the Kardashians look like the Jackson 5. . ."
". . . There was 2006, when the vice president of the United States — who claimed he was attempting to bring down a suspected quail — shot a 78-year-old man in the face, only to be exonerated after an investigation revealed that the victim was an attorney. . ."
". . . If years were movies, 2016 would be “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” If years were relatives, 2016 would be the uncle who shows up at your Thanksgiving dinner wearing his underpants on the outside. . ."
". . . (In 2016) American race relations reached their lowest point since ... okay, since 2015. . ."
". . . Democratic Party’s controversial formula for allocating “superdelegates,” which is as follows:
● 57 percent go to Clinton.
● The remaining 43 percent also go to Clinton. . ."
". . . Meanwhile the Clinton campaign is dealing with a steady stream of WikiLeaks emails suggesting that the Clinton Foundation is dedicated to humanitarian relief in the same sense that the Soprano family was dedicated to waste management. . ."
If Clinton had won the election, Bubba Bill would have become our first . . . uh. . .
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh)
". . . As consort to the Queen, Philip supported his wife in her new duties as sovereign, accompanying her to ceremonies such as the State Opening of Parliament in various countries, state dinners, and tours abroad. As Chairman of the Coronation Commission, he was the first member of the royal family to fly in a helicopter, visiting the troops that were to take part in the ceremony. Philip was not crowned in the service, but knelt before Elizabeth, with her hands enclosing his, and swore to be her 'liege man of life and limb'. . ."
(from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/21/bill-clinton-first-lady-hillary-clinton-president)
". . . Angela Merkel’s husband, Joachim Sauer, has continued his work as a chemistry professor, although he does attend state occasions alongside her. Earlier, Margaret Thatcher’s husband, Denis Thatcher, was known for his total devotion to his wife, his remove from politics, and his expression of hard-right views in private. No one ever cared about what he wore. . . "
. . . now that you have the 'candidate of change'? (changes his mind hourly)
(from http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/11/trump-flip-flops-president-elect-214478)
Obama
“I think president Obama has been the most ignorant president in our history…President Obama when he became president, he didn't know anything. This guy didn’t know a thing. And honestly, today he knows less. Today, he knows less. He has done a terrible job.” (Press conference in Florida, July 27, 2016)
“I have great respect…I very much look forward to dealing with the President in the future, including counsel. He explained some of the difficulties, some of the high-flying assets and some of the really great things that have been achieved.” (White House, November 10, 2016)
Protesters
“Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” (Twitter, November 10, 2016, 9:19pm ET)
“Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!” (Twitter, November 11, 2016, 6:14am ET)
Affordable Care Act
“It’s gotta go.”
“I like those [the prohibition against insurers denying coverage because of patients’ existing conditions and a provision that allows parents to provide years of additional coverage for children on their insurance policies] very much.” (Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2016)
Border Wall
“Jeb Bush just talked about my border proposal to build a "fence." It's not a fence, Jeb, it's a WALL, and there's a BIG difference!” (Twitter, August 25, 2015)
“There could be some fencing.” (60 Minutes, November 13, 2016)
On gay marriage:
“If I’m elected, I would be very strong on putting certain judges on the bench that I think maybe could change things…I don’t like the way they ruled…I would strongly consider [trying to appoint justices to overrule the decision on same-sex marriage].” (Fox News Sunday, January 31, 2016)
“It’s irrelevant because it was already settled. It’s law. It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean it’s done…And I’m fine with that.” (60 Minutes, November 13, 2016)
Clinton
“If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. There has never been so many lies, so much exception. There has never been anything like it. We will have a special prosecutor. I go out and speak and the people of this country are furious. The long time workers at the FBI are furious. There has never been anything like this with emails. You get a subpoena and after getting the subpoena you delete 33,000 emails and acid wash them or bleach them. An expensive process. We will get a special prosecutor and look into it. You know what, people have been—their lives have been destroyed for doing one-fifth of what you have done. You should be ashamed.” (Second Presidential Debate, October 9, 2016)
“I don’t want to hurt the Clintons, I really don’t…It’s just not something that I feel very strongly about.” (New York Times, November 22, 2016)
Deportation
“We have at least 11 million people in this country that came in illegally. They will go out.” (CNN-Republican Debate, February 25, 2016)
“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, we have a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate.” (60 Minutes, November 13, 2016)
Generals
“Well the generals under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have not been very successful.” (Commander-in-Chief Forum, September 7, 2016)
“We have some great generals. We have great generals.” (60 Minutes, November 13, 2016
"Well, I’ll be honest with you, I probably do [know more about ISIS than the generals do] because look at the job they’ve done. Okay? Look at the job they’ve done. They haven’t done the job.” (60 Minutes, less than a minute later)
On Nuclear Japan:
“Well I think maybe it’s not so bad to have Japan — if Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us.” (New York Times, March 26, 2016)
“The @nytimes states today that DJT believes "more countries should acquire nuclear weapons." How dishonest are they. I never said this!” (Twitter, November 13, 2016)
Electoral College:
“The electoral college is a disaster for democracy.” (Twitter, November 06, 2012)
“The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different!” (Twitter, November 15, 2016) “I'd rather do the popular vote.” Says he was "never a fan of the electoral college." (New York Times, November 22, 2016)
Lawsuit
“Trump University has a 98% approval rating. I could have settled but won't out of principle!” (Twitter, February 29, 2016)
“I don't settle cases…I won’t settle because it’s an easy case to win in court.” (Morning Joe, March 3, 2016) “I settled the Trump University lawsuit for a small fraction of the potential award because as President I have to focus on our country” (Twitter, November 19, 2016)
Cimate Change:
“I am not a great believer in man-made climate change.” (Washington Post, March 21, 2016)
“I think there is some connectivity. Some, something.” (New York Times, November 22, 2016)
Paris Climate Agreement
“We’re going to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement” (Policy address in North Dakota, May 26, 2016)
“I have an open mind to it." (New York Times, November 22, 2016)
Torture
“Torture works. OK, folks? You know, I have these guys—‘Torture doesn’t work!’—believe me, it works. And waterboarding is your minor form. Some people say it’s not actually torture. Let’s assume it is. But they asked me the question: What do you think of waterboarding? Absolutely fine. But we should go much stronger than waterboarding.” (South Carolina, February 17, 2016)
“[Mattis] said, ‘I’ve never found it to be useful…Give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I’ll do better.’…I was very impressed by that answer… [Torture is] not going to make the kind of a difference that a lot of people are thinking.’’ (New York Times, November 22, 2016)
New York Times:
"Wow, the @nytimes is losing thousands of subscribers because of their very poor and highly inaccurate coverage of the 'Trump phenomena.'" (Twitter, November 13, 2016)
“I have great respect for the New York Times. I have tremendous respect…The New York Times is a world jewel. And I hope we can all get along."
(from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/steven-mnuchin-treasury-secretary_us_582caddbe4b058ce7aa8b9c0)
". . . Donald Trump said the system is rigged. . . hedge fund managers are “getting away with murder.” . . . he’d “tax Wall Street.” . . .called Washington D.C. corrupt and promised to “drain the swamp.” . . . said his opponent Hillary Clinton was too cozy with the banks, as epitomized by her closed-door paid speeches. . . said Clinton’s vice presidential nominee, Tim Kaine, was “owned by the banks” and that he, Trump, would break them up. Trump closed his campaign with an ad bashing Goldman Sachs and George Soros, using classically anti-Semitic phrases. . . And now, according to The New York Times, ABC and CBS, the president-elect has chosen a second-generation Goldman Sachs partner who worked for George Soros before starting a hedge fund and buying IndyMac, a failing California bank that made billions while foreclosing on homeowners after the financial crisis. . . Steven Mnuchin. . . "
(from http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/donald-trump-proposes-two-illegal-responses-flag-burning-n689726)
". . . (Trump, the)president-elect advocates two blatantly illegal punishments for Americans engaged in free speech. . . "Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag," Trump wrote on Twitter, "if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!". . . There are no criminal consequences for flag burning, however, because the Supreme Court has twice ruled that flag burning is a type of political expression. That means it is protected from government punishment by the First Amendment, regardless of what Congress or the president thinks. . . "
5. With No Evidence, Trump Claims 'Millions' Voted Illegally
(from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/11/27/trumps-bogus-claim-that-millions-of-people-voted-illegally-for-hillary-clinton/)
". . . This is a bogus claim with no documented proof. . . Snopes.com and PundiFact have already examined this claim, back when it was hot in the right-wing blogosphere, not a statement made by a future U.S. president. The whole thing started with a few tweets by Gregg Phillips, a self-described conservative voter fraud specialist. . . These claims were then picked up by such purveyors of false facts as Infowars.com, a conspiracy-minded website that, among other things, claims that no one actually died in a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. One article described Phillips as being affiliated with VoterFraud.org but in reality he says he is the founder of VoteStand.com, supposedly an app that detects vote fraud. Phillips also has claimed that Obamacare is the “biggest voter registration fraud scheme in the history of the world” because it provided opportunities for voter registration. . ."
(from http://www.diversityinc.com/news/dear-trump-not-black-people-live-inner-cities/)
“I would be a president for all of the people, African Americans, the inner cities,” he said. “Devastating what’s happening to our inner cities. . . “You go into the inner cities and — you see it’s 45 percent poverty. African Americans now 45 percent poverty in the inner cities. The education is a disaster. Jobs are essentially nonexistent,” he continued. “And I’ve been saying in big speeches where you have 20 or 30,000 people, ‘What do you have to lose?’ It can’t get any worse.”
(http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Hillary_Clinton_Welfare_+_Poverty.htmSource: 2016 PBS Democratic debate in Wisconsin , Feb 11, 2016)
"I am concerned about what's happening in every community in America, and that includes white communities, where we are seeing an increase in alcoholism, addiction, earlier deaths. I'm going to do everything I can to address distressed communities, whether they are communities of color, whether they are white communities. I particularly appreciate the proposal that Congressman Jim Clyburn has--the 10-20-30 proposal--to spend more federal dollars in communities with generational poverty."
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