I once read somewhere that when dealing with a slick/slimy character like Trump, you shouldn't listen to any of what he says, and you shouldn't even pay particular attention to what it is he's doing. You need to think about what the effects of his words/actions are.

I don't think Trump gives a flying **** whether detained families get separated or not. The effect of creating a huge media firestorm, a political hot-potato for establishment republicans, and ramping up the general hatred/anger level amongst regular people was the major goal here. He never even asked himself, how do I handle these children? He asked himself what smallish action he could take right now to promulgate the most tremendous ****storm possible.

He did this ****ed up thing as a means to a few different ends, and getting people who oppose him generally to react like that is one of those ends. Reactions like the one above will force lukewarm Trump supporters deeper into the personality cult. After he pulls enough of these stunts, they'll have nowhere else to go. Operation Polarization. The more you hate him, the stronger he gets.

No. No he doesn't. Think about what has happened over the following few weeks. Now read this actual quote(yes, it's real) from Donald Trump that he made TODAY:


"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!"

Does this move Geraldo up to perhaps merely semi deplorable?

http://www.showbiz411.com/2018/06/20...-child-abusers

well fwiw im willing to grant Geraldo the title of "perhaps merely semi deplorable".
shrugs

womp womp

Republicans are cowards and bad people and so are the people who vote for them. They have been for a long time. There shouldn't be and apologizing for or falling for these lying, cheating, racist, xenophobic, criminal bastards anymore.

If this goes on for long, especially if very young babies are involved, some of them are going to die. Dunno if we'll find out about it though.

The US should face economic sanctions for this behavior. They've advocated for sanctions levied against other countries for far less.

I don’t know why some of you insist that Trump is playing 4D chess still. This is who he is, this is what he believes in. He’s doing this because he hates Latinos and immigrants and the only strategy involved is doing it and then trying to get away with it by ranting on Twitter

Well as I understand it, according to comments from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, the democrats made him do it because those babies are lawless culture disruptors.

Couple things via Chapo Trap House, this from NPR where a guy explains the point at which he quit working for a detention facility:

Also, this is a CNN reporter's take on Paul Ryan's response. I know it reads like it, but she's not being sarcastic.



"No small thing".

In 3 weeks I'm sitting down to dinner with my very deplorable cousin for the first time in years. Will be with my wife, kid and MiL who "chain migrated" here from Colombia. Am working on getting wife's brother here in same fashion before Trump ****s it up with my cousins enthusiastic support.

Legit clueless how this dinner doesn't end in fireworks.

Like many of you, I'm at a loss on what to do. I've heard calls for journalists to flood HHS with FOIA requests, and I've seen the protests and I really do want to just take a ****ing sledgehammer to that detention center .... and then I look at what I just wrote and it achieves nothing and it all just makes me feel even more powerless.

I think Geraldo was once pretty smart and then got a big taste of the good life as a grifter and rode that wave into old age, but his soul has still been alive if buried deep down. He knows what's up and probably has f-you money now.

Donate to a fund raising money to post bail for the detained immigrants so they can be reunited with their children. It’s raised 8 million since Saturday. At peak times it was raising $8,000a minute. https://www.facebook.com/donate/4905...3551717746001/

June 30th is too far away. We need massive protests this weekend, and they shouldn't be polite, well behaved ones.

ICE Director Uses Nazi Defence to Claim Border Policy is Not Like Hitler Regime: We're Just Following Orders

Im donating to these guys:

https://donate.americanbar.org/probar

Seems well organized and professional. Would appreciate other ideas. We have to do something.

Also, Marco Rubio can FOAD:

They had evangelical pastors on the Today show this morning. One said that he knows the elected leaders are instruments of God and therefore he trusts that God does what is right. Another said he blames the parents. The third said he does not believe it is really happening (fake news).

Such good Christians. If anyone needed more proof that evangelicals are the nut low.

Microbet:

While it's hard to quantify "too long," I have a feeling this will not drag on indefinitely. In fact, I have a feeling Congress will act fairly quickly to bring family separations to a halt.

I can't find the video clip, but long time Republican consultant Mike Murphy appeared last night with Brian Williams on MSNBC. Mr. Murphy was asked to give a "battlefield damage assessment" of the political damage to the GOP from the events of the past week. I'm paraphrasing a bit, but Mr. Murphy said the past week has been "a disaster" for the GOP. He stated that Trump is leading Republicans "right over the cliff" and this policy of family separation amounts to self inflicted political suicide. (I'm paraphrasing, but Mr. Murphy was pretty blunt.) He went on to state an additional 70 to 100 Republican House seats are now in play in the upcoming mid-term elections. (If only half of that range flips from Republican to Democrat, Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker-of-the-House.) I've noticed that Texas senator Ted Cruz, who just happens to be up for re-election in November, has proclaimed that family separations have to stop. (Even Cruz realizes the threat this debacle is having for his continued political viability.)

If this continues dragging on unresolved through the summer, (and polling numbers become increasingly unfavorable for Republican incumbents), fear of Trump will be replaced by fear for their own political survival. Fear of their own angry constituents will motivate the GOP to buck their President and make this "problem" go away. Although they won't openly admit it, the smart political move for Democrats is to hold out as long as possible, let Republicans cook in their own "Trump generated" stew, and settle for the best deal possible as Republicans become increasingly desperate to make the TV images go away. (If some of those "tender age" children manage to die while being held in a shelter, it will be panic time for Republican incumbents ...)

The dream scenario for Democrats is to hope this debacle drags on right up to September/October with Republicans arguing among themselves (and Trump) on how to end it. (I don't think that will happen, but that's the best [partisan] outcome for the Dems.) Trump is insisting that he wants "full funding" (i.e. $25 BILLION), for his wall - a condition virtually no Democrat will agree to. The problem for the GOP is that any legislative solution to this train wreck is going to require at least some Democratic votes. (If Trump is adamant about his wall, Republicans will have to secure enough Democratic votes to overcome a Presidential veto. The price for that Democratic support will be high.)

Trump pulling this stunt is political malpractice. He's managed to find a way to pull defeat from the jaws of victory. As Mr. Murphy concluded last night: "Republicans are going to pay dearly for this fiasco."

Former DJ:

I am afraid you have already fallen for Cruz and the rest of the R’s trap, which sadly foreshadows how this will actually play out. Democrats have absolutely NOTHING to do with this, Trump alone began still this policy in May and he alone can end it. Non-morons like yourself will favor the Ds while holding yor cynical view towards them acting for political gain. The mouthbreathers, many of whom hate Latinos anyway, will be primed by Trump and Fox News and will completely buy into the Cruz/your narrative that Ds are somehow cynically forcing the Rs to abuse children.