Month: March 2017

Schwarzenegger Quits Celebrity Apprentice – Blames Trump For Leaving A ‘Bad Taste’

Posted by on March 3, 2017 at 3:40 pm. NO Comments :

And the hits just keep on coming.

Friday afternoon reports began circulating that Arnold Schwarzenegger would not be returning to Celebrity Apprentice for the next season. That by itself isn’t all that surprising. The program was not performing very well and it’s fate had not been determined. However, Schwarzenegger’s reasons were interesting.

Schwarzenegger

In an interview with the Empire website, the ex-terminator said:

“With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don’t want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show. It’s a very divisive period now and I think this show got caught up in all that division.”

That’s true. The organized Trump boycotts have spread like wildfire across the country. It’s part of the reason that Ivanka’s fashion line was dropped at Nordstrom’s. And advertiser’s have been reluctant to associate themselves with the bigoted President who is neck-deep in scandal.

Furthermore, Schwarzenegger can’t be blamed for not wanting to work with Trump, who is still an executive producer of the show. After ratings came out earlier this year Trump tweeted:

Trump even called out Schwarzenegger at the National Prayer Breakfast, of all places. At an event that ordinarily brings people together to find common ground. Trump lashed out at his fellow Republican who supported John Kasich for president. But Arnold had the last word with a viral video response on Twitter:

Schwarzenegger says that he would be happy to work with NBC again, but not with a show that has the “baggage” of Trump’s affiliation. NBC has not commented on whether the Apprentice program will continue next season with a new host.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

SRSLY? Trump’s Utterly Idiotic Reason To Investigate ‘Ties To Russia’ – Let’s Call His Bluff

Posted by on March 3, 2017 at 1:14 pm. 3 Comments :

Evidence of Donald Trump’s unsavory connections to Vladimir Putin and Russia are continuing to mount. Most recently his new Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, was revealed to have given false testimony at his confirmation hearing. He said that he had not met with Russian officials during the campaign, but now admits that wasn’t true. These revelations have ignited renewed efforts to appoint a special prosecutor to look into every aspect of the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia.

Schumer Putin

Now Trump himself is proposing an investigation of sorts. In a tweet that must have gotten past his handlers, Trump said:

SRSLY? The photo in Trump’s tweet is of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sharing a donut with Putin at the opening of a gas station in New York. It was the first domestic franchise station owned by a Russian oil company. They were essentially participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new business.

So Trump wants to probe Sen. Schumer’s “ties to Russia and Putin” because they were sharing Crispy Cremes at a public event? That is hardly comparable to AG Sessions “forgetting” about a private meeting with the Russian ambassador in his office. And Schumer didn’t misinform a senate committee while under oath.

The picture Trump tweeted appears to have been dredged up by Gateway Pundit, a notoriously unreliable source. It went from there to the Drudge Report and other wingnut blogs. That’s presumably where Trump found it. Then, without the least bit of coherent thought, he blasted it out to his 26 million (mostly fake) Twitter followers.

For his part, Schumer had an appropriate reply:

Indeed. If Trump wants to initiate an investigation we should eagerly accommodate him. Call his bluff. Let’s appoint a special prosecutor with a mandate to delve into everything related to the Russian connections of candidates and politicians. That would include Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia’s election tampering. Also, his former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn’s activities during the campaign. Throw in Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and his foreign policy advisor, Carter Page, and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and his Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and …

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Let’s get to the bottom of all of it. In the process, I don’t think Sen. Schumer has much to worry about. But the American people deserve the truth. This is an investigation that needs to begin immediately. And let the chips fall where they may.

[UPDATE: Trump also went after Nancy Pelosi. The offer still stands. Investigate everything, you fat coward]

Misdirection Play? That’s Trump’s New Euphemism For Lying; CNN Responds Perfectly

Posted by on March 2, 2017 at 2:32 pm. 3 Comments :

Prior to his address before the joint session of Congress, Donald Trump invited a group of reporters to join him for lunch. During the affair he surprised his guests with news of a significant change in immigration policy. His new position would permit millions of undocumented residents a pathway to legalization. What’s more, he was planning on announcing it in his speech that night. Needless to say, that would be the headline for reports coming out of this gathering.

CNN Misdirection Play

There was just one problem. Trump’s speech began and finished with no reference to immigrants other than his standard hard-line. He still planned to deport the “bad dudes” and build a wall. Plus, he introduced his “Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement” (VOICE) task force to publicize criminal activity by immigrants. You know, the way the Germans did with the Jews in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Equally peculiar was the fact Trump insisted on providing this information on “background.” That means he was acting as his own anonymous source just days after condemning the media for using anonymous sources. But what happened next really blew the lid off this charade.

CNN’s Sara Murray was among the reporters that Trump baited with his fake proposal. She spoke with anchor John King about “the bait and switch that the president pulled when it came to immigration.” Then she went on to engage with King in this exchange:

Murray: “Basically they fed up things that they thought these anchors would like. That they thought would give them positive press coverage for the next few hours. A senior administration official admitted that it was a ‘Misdirection Play.’

“And you will note that when the President was actually out there speaking to the American public, he didn’t talk about a path to legal status. He talked about reforming the legal immigration system so that it’s merit based. That means fewer low-skilled workers. Fewer people coming in on family ties. More people coming in on high-skilled visas. That is closer to a Stephen Miller, Stephen Bannon framework of the world than ‘Gang of Eight’ who pushed comprehensive immigration reform.”

King: “Interesting twist. Although it does make you wonder. So we’re not supposed to believe what the senior-most official at the lunch says – who then they allowed it to be the President’s name. We’re not supposed to believe what they say? Maybe we shouldn’t believe what they say.”

YA THINK? Trump and his cohorts have been lying for years. If anything, they escalated their lie production after taking up residence in the White House. And reporters are just now wondering if these scoundrels are believable? These are the same people who brought us “alternative facts.” They lie so frequently and openly that it’s impossible not to assume that they simply don’t care if they’re caught.

I suppose it’s encouraging that King and Murray seem to be questioning Trump’s veracity. Although it remains to be seen how long it will last. The media often behaves like a battered spouse who believes that the beatings will stop and the abuser will change. Trump delivers one speech where he doesn’t drool and insult Meryl Streep, and the press sing in unison that he’s now “presidential.” So the next time he says “good morning,” if the morning is actually pleasant, the press may declare him a virtuous truth-teller. They have a distinct masochistic side. Either that or they are so obsessed with ratings that they’d sell their mothers to ISIS.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Gonna Hate This: His Congressional Speech Ratings Fall Below Obama’s

Posted by on March 2, 2017 at 8:12 am. 1 Comments :

The infamous ego of Donald Trump is going to take a severe blow when he gets wind of this. His highly anticipated maiden address to Congress may have enchanted much of the media, but the ratings reveal far less adoration than he will be comfortable with. Even with Brian Kilmeade of Fox News telling him that “you’ll have the biggest audience for a State of the Union-like address this year, bigger than any other year,” reality has a way of intervening.

The Nielsen ratings for Trump’s speech came in at about 48 million. That’s a respectable number for anyone else, but Trump is likely to pound a hole in the Oval Office wall when he finds out. The reason for his outrage will be that he failed to snag the top spot for such events. To make matters worse, he lost to both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Compared to Obama’s first address in 2009, Trump’s pull is down by 8 percent.” Rankings for first-time speeches to Congress are – Clinton 1993: 66.9 million. Obama 2009: 52.4 million. Trump 2017: 48.0 million.

Congressional Speech Ratings

Knowing Trump, one of two reactions can be expected. Either he will lash out at Nielsen and the “fake” ratings establishment that is determined to destroy his presidency. Or he will simply insist that he had higher ratings and everyone tells him so. Then he’ll send Sean Spicer out to confirm it and yell at the press.

Trump flew into a rage after the election when results that showed Hillary Clinton received nearly three million more votes. Defying reality again, Trump insisted that he would have had more popular votes were it not for millions of illegal voters. Then when he delivered his inauguration speech he invented millions of attendees that were invisible to the cameras.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

It goes without saying that Trump will be furious when he learns of his latest failure. His handlers may try to keep him from finding out, but someone on Twitter will probably spill the beans. Then just wait for all hell to break loose. Trump is failing in the field he knows best – TV. He previously mocked Arnold Schwarzenegger for not matching his ratings on the new Celebrity Apprentice. Let’s see if Arnold has anything to say about this.

YOU LIE: Trump Gives His Standard Lie-Riddled Stump Speech And The Media Swoons

Posted by on March 1, 2017 at 12:30 pm. 3 Comments :

In 2009, President Obama gave his first speech before a joint session of congress. He was famously interrupted by Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina who yelled out “You lie.” He was reacting to Obama’s claim that undocumented immigrants would not receive healthcare benefits, which was true. So you have to wonder where Rep. Wilson was last night while Donald Trump unloaded a truckload of lies.

Donald Trump Lies

The speech itself was almost identical to his previous speeches before adoring throngs of StormTrumpers. The only difference was the lower volume and fewer insults and personal attacks. The stream of blatant falsehoods spewed throughout the address were familiar to anyone who witnessed his prior performances (See The Trump Bullshitopedia). For instance:

  • We’ve defended the borders of other nations, while leaving our own borders wide open.

    • Our borders are far from open and illegal crossings have declined.

  • Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart, and many others, have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs. The stock market has gained almost three trillion dollars in value since the election on November 8th, a record. We’ve saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price of the fantastic new F-35 jet fighter.

    • In each of the cases listed, the jobs and investments were announced prior to Trump’s election. What’s more, the companies publicly refuted his involvement.

  • As we speak, we are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our citizens.

    • Plus, he’s also removing mothers and brain surgery patients.

  • We are also taking strong measures to protect our Nation from Radical Islamic Terrorism. According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country.

    • What he didn’t say is that none of them were from the seven countries he included in his Muslim ban. Nor did any of them enter the U.S. illegally. Some came with their parents as children.

  • Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force.

    • This is highly misleading. That statistic includes millions of people who are retired, students, stay-at-home parents, or disabled.

  • Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the highest rates anywhere in the world. My economic team is developing historic tax reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and thrive anywhere and with anyone. At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.

    • This is an often repeated lie from Trump. PolitiFact has debunked it three times. The truth is that U.S. taxes on corporations are in the lower-to-middle of the pack. And his tax reforms are overwhelmingly beneficial to the wealthy.

  • Obamacare is collapsing.

    • The Affordable Care Act is achieving record sign-ups. To the extent that it is having difficulties, it’s due to obstructionism on the part of Republicans.

None of these lies are new. Trump has been been telling them throughout his campaign and into his brief presidency. Despite these documented fallacies, the media has been falling all over itself to congratulate the President on his speech. They seem to think that his having stayed on script and sticking to the TelePrompter is an oratory achievement. But just because he refrained from yelling or threatening to throw people out of the room doesn’t mean he’s finally pivoted to becoming “presidential.”

Unless, that is, you are an anchor or pundit on television news. Below are examples of how easily swayed our media is by obvious attempts to deceive and serve up propaganda:

  • Martha MacCallum, Fox News: We were told this was going to be an inspiring, uplifting speech tonight, and I think he hit the mark.
  • Jake Tapper, CNN: It was a much more subdued President Trump than we’ve seen,. It was a speech in which he clearly was trying to reset in a lot of ways.
  • Dana Bash, CNN: The most presidential of manners that we have heard from Donald Trump to date, period.
  • Brian Williams, MSNBC: Easily the most traditional speech he has given in public life. The most speech-like speech, if you will.
  • Anderson Cooper, CNN: It’s without a doubt one of his best speeches that I’ve ever heard.
  • Chris Wallace, Fox News: Tonight, Trump became President of the United States.
  • Martha Raddatz, ABC: Not only was he more presidential, he was a politician.
  • Van Jones, CNN: He did something tonight that you cannot take away from him — he became president of the United States.

What this tells us is that the media still hasn’t learned anything about the Reign of Trump. Either they are in a worshipful haze, or they are desperate to maintain access (ergo, ratings). Trump’s speech, as usual, contained little of substance. He failed to explain how he would achieve any of his policy proposals. Yet he shoveled piles of predetermined applause lines. The most jarring was his exploitation of the widow of a Navy SEAL killed in Yemen. But Trump didn’t disclose that his negligence was partly responsible for the failed mission that also killed thirty civilians, including ten children.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

The media need to report the context that allows the American people to fully understand the issues they cover. And until they do they are nearly useless minions of a corrupt administration. It’s rather startling that they so quickly forget how abusive Trump is toward the press. But now that this highly anticipated speech is history, perhaps the press will seek answers to more important matters. Like whether the President conspired with Russia to rig the election. And what other relationships, personal, political or financial, he has with Putin’s dictatorship. Is that too much to hope for?