Do you remember when Trump fired Sally Yates?

[fightforfreedom]

It happened just after he took office. She did her job, warning Trump about Flynn being compromised. He fired Yates and did not get rid of Flynn until the news media learned what was happening about two weeks later. That's when I knew Trump was going to be crazy corrupt beyond reason. I thought Trump would not survive his presidency. I thought he would be eventually removed. At that time I did not know reason no longer mattered in America.

Then he starting giving security clearances to people who were not qualified. He started to go after Comey and all the FBI agents who were investigating him. He put corrupt, unqualified people in charge of Government agencies who hated the Government agencies they were put in charge of, people who wanted to wreck the agency.

His entire Presidency was one corrupt act after another. It got worse and worse, investigations, firing everyone who disagreed with him, impeachment. How in the hell did he survive those 4 years? It seems impossible but it happened and I don't think I will ever understand it.

[Pachamama]

1. I wish Sally Yates was the Attorney General

I believe that there would be a Justice Department that would be bringing Justice and Truth and cleaning up the crime wave that infested our nation the last 5 years

[slightlv]

21. What's that old saying?

If you want something done quickly, hire a woman! (LOL)

[KS Toronado]

28. Shame we don't have a quota system in place

If women are 90% of the population, then 90% of elected officials will be women.
Yes I know it's not that high.

[Kid Berwyn]

31. Seconded!

As AG, Sally Yates sure wouldn’t need to be briefed on Dimdonnie’s treasons on Day One.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Four year POTUS crime spree.

[patphil]

3. That would've worked if Trump hadn't fired her.

If she was put back in as attorney general it would have greatly magnified the witch hunt claims on the far right. And, it would have been easier to sell it to the general public.

[Turbineguy]

4. Like Hitler

He had help.

[onecaliberal]

29. A L O T of help.

[Ferryboat]

5. Pretty sure no one thought we would see the level of malfeasance of TFGs administration

No doubts about him or the spawn profiteering from the office. But shear magnitude of corrupt behavior was unimaginable.

[Cozmo]

20. Oh yes we did

[Sherman A1]

32. Agreed, in fact I really expected it to be much, much worse

but, Trump is and always has been a slacker.

[allegorical oracle]

51. Must say that I suspected the worst. It began when I recalled all the

tabloid headlines about him thruout the 70s and 80s. Then there was his close tie to Roy Cohn. Then, as his debates with Clinton proceeded (especially when he stalked her around the stage), he mocked people with disabilities. Seemed impossible that he could win the election, yet he purportedly did. So as the years of grift, graft and greed progressed -- and he was NEVER held accountable -- I knew the Repugs were in cahoots to flush our country down TFG's golden toilet. If this criminal continues to elude justice, he could return. And we know how much he loves flushing toilets.

[llmart]

6. I was in a constant state of disbelief for four+ years.

Every morning I'd wake up and my first thoughts were, WTF happened to my country in my lifetime?

[Martin Eden]

9. That's why his cult loved him so much

The disbelief and anxiety he triggered in "The Libs."

[BigmanPigman]

35. Same here. I lived with a high level of anxiety

for 4 years. I was afraid to watch the news in the morning fearing another terrible action by the crime boss/POTUS.

[SergeStorms]

7. Congressional republicans.....

too scared of an angry "tweet" to protect democracy. Congressional republicans with no sense of honor, dignity, or respect for the traditions that made this country the envy of other countries the world over.

Congressional republicans without an ounce of collective spine among them.

That's how Trump was enabled to tear this country apart.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

19. Spot-on assessment.

The Senate had the opportunity not once but TWICE to rid America of this cancer in the White House.

The first time, only one Republican Senator actually tried to the right thing and that was only once (on two counts).

The second time, the evidence was right on camera and audio for the world to see and hear and yet only seven Republican senators did the right thing by their country and voted to convict.

What about the others like Mitch McConnell who came out right after January 6th castigating Trump for his conduct and laying responsibility for it at his feet? Why did he not vote guilty, also?

Because it is like you posted, they don't have the collective spine. It is easier to go along and not make waves and not kill their chances of re-election. All to support an absolute POS who would gleefully throw them and their careers under the bus if it suited him.

[Evolve Dammit]

25. x1000!

[wnylib]

39. I don't think they feared tweets.

They feared the release of dirt on them that had been gathered by Putin's assets and agents.

[Alice Kramden]

49. This

Putin's machinations

[oldsoftie]

52. If that existed it would've come out long ago. Trump hates many of them.

He'd never hold on to anything. He's too impatient
They simply think they can't win without the base.

[wnylib]

54. I didn't say that Trump had the kompromat.

[Snoopy 7]

48. sounds great

But, what truly happened is that trump just did what the 1% told him to do. And who really are the 1%(?) the same people who got our billions of tax dollars. The same people who didn't want to be taxied, look how bad the Biden Administration is having passing their economic bill that is paid for by the 1% paying their taxes. The same people who are paying for the Canadian truckers boycott. The same people who owns the republican party and most important (and never said) the same people who PAID FOR THE JANUARY 6th TREASONOUS EVENT...

[NewEnglandAutumn]

8. The simple answer is

It is/was not just Trump. The GOP has been wildly corrupt for years. Look at the 2000 election the Florida debacle was merely a dry run. They will continue to escalate until they are held accountable or the Republic falls.

[BunnyMcGee]

11. Very much in agreement

[DENVERPOPS]

12. The biggest focus should be on

The entire group of Republican Senators that enabled Trump at every single turn, and defied the Rules of Law.....
And the U.S. Constitution.......... Period........

I can only imagine the Kompromat Putin was holding over their heads......like 8 x10 Color glossies taken over the last 20 years, starting with Lindsay Graham and Mitch McConnell...........

[fightforfreedom]

23. That was the biggest surprise for me.

How the Republicans in congress became some of the biggest cowards in our history. They knew Trump had to be, should be removed and instead of doing what was right, lawful, they did nothing out of fear. They feared Trumps base when they should have challenged Trumps base.

[wnylib]

40. I think they feared Trump's foreign backers

more than they feared his base.

[treestar]

10. TFG did so many awful things

It got worse and worse and they got too numerous to count.

[hay rick]

13. When the misdeeds become too numerous to count...

no single misdeed seems to matter very much. The rate of transgression facilitates getting away with everything. If nothing has been done yet about A, B, C, D, or E, why should we waste our concern and anger on F, G, and H? It appears that our system of justice moves too slowly and deliberately to effectively respond to this kind of rapid-fire malfeasance. Accountability in American politics is looking very much like Humpty Dumpty after the fall.

[nvme]

14. A coterie of sycophants made this clusterfuck possible

I truly think that That dumpster fire was only interested in promoting his business and TV show.
He had no actual idea that the elements who rallied behind him would rally behind him.
When he won had every intention of maximizing his personal enrichment. He tried to run the country like his corrupt, money laundering, cesspool of a business.
Any threats to his absolute power would be dealt with.
Fortunately, there are still some constitutional limits to power that held in place.

[dlk]

15. If Yates were a man, there may well have been a very different outcome

Another example of how sexism harms us all.

[dchill]

16. None of it works without Fox news.

[Evolve Dammit]

26. or AM hate radio; 40 years of Limbaugh cannot be underestimated.

[calimary]

38. THIS.

DAMMIT. The damage that bastard did will not be undone anytime soon. The bad guys have been WAY more shrewd regarding a slanted broadcast-cable echo chamber than our team has. Seems to me OUR side has yet to realize that both sides do NOT play fair.

[Evolve Dammit]

53. Agreed. For decades. Limbaugh on Armed Forces Radio (not sure of how many years). Over 1200 outlets?

And all the copycats that adopted his successful model. They own the airwaves, and we have a handful of actual news like Democracy Now. Hasn't been a counter since Air America IMHO.

[calimary]

55. And THEIR side understands the game. Ours doesn't even get that there IS a game.

“Democracy Now.” THAT’S all we’ve got?

Sheesh. No pizzazz, no fire ‘n’ brimstone, no focus on the “Short-Attention-Span Theatre” that you NEED to get attention and the public’s ears and eyes anymore (as superficial as all that stuff is), and a host who puts people to sleep.

Anybody remember when Pox Noise burst onto the scene? “Noise,” for sure! Vocal as well as audible noise. And all of it loud and in-yer-face. Not just bombastic hosts but tabloid titillation, lots of visual “bursts” lighting up yer screen, and shrewd sound punctuation - rousing theme music and for Pete’s sake they even had a bell gonging at the end of a stanza. And an announcer who called it like a sports game.

All flashy and eye-grabbing. And ear-grabbing. Bombastic as all-get-out. Like a political “Wrestlemania”. Roger Ailes - he was the brains behind it and knew how to grab viewers and packaging and sensationalism. He was the embodiment of Evil Genius.

And all I keep wondering - ALL I EVER keep wondering - is WHERE’S OURS???????

[calimary]

56. And has anybody noticed the casting?

Last edited Mon Feb 21, 2022, 09:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Done VERY deliberately. Anybody understand why that-guy-whose-name-rhymes-with-VANITY has done so well? Because he’s got it all. The bombast, the provocateur stuff, AND to many viewers, mighty easy on the eyes. That’s catnip to TV viewers. It reads “Hot!” and “Successful!”

And the women were all photogenic as hell, looks ya of makeup and hair, glamour girls who’d had their lips “done”. Lots of injectables. That, too, is catnip to TV viewers. Everybody wants to look at pretty, especially when they don’t see it looking back at them in the mirror. It’s somehow reinforcing when you can feel like you’re at least a member of their “club” if not one of its leaders. And they’re bored with “smart” and “intelligent” and “informative.” That’s for geeks. And these geek-viewers don’t wanna watch other geeks who don’t have a gimmick on their side.

I covered Hollywood when I was still working. I saw what worked. Roger Ailes knew it in his bones.

And WHO’VE WE GOT?????????

[Evolve Dammit]

59. Spot on!

[calimary]

57. Damn It All! Dupe. Sorry.

[Evolve Dammit]

58. I hear ya. It has frustrated me for years. Since 1989 to be exact, when I heard Rush 1st time.

And thought, "Who is this asshole??" He launched his "model" in Sacramento a few years earlier.
Never forget that Mike Pence filled in for Laura Ingraham on her "show." They are all the same, and now they have a full blown fascist party as the culmination of all those decades of noise and propaganda. After 5 years of the Orange "Chosen One" who knew how to milk the media every single day, we are basically at war here too. And it's all based on lies. Social media enhanced the airwaves to make messaging faster and reach more. There is no accountability for spewing the vilest lies and anti-democratic, tear it all down, "they hate you, we love you, be a real patriot" messaging." They offer cult-like inclusion, comradery, loaded with fear and anger at anything remotely liberal, Democratic or non-white. The irony is, most of the "liberal" policies and legislation would actually benefit them, but they are too brainwashed to even care. "Your hatred becomes you" (great bumper sticker).
And it is happening world-wide because the Goebbels model from Nazi Germany works and they have eagerly adopted it. They aren't changing, so we either confront, ignore where appropriate and "welcome their hatred" as FDR said.

[calimary]

60. Our side just doesn't get PACKAGING!

“Just tell the truth.” Okay. Point taken. But HOW? Where’s the HOW? HOW is that message delivered? By eggheads with facts and figures? Or Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Who ya gonna look at? Who’s gonna keep you amped up, and who’s gonna let you doze off?

And I’m seriously sorry. I’m sorry to see it and I’m sorry to say it. But in this media age, I’m even sorrier to say our side has just been RUN OVER. And so many on our side just don’t get it. It’s subliminal messaging. And we aren’t even at the front door. Hell, so many on our side not only can’t find the door, they don’t even realize there IS a door.

[Evolve Dammit]

62. You are absolutely right Calimary. I don't think it's fixable without major money. I don't see it.

[calimary]

61. Flashy and smashy. Cue the lights!

All the shiny metallic reflective staging that compounds the effects of the lighting. Active cameras swooping down in.

The staid, studious, intellectual respectable stuff is old-style. “Short-Attention-Span Theater” doesn’t speak or even acknowledge that anymore (unless they need a nap). And we don’t reach ‘em anymore.

Seems to me we need to know our target audience and what rings their chimes. John Cameron Swayze and, sadly, Walter Cronkite, are long gone and don’t matter anymore.

And even Cronkite was “packaged.” Nice, reliable, reassuring “Uncle Walter.” And it worked, especially back then when there were a mere three networks and lots of “tradition.” And likeability. It worked for Cronkite like magic. But that’s how it used to be.

Seems to me, NOW, the game is so different that it has to be completely reinvented and repackaged. Roger Ailes understood that. He understood that television is all about SALESMANSHIP. Limbaugh understood it on radio. And he tried television, too, and failed! Probably because of how he looked. Fat and off-putting. Went back and stuck to radio and could do it like a provocateur with his voice and his bombast, and KILLED. And it didn’t matter how he looked.

And then Roger Ailes came along, added looks and visual flash to the bombast and thereya go.

[wiggs]

17. still waiting for gop to pay a heavy price. nt

[Cozmo]

18. PLEASE-Don't defend Comey, he victimized Hillary before the election

He is just as bad as tfg in my eyes

[wnylib]

41. Yes he is. I read his book about

his experiences with Trump. I did not buy it because I would not contribute a penny to him. I got it from the public library.

The whole book was full of his self-righteous ego. Nauseating.

He helped put Trump in office, reaped the karma, and expected sympathy for it and admiration for speaking up after the fact, not for the nation, but for his ego and public image.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. Yates was fired due to the muslim ban

Link to tweet

[judesedit]

24. x 1000

[Evolve Dammit]

27. spot on post!

[bucolic_frolic]

30. You mean the democratically-elected President of 2016

was so corrupt and there was no mechanism for unseating him other than impeachment but his party was in bed with him and then they tried to unseat his democratically-elected successor? You mean that guy?

America has enemies in the world. We've won wars for 260 years. Our industrialism has problems for us and for the world. Dictators and terrorists would love to unseat America. They took decades to put this together. Does that help?

[MOMFUDSKI]

33. YES

and I also remember when Biden didn't hire her.

[RainCaster]

34. DFT's corruption has the full support of the GOP

THAT is why he was able to get away with such bullshit.

[Orange Buffoon]

36. Biden missed a golden chance by not appointing Yates.

[calimary]

37. Yeah. He fired HER, and sided with the jerk she warned him against.

That's the donald's turds and way.

And as to your question "How in the hell did he survive those 4 years?" I'm not sure how to answer that, because I'm not sure we did. Granted we have a MUCH better President now, but he's getting all kinds of hell from every direction (including some of our own).

[benpollard]

42. I just hope that AG Garland doesn't wimp out

If Republicans regain control of the House this fall, the entire Jan. 6 panel is just going to fizzle out like a used up sparkler, never to be heard from again. It will be up to Merrick Garland to bring charges (not that the panel could bring charges), and he can use the information gleaned by the panel to prosecute Trump and his minions. The question is, will he do it, or will he wimp out? No matter what he does, Trump's obsequious toads will claim Garland is out for revenge because Republicans wouldn't consider him for the vacant SCOTUS seat during Obama's final year. Garland might just as well give them something to complain about.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. Yup he got bolder and bolder cuz he could. I always

Think about his staff circulated their resumes thinking trump would never last after firing Comey.

[pansypoo53219]

44. hate rite wing media. qdiots. we are the enemy types.

[Strelnikov_]

45. He had no choice. His boss told him to. n/t

[czarjak]

46. Whom the f*ck said we've survived?

[C Moon]

47. That's trump. Lowercase t.

[emily333]

50. That awful November day

The day he was elected, I said "He'll never survive his presidency." Because I knew he had already done things that would get him in legal trouble. I just didn't realize how long everything would take.