In addition to the pandemic, Trump also added insult to injury over the wildfires,

where he withheld assistance and blamed the fires on the failure of Democrats to rake the forest. He also launched a war against California's strict car emissions standards. He hates California for having sanctuary cities too. So even though it's no surprise he's doing terribly, even his few supporters there are peeling off.

Some of the worst wildfires hit rural northern California communities, likely conservative areas.

We should try to figure this out with our great resources here.

Pennsylvania - issues
Ohio - issues
Illinois - issues
Michigan - ?


Arizona - no apparent issues yet, or very minimal.
Texas - ?
Florida - ?

Trump just attacked Nevada's vote by mail. Is there mail slowdown in Nevada?

We should be able to figure out if there is a pattern.

Someone here on DU made the case that Trump wouldn't even feel anything if

something terrible happened to Ivanka or Don Jr. It's a good theory and worth thinking about. I think about Trump's father and how he would have reacted if something happened to Donald Trump. I think he would have been devastated, but not like a normal father. Fred would have been devastated because he created Donald Trump in his own image and Donald became an extension of himself and an exteriorization of his idea of his own success. "I taught him how to do this. He is successful because of me."

This is a family where the males don't observe or respect normal boundaries, and where children are possessions not entitled to make their own choices in life.

Trump initially rejected Don Jr. but Don Jr has done everything he can now to earn his father's respect (he'll never has his father's love, because his father is incapable). Depending how you look at it, Don Jr. is trying to create himself in Donald's image, or Donald might well take all the credit for whatever 'success' Don Jr. achieves.

I think the reason Melania keeps Barron as far away from Trump as possible is because she doesn't want Barron to be recreated in his father's image.

But I think we need to humiliate the entire family out of the social realm. They will still be welcome on OANN, but civilized society will reject them.

What a great point that demonstrates how deeply sick this president is.

A wise sociopath would have allowed the governors who were doing well with COVID to keep going because it made him look good, but he couldn't resist the impulse to take them down.

He actually is predictable, but it's confusing at first because he never does the thing that is in his own self-interest, except for very short bursts of reading off a teleprompter, and then regretting it later.

So, even if you understand sociopathic narcissists, Trump is still unusual in how utterly self-destructive he is. He wants to experience gratification right this second, even if it robs him of greater victory two months from now. He has zero impulse control. You know, even Ted Bundy could control his impulses sometimes, if there was a payoff later.

And don't forget Rex Tillerson, who added a famous expletive before the "moron."

He's also floating the idea of issuing Executive Orders regarding this.

John Yoo seems to have convinced the White House that anything is possible, the president has unlimited power if he crafts his Executive Orders in some particular way.

I don't know if it can succeed, but I don't doubt he'll try. Because who, or what, is going to stop him?

Edited to include Washington Post article:

Trump wants to be king. Did John Yoo just hand him the crown?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-wants-to-be-king-did-john-yoo-just-hand-him-the-crown/2020/07/21/a9a896fe-cb7e-11ea-bc6a-6841b28d9093_story.html

It's not right to say that IMO

It's been a long time since I've read it, but the subsequent books about RussiaGate take pains to remind readers that the vast majority of the Steele Dossier was corroborated. When people say it was "a lie" or untrue they are usually referring to the "pee tapes." It's true that the pee tapes were never corroborated, but nor have they ever been discredited. And it's easy to understand why.

Maybe other DUers will have another opinion, but that's how I view the Steele Dossier.

An important thing to keep in mind about the SD is that it never pretended to be "the truth." It was a collection of tips gathered over a period of months from sources Steele believed to be mostly credible, offered for what they were worth rather than as an assertion of fact.

Christopher Steele was no charlatan; he ran the Russia Desk at MI-6 and had a stellar reputation.

I like Acosta, but I'd have even more respect for him if he'd ask Trump

about the Russian bounties, or about John Yoo's increasing role in the drafting of Executive Orders, or maybe something we don't know the answer to.

And then Brianna Keilar wasted the rest of her program

replaying the clips of Trump talking about hydroxychloroquine over and over again and talking to doctors about debunking what Trump said, and then complaining about the fact she had to do it for the hundredth time, like CNN doesn't have free will and couldn't have cut out of the presser in the first place.

And they did not fact check any of the other lies he told, just the ones about hydroxychloroquine.

Did they actually expect Trump to say anything new? Anything newsworthy?

It's a good thing that they are doing this; they are not the only group war-gaming

such scenarios. I hope they are including lawyers in these sessions, especially (obviously) Constitutional lawyers, and also taking into account the reactions and actions of leaders of allied countries, because they can play a role as well by immediately recognizing Biden as the POTUS elect.

As these games deepen, maybe they can think about a possible reaction/role of Chief Justice Roberts and former living presidents. Thomas Friedman has been saying for years there could be a vital role for them in the event Trump spins out of control and we face a Constitutional Crisis. (I think we've been in a Constitutional Crisis for two years, but most would disagree.)