Former President Donald J. Trump

[Count Machuki]

They actually cheered?! I'd hoped for a stony silence.

[Sneelock]

they cheered a lot of pretty abstract "ain't we great" stuff but they also cheered a lot of his "America First, we've all gotta look out for ourselves, am I right?" sort of stuff too.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to his stiff "what I did on my summer vacation" speech reading style. I guess part of me is still rejecting that this guy is the POTUS.

overall, the first part of the speech struck me as "The United Nations for Dummies" read out loud to the United Nations. the second (to my ears less enthusiastically received part) was the EVIL WE NEED TO DESTROY part. still delivered in his stilted zombie deadpan voice. super creepy.

[sloopjohnc]

My wife and I have tickets to see Ian Hunter live tomorrow night. Looking at the tickets a few minutes ago she saw a bit which said you need that bit to get a refund in case of cancellation. Checking to see if the show was still on she saw, alas, the show has been cancelled. The reason: Fear of a North Korean attack.

He just played San Francisco last weekend with Chuck Prophet opening.

[harvey k-tel]

I'm not watching, but did Trump just do the "cute nickname for a rival" thing at the general assembly of the goddamn united nations???





wtf. I wonder if Elton John will make a statement.
What a world

"And I think it's gonna be a Jong, Jong time..."

[pcqgod]

I'm not watching, but did Trump just do the "cute nickname for a rival" thing at the general assembly of the goddamn united nations???





wtf. I wonder if Elton John will make a statement.
What a world

"And I think it's gonna be a Jong, Jong time..."

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowit ... -honky-cat

[Sneelock]

He threatened another nation. straight up. that's GOT to be against the rules one way or another, doesn't it?

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Rules?

[Sneelock]

yeah rules.
I'm assuming even a straight-shooting, plain talking son of a gun like Our Glorious Leader is expected to obey the rules.
the UN has like a charter or something I'd assume. maybe they were simpler times but I remember it was much remarked on when Khrushchev banged his shoe.

maybe since TRUMP left his shoes on, he's okay. still it seems like "we will destroy you" and "RocketMan" and saying Venezuala is failing because Socialism strike me as being more than a little outside the box.

[Thang-y]

Kim Jong Un's response

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 60476.html

[sloopjohnc]

Yesterday, at media day, Steph Curry, said that he would vote not to go to the White House to receive congratulations from President, which is typical for championship teams. Trump tweeted that Curry wouldn't be invited.

Big mistake. Curry has the best selling jersey among all players in any US sport.

[Brickyard Jack]

Yesterday, at media day, Steph Curry, said that he would vote not to go to the White House to receive congratulations from President, which is typical for championship teams. Trump tweeted that Curry wouldn't be invited.

Big mistake. Curry has the best selling jersey among all players in any US sport.

And LeBron James called Trump a bum!

[never/ever]

Pity. I would have hoped that all of then would rock up there and take a knee when the national anthem (i. e. the theme tune to the Trump Show) is playing...

[sloopjohnc]

Yesterday, at media day, Steph Curry, said that he would vote not to go to the White House to receive congratulations from President, which is typical for championship teams. Trump tweeted that Curry wouldn't be invited.

Big mistake. Curry has the best selling jersey among all players in any US sport.

And LeBron James called Trump a bum!

More than that. He said it used to be an honor to visit the White House and not anymore. Pretty damning.

[sloopjohnc]

Here was Golden State coach, Steve Kerr's, comments on Trump rescinding the non-invite invite. . .

We knew it was coming.

After Steph spoke up at media day on Friday, we figured it was just a matter of time until the president responded. Then on Saturday morning my wife, Margot, woke me up. “Here it is,” she said, and showed me Trump’s tweet. Our invitation, he wrote, “has been withdrawn” because, “going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team” and, “Stephen Curry is hesitating.”

First off, I’m pretty sure Steph wasn’t “hesitating”. He made it clear he wouldn’t go. Second, as I joked to the media Saturday, it was like the president was trying to break up with us before we broke up with him.

Regardless, it’s a shame. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet President Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, and Obama. I didn’t agree with all of them, but it was easy to set politics aside because each possessed an inherent respect for the office, as well as the humility that comes with being a public servant in an incredible position of power, representing 300 million people. And that’s the problem now. In his tweet to Steph, Trump talked about honoring the White House but, really, isn’t it you who must honor the White House, Mr. President? And the way to do that is through compassion and dignity and being above the fray. Not causing the fray.

Would we have gone? Probably not. The truth is we all struggled with the idea of spending time with a man who has offended us with his words and actions time and again. But I can tell you one thing: it wouldn’t have been for the traditional ceremony, to shake hands and smile for cameras. Internally, we’d discussed whether it’d be possible to just go and meet as private citizens and have a serious, poignant discussion about some of the issues we’re concerned about. But he’s made it hard for any of us to actually enter the White House, because what’s going on is not normal. It’s childish stuff: belittling people and calling them names. So to expect to go in and have a civil, serious discourse? Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen.

Look, I’m a basketball coach and what I do obviously pales in comparison to what the president does. But our jobs are similar in at least one respect: If you want to be an NBA coach, you need to be prepared to be criticized. You kind of know that going in. If I coach poorly and we lose the game, I hear about it. That’s okay. It’s really where we coaches earn our money, accepting and dealing with criticism and keeping the ship moving forward. There has to be an inherent understanding when you enter into any public position of power that this is what happens. People are going to take shots at you and it’s incumbent upon you to absorb those shots. Maybe you respond diplomatically, but you maintain a level of respect and dignity. What you can’t do is just angrily lash out. Can you imagine if I lashed out at all my critics every day and belittled them? I’d lose my players, I’d embarrass ownership, I’d embarrass myself. Pretty soon I’d be out of a job. It’s a basic adult thing that you learn as you grow up: People aren't always going to agree with you. And that’s OK.

Instead, we get Trump’s comments over the weekend about NFL players, calling them ‘sons of bitches’ for kneeling during the anthem. Those just crushed me. Crushed me. Just think about what those players are protesting. They’re protesting excessive police violence and racial inequality. Those are really good things to fight against. And they’re doing it in a nonviolent way. Which is everything that Martin Luther King preached, right? A lot of American military members will tell you that the right to free speech is exactly what they fight for. And it’s just really, really upsetting that the leader of our country is calling for these players to be ‘fired.’

The hard part is knowing what to do now. Margot and I talked for a long time Saturday morning about what to say publicly. I’ve probably been as critical of Trump as anybody but maybe it’s time to take a different course. There’s no need to get into a war of words. It’s about trying to hang on to the values that are important to us as an organization, a country, and, really, as human beings.

The fact is we live in an amazing country, but it’s a flawed one. I consider myself unbelievably lucky to live here, so please spare me the ‘If you don’t like it you can get out’ argument. I love living here. I love my country. I just think it’s important to recognize that we as a nation are far from perfect, and it’s our responsibility to try to make it better. And one of the ways to do that is to promote awareness and understanding and acceptance. Not just acceptance but embracing our diversity, which when you get down to it is not only who we are but truly what makes us great. And it’s not happening.

Remember, the president works for us, not vice versa. We elected him. He doesn’t just work for his constituents and his base. He works for every citizen. Once you take that office, you have to do what’s best for the entire country. Sure, you’re going to have policies that align with your party, but that’s not the point. Respectfully, Mr. Trump, the point is this: You’re the president. You represent all of us. Don’t divide us.

Bring us together.

[Samoan]

Yonder in London,

NFL stars defied US president Donald Trump by protesting during the US national anthem before Sunday's match at Wembley Stadium. Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars players went down on one knee after Trump said that those who protest during the anthem should be fired.
...

The players all stood when God Save the Queen was played after the US national anthem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/41380275

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/24/donald-trump-defied-wembley-jaguars-ravens-nfl-kneel-anthem

[sloopjohnc]

Yonder in London,

NFL stars defied US president Donald Trump by protesting during the US national anthem before Sunday's match at Wembley Stadium. Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars players went down on one knee after Trump said that those who protest during the anthem should be fired.
...

The players all stood when God Save the Queen was played after the US national anthem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/41380275

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/24/donald-trump-defied-wembley-jaguars-ravens-nfl-kneel-anthem

The stand/don't stand controversy is all I've seen on my Twitter feed all weekend.

[Brickyard Jack]

Here was Golden State coach, Steve Kerr's, comments on Trump rescinding the non-invite invite. . .

We knew it was coming.

After Steph spoke up at media day on Friday, we figured it was just a matter of time until the president responded. Then on Saturday morning my wife, Margot, woke me up. “Here it is,” she said, and showed me Trump’s tweet. Our invitation, he wrote, “has been withdrawn” because, “going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team” and, “Stephen Curry is hesitating.”

First off, I’m pretty sure Steph wasn’t “hesitating”. He made it clear he wouldn’t go. Second, as I joked to the media Saturday, it was like the president was trying to break up with us before we broke up with him.

Regardless, it’s a shame. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet President Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, and Obama. I didn’t agree with all of them, but it was easy to set politics aside because each possessed an inherent respect for the office, as well as the humility that comes with being a public servant in an incredible position of power, representing 300 million people. And that’s the problem now. In his tweet to Steph, Trump talked about honoring the White House but, really, isn’t it you who must honor the White House, Mr. President? And the way to do that is through compassion and dignity and being above the fray. Not causing the fray.

Would we have gone? Probably not. The truth is we all struggled with the idea of spending time with a man who has offended us with his words and actions time and again. But I can tell you one thing: it wouldn’t have been for the traditional ceremony, to shake hands and smile for cameras. Internally, we’d discussed whether it’d be possible to just go and meet as private citizens and have a serious, poignant discussion about some of the issues we’re concerned about. But he’s made it hard for any of us to actually enter the White House, because what’s going on is not normal. It’s childish stuff: belittling people and calling them names. So to expect to go in and have a civil, serious discourse? Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen.

Look, I’m a basketball coach and what I do obviously pales in comparison to what the president does. But our jobs are similar in at least one respect: If you want to be an NBA coach, you need to be prepared to be criticized. You kind of know that going in. If I coach poorly and we lose the game, I hear about it. That’s okay. It’s really where we coaches earn our money, accepting and dealing with criticism and keeping the ship moving forward. There has to be an inherent understanding when you enter into any public position of power that this is what happens. People are going to take shots at you and it’s incumbent upon you to absorb those shots. Maybe you respond diplomatically, but you maintain a level of respect and dignity. What you can’t do is just angrily lash out. Can you imagine if I lashed out at all my critics every day and belittled them? I’d lose my players, I’d embarrass ownership, I’d embarrass myself. Pretty soon I’d be out of a job. It’s a basic adult thing that you learn as you grow up: People aren't always going to agree with you. And that’s OK.

Instead, we get Trump’s comments over the weekend about NFL players, calling them ‘sons of bitches’ for kneeling during the anthem. Those just crushed me. Crushed me. Just think about what those players are protesting. They’re protesting excessive police violence and racial inequality. Those are really good things to fight against. And they’re doing it in a nonviolent way. Which is everything that Martin Luther King preached, right? A lot of American military members will tell you that the right to free speech is exactly what they fight for. And it’s just really, really upsetting that the leader of our country is calling for these players to be ‘fired.’

The hard part is knowing what to do now. Margot and I talked for a long time Saturday morning about what to say publicly. I’ve probably been as critical of Trump as anybody but maybe it’s time to take a different course. There’s no need to get into a war of words. It’s about trying to hang on to the values that are important to us as an organization, a country, and, really, as human beings.

The fact is we live in an amazing country, but it’s a flawed one. I consider myself unbelievably lucky to live here, so please spare me the ‘If you don’t like it you can get out’ argument. I love living here. I love my country. I just think it’s important to recognize that we as a nation are far from perfect, and it’s our responsibility to try to make it better. And one of the ways to do that is to promote awareness and understanding and acceptance. Not just acceptance but embracing our diversity, which when you get down to it is not only who we are but truly what makes us great. And it’s not happening.

Remember, the president works for us, not vice versa. We elected him. He doesn’t just work for his constituents and his base. He works for every citizen. Once you take that office, you have to do what’s best for the entire country. Sure, you’re going to have policies that align with your party, but that’s not the point. Respectfully, Mr. Trump, the point is this: You’re the president. You represent all of us. Don’t divide us.

Bring us together.

Great stuff - properly measured.

The key to it is "childish stuff". Some US commentator said before the election that Trump behaves like a four year old, and everything he says or does is consistent with that. He is a embarrassment to the US, and I am very sorry the UK government does not point this out every day.

[The Modernist]

Has their been a recent poll on his popularity? I would bet he's already lost a lot of his support from a year ago.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Has their been a recent poll on his popularity? I would bet he's already lost a lot of his support from a year ago.

Not amongst his supporters.

[Count Machuki]

Has their been a recent poll on his popularity? I would bet he's already lost a lot of his support from a year ago.

Not amongst his supporters.

I think his popularity actually ticked up marginally after that debt ceiling deal with the Dems.
WHY I couldn't say