Rams Play in the UK, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Mika Brzezinski talks Baseball, Grammy District Advocacy Day, General John Kelly, Week In Review, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, Nanci Pelosi on Chelsea, Preet Bharara, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, Puerto Rico
It has been yet another abominable week for the nation, for the POTUS and for his administration.
All across the board.
Nothing went well and even after something did get perceived as doing well, it backfired in their faces making it even worse than how the week started.
Which was when the POTUS yet again, went off the cuff during some interview on Monday this week.
"I felt very, very badly about that," Trump said during a press availability in the Rose Garden. "I always feel badly. It is the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed."
Trump then stated something along the lines that he is the best person in the history of mankind to ever have contacted the families of soldiers that have been killed in the line of duty.
In doing it, he says that neither W ((George W. Bush Jr.)) and/or Barack (Obama) contacted fallen soldiers if you will, making some odd claim that he had been told this by the generals who serve in his administration.
"All I can do is ask my generals," Trump said. "Other presidents did not call, they would write letters, and some presidents didn't do anything." "I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter," he said.
That was just a bold faced lie and the backlash was quick and loud. Barack not only wrote letters while also making calls to families of many dead soldiers, he also made frequent visits to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to spend time with wounded people in our military.
Further, George W. Bush wrote correspondence to families of people that had been killed in the Iraq War and during the initial phases of the Afghanistan War.
Then, NBC/MSNBC News’s Peter Alexander asked “How can you make that claim?” Which flustered Trump because he did that interrupt thing where he says listen or when he tells whomever to stop talking in that rude and condescending way. He did that to Peter segueing directly into doing another thing Trump always does, he says that someone told him.
Which is no excuse BTW.
“I don’t know if he did. No no no. I was told that he didn’t often,” Trump replied. “A lot of presidents don’t; they write letters. I do a combination of both. Sometimes – it’s a very difficult thing to do, but I do a combination of both. President Obama I think probably did sometimes and maybe sometimes he didn’t. I don’t know. That’s what I was told. All I can do is ask my generals. Other presidents did not call. They’d write letters. And some presidents didn’t do anything. But I like, I like the combination of – I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter.”
"I don't know if he did," he said of Obama. "I was told that he didn't often, and a lot of presidents don't. They write letters. I do, I do a combination of both."
Remember please that on that Monday, it was the first time we heard Trump make mention of those 4 Green Beret soldiers and the US personnel staffers who were killed on that October 4 raid and ambush.
"It is a very difficult thing," Trump said. "It gets to a point where you make four to five of them in one day, it is a very, very tough day."
The real reason the administration did not want to discuss the incident is because of the chaos, confusion and questions that I bet they thought would rival the Benghazi fake scandal. Plus, it took an hour for any air cover to get to them and then there was a question about who picked them up in the helicopter. Trump and his people said hardly anything about the raid gone bad and he certainly did not greet the bodies at the Dover Air Force Base when they returned to the U.S.
"The commander in chief told a totally irresponsible and disgusting lie in the Rose Garden today, claiming past presidents did not call the families of fallen service members," said a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, Brian Gabriel. "Trump's jaw-dropping, disrespectful lie is not based anywhere in reality and is another symptom of a deep-seated obsession with tearing down President Obama."
Sarah Huckabee-Sanders (White House Press) replied during the next press conference saying that Trump evidently was not trying to criticize Bush Jr. or Obama even though what he said was done in a way where it did (I also maintain the Trump puts things down as a way to elevate himself (i.e.: the Hurricanes are worse under his rule and I forget what else but it's a ploy to make it seem like he swooped into save the day)).
"The President wasn't criticizing predecessors, but stating a fact," Sanders said in a statement. "When American heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, Presidents pay their respects. Sometimes they call, sometimes they send a letter, other times they have the opportunity to meet family members in person." "This President, like his predecessors, has done each of these," "Individuals claiming former Presidents, such as their bosses, called each family of the fallen, are mistaken."
Then when he realized this was bad, later in the day, he said that Obama never 'called' General Kelly after his son was killed in Iraq. The fact is that within 5 months, Obama had a dinner for the fallen soldiers including General Kelly's son and the Kelly's (him and his wife) sat at the main table with Michelle Obama (Barack was on the dais or at the main table of course).
And what ended up happening on Thursday this week, is that both Obama and W spoke at some events accordingly and simultaneously blasted the administration (without invoking the Donald J. Trump name one time).
So now take this Niger issue and then when you take the raid in Yemen incident that went bad in the spring, that is 2 blunders for this admin with regard to its special operations in less than 9 months.
In defense of that, we only hear about the missions that fail. We never heard about the countless ones that go perfect for the country and its military.
That is exactly why they did not want to talk about it.
So much so that there was a statement created for a press release to tell the Niger story the very next day, and it never made it out. They prepared a statement. They circulated it internally the day after the attack. But it was never officially released.
Instead, Sanders said that day that "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the fallen service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we hold so dear."
She reminded everyone this week of her making that statement.
It then came out that in June when Trump called some family member of a killed soldier, he offered the guy 25K for some odd reason.
And like he did when he did not pay the military after the Meghan Kelly debate protest, the same thing happened here but it was two folded.
It not only got out that he did not contact the families of the Green Berets and the other people killed in Niger, it also came out that he never sent that check to that guy.
Low and behold, he calls these Green Berets family members literally that Monday and Tuesday, and he also stated that a check was being sent to that other he promised it to.
They blamed it on protocols and bureaucracy.
That is just a blatant lie on both accounts.
Besides, it also came out via that AP report this week, that he had not called many families of many dead soldiers.
What is incredible is that we have just begun to scratch the surface here because by Wednesday this week, Trump pushed out General Kelly to speak during a press conference.
I will say that man is a calming voice no matter the content.
Some of that content gave total cover to Trump's comment about anyone being enlisted and then eventually killed as being people that wanted to be in that situation which I get, and I agree with. It came off very heartfelt yet stern, confident and real when you heard it from Kelly. Compared to you know how Trump said it which we we can all ascertain was very awkward. I have said it many times that Trump is a buffoon. He is not a good public speaker when he goes off script, and further, he says some of the most ridiculous things that I have ever heard in my entire life. Plus, the guy cannot be selfless if his life depended on it.
I can only imagine how he came off with the family he called. I heard it was a rambling mess which is par for the course.
What am I saying?
I don't have to imagine it because Congresswoman Frederica Wilson happened to be in the car when Trump called.
And, the Morning Joe crew asked her to share the story which I sense that she was reluctant at first, but she did tell it.
That is basically what helped manifest the entire fiasco this week.
Regardless, Kelly goes on to say that certain things like women, religion and now gold star families are not scared. He says that nothing is scared but the fact is that if we set aside the Harvey Weinstein scandal that broke over the last few weeks, Trump started everything he says is not scared today.
He went off on the gold star family that spoke in Philly last year at the Democratic Convention.
There were about 11 or 13 women that came out last year saying that Trump sexually abused them and remember that Trump was going to sue them. Which of course he never did (he was also going to sue the New York Times last year for something I cannot remember (I guess it was for them reporting the news)). The Trump grabbing of the pussy incident and story, etc.
Trump embraced religion in these modern years so scratch that one but in reality, Trump can give 8 fucks about any religion. I would go so far to say that he exploited it as a way to gain votes. There is no doubt about it...can you say two corinthians?.....
“As Gen. Kelly pointed out, if you’re able to make a sacred act like honoring American heroes all about yourself you’re an ’empty barrel’.”
“If you don’t understand that, reference I’ll put it a little more simply. As we say in the South: All hat, No cow.”
Whatcha talkin' 'bout Willis?
Besides, there is a video of the speech in question and in typical Trump fashion, they double down lying again saying that she said it at another part of that event which many people heard her say. They then came up with that footage of the pre and post event with her speaking.
That is where we sit now.
Donald J. Trump has officially brought down General John Kelly to his level. It was supposed to be the other way around and yes, I can sense it is better in the White House than say in the middle of summer, but it is still chaos at its best.
Kelly also said that he could not believe a member of congress was listening in on that conversation even though again, she was in the car when he called her and the call was on speaker. It was not like this Congresswoman sought out to find this mother of the slain soldier just so she could listen in on that conversation. If you see Trump's tweets, he wants you to believe that lie.
Also in typical Trump fashion, he opens his fat mouth saying that 'many people heard the conversation' in the same breath they say they cannot believe this person was in on that private call.
This is psycopathic.
Listen to what I have said here.
You know what else I fucking hate?
When Trump (he used the term a lot last year while running) and now Kelly say how they cherish women, it pisses me the fuck off.
It is so condescending to say that about women.
The other thing that came out this week which I find to be amazing is how Trump himself is the one interviewing people to take over the D.A. positions in NYC and in DC. No other President has ever done that. Obama never did it one time.
He won't show us his taxes.
He will not sign that emolument clause.
He now wants to appoint specific Judges and District Attorney's in both New York City and in Washington DC.
He wants to control the D.A.'s and the District Judges in the two cities where he could face criminal charges (DC if anything comes about while he is in the White House and NYC which he was already being investigated for illegal and corrupt dealings in NYC until he fired the last D.A. in the city).
Preet Bharara, who was fired this year after he did not return a phone call, spoke about it this week. It got so weird for Bharara that after two random phone calls from the new POTUS during the 'lame duck' months, he ignored the third one after consulting his legal people, a few days after inauguration day. The very next day after Bharara did not return the call, was the day Trump fired him and all of those other Federal Judges.
What else?
They passed that Tax Reform something or other which begs me to ask, when the hell did they do it? All of a sudden, I woke up Friday hearing that something big like Tax Reform got through the Senate (51-49 votes) overnight.
I am sure it is what is expected which I don't even care about getting into right now. It has to pass the House anyway. Paul Ryan should put that up for a vote sooner than later and sooner than so many other bills that are set dormant because Ryan will NOT allow a mere vote on them.
I also forgot about that awkward moment with him and Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. I thought Trump was going to punch the guy in the face when he would not say that this administration got a '10'. It was wild. Trump had his arms folded while he stared him down 8 inches away from him. Trump's face and cheeks started to turn red.
In reality, no one is talking about the fact that Trump is acting like a mob boss.
The media calls it him acting like an autocrat or a dictator.
Maybe they all run together now that I think about it, but the fact that no one see's it, kinda surprises me.
Is that all that went down politically?
I think so.
I have not paid one bit of attention to baseball for years now because as Mika says, the Phillies just have not been a contender for a long time.
Mika also says that it would be great for baseball to see a Yankees and Dodgers World Series.
Mika then points out that the Dodgers clinched last night against the Cubs, and the Yankees head back tonight to play in Houston and against Justin Verlander.
Mika thinks the Yankees should lose tonight but that they need to win in six games considering that with regard to Game 7's, Mika then says that there is no such thing as momentum (actually, Mike Lupica said that last sentence and Joe (Scarborough) says that the Yankees will not win tonight vs Verlander, and I say the rest but it's a joke (I got many inquiries asking me what I am talking about here) they did while on the show this week because Mika was not into reporting on sports or whatever so they poked fun at her in that way...it is a Morning Joe thing is my point).
Chelsea has Nanci Pelosi on the show and she tells a great story about Trump. Three days after the inauguration, the leaders had this meeting with Trump. Evidently, they do that after every inauguration and so she was at the Obama one and she was at the George Bush Jr. one. She says that Obama and Bush Jr. spoke eloquently quoting some historic things accordingly. She says that she is anticipating what the new POTUS will say after this huge day being the inauguration.
And what does he blurt out?
He says that he won the popular vote.
That is what he said to everyone at that table that day.
Nancy then replied saying that was not true. Trump replied saying something about to forget about California and how millions of people did not vote.
Both Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer said that was not true.
What I really could not believe this week was how Sarah Huckabee-Sanders said that "If you want to go after General Kelly, that is up to you." "If you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that is something highly inappropriate."
Even though he is not even an acting General today and even though he is the current Chief Of Staff, this woman thinks that because of it, he should be able to say and do whatever he wants.
Here is the kicker hypocritical style on this one because if you remember over the last year and a half, Trump himself railed into General Powell. Trump also railed against General Dempsey and there is one more General he got into it with on Twitter.
But again, no one should question a General.
Except for Trump. He can if wants to but every one else should consider it to be off limits.
Like I said above, these people are acting totally psychopathic.
Sanders backtracked later on in the day by sending out her press release.
The bottom line is that it was a horrible statement to make considering that we are indeed in America.
Then the Rams of course won last week vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-17. The team plays in Twickenham in the United Kingdom on Sunday this week. I wrote about that in detail yesterday so I will spare you any more Ram Talk.
Wednesday was District Advocacy Day with the Grammy Organization and the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and we had our annual meeting with Donald Norcross and Richard Locklear & joining the Recording Academy to protect music creators’ rights!
I think that is it even though there is more but I am not getting into it. I had to switch Fitness Centers this week. It was a nightmare situation that made me so angry that I had to make a change. Like I said, I was heated about it on Monday and by yesterday, I was already over it considering i made the executive decision to leave. I used the new gym for the first time today but I used the other facility so I could check out the schedule for kickboxing and yoga. And, I was glad I did because I saw the hottest woman in the world there. I pray that I see her again sooner than later and I am telling you that she is a total LA or NYC 8 or 9. She is a Cherry Hill 15. I am telling you that she is either a working model today or at the very least, she was one.
OK. Stay in touch...Have a good week...Talk to you when I do....
